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The Theatre for Children and Young Audiences, dubbed TIFLI, held a week-long festival at Bal Bhavan in the Capital from 4 to 10 December. In the balmy winter sun the sprawling lawns were witness to high voltage energy, laughter and a trip down memory lane. Tifli means childhood. It is also synonymous with creative expression.
The festival, presented by ASSITEJ India, hosted a kaleidoscopic of plays, workshops and master classes, showcasing performances in puppetry, circus theatre, storytelling and theatre for early years by artists from India, France, Mexico and South Korea. While Delhi remains the main festival city, Hyderabad and Mumbai also hosted satellite festivals. A total of 15 plays, by more than 100 artists, performed over 70 shows during the week-long festival.
TIFLI focuses not only on children but also on the growing future generation. A seven-day Next Generation Residency was also organised serving as a platform for dynamic exchanges among budding artists from across the world. Dr Ashish Ghosh, children's theatre activist, who conducted the master classes for teachers, said, “Theatre is a great tool in the field of education, because it is actually, education. There are so many nuances of this medium that teach so much. Children, parents and teachers should be exposed to good theatre as this helps to understand this art better.” He said theatre helps to relax, understand people and situations better and explore the world of the child. “Do we know this world? With Theatre for Young audiences the child grows and adults, on the other hand, travel down memory lane to explore this unique world,” he concluded.
“We are ready!” more than a 100 kids chanted in unison and started learning the count of 1to 10 in Spanish. They were part of the play, Vagabond. Directed by Emiliano Cardenas and produced by Pilar Campo, this 50-minute play held the young audience captive. The story about three vagabonds in search of happiness focuses on the need to introspect, connect with the inner self and find true happiness. Asked if it might not be too heavy a subject for children, Emiliano said when a young student from Kolkata asked him what the source of his energy was, he realised that age has nothing to do with the secrets related to the meaning of life. Pilar said audiences in India have impressed with their enthusiasm, expressiveness and curiosity. Their artists, Yvidia and Elizabeth, performed to full houses, both in Jaipur and Kolkata.
At another darkened stage, a baby dinosaur, recently hatched, is on a desperate search for its mother, but the baby T Rex lands up in the midst of a hungry raptor pack. Do they accept the baby? What challenges does the little one face? “Relationships, perceptions, challenges, the never-say- die attitude are what the play conveys,” said Anurupa Roy, director, Katkatha Puppet Art Trust. The play was conceptualised by Shravan Heddodu, a “fan” of dinosaurs. Asked if she was not apprehensive about the reaction of the young audience, she smiled and said all she heard were awe-struck gasps. Besides plays for students, her time is occupied with conducting diverse workshops with teachers, focusing on the use of puppetry in the execution of lesson plans.
The last stop: The man behind it all. Festival director Imran Khan has been in the field of theatre since his childhood days. He spoke of his wonderful journey and the birth of IFLI in 2014. He said he discovered early on that his passion was working for children and with them. He is striving to enhance the participation of students and widen the reach of the festival from three cities this year, to five cities next year. With monetary and logistical support being a continuous challenge, the festival relies on volunteers, who give their best and the response of the young audiences which serves as continuous motivation. Partnerships also serve as the key for him, making joining hands with private and public sector ventures vital.
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