RANGAPRABHATH CHILDRENS THEATRE

[padmanabha]

VENJARANMOODU is a small village 25 kilometers from Thiruvananthapuram. Do you know what the children of this village discuss with their friends in school? It is not definitely about the T V serial they saw the previous day. But a Shakespearean soliloquy or they quote Tagore or Kalidasa which they heard at Rangaprabhath!!

This theatre was founded by the doyen of the Malayalam Theatre-late G. Sankara Pillai, in 1970. The main objective was to shape to pillai’s fascinating experiment in providing a composite pattern of education through arts. This was part of Nataka kalari movement which revolutionized the style and content of Malayalam drama in the sixties. This theatre maintained stiffly critical posture against realism had its origin at the Prasadana Little Theatre in Chirayinkizh village. The members of the kalari had staged off beat dramas at colleges in different parts of Kerala.

In order to built sensible adult audience for the future Sankara Pillai entrusted Kochu Narayana Pillai his associate at Prasadana with this job and thus was born Rangaprabhath. It is the only centre in Kerala which had been giving free lessons to theatre to children every day after school hours.

Earlier the classes wee conducted under the mango tree near kochu Narayana PILLAI’s RESIDENCE. Alunthara Krishna Pillai N Ananthan Nair, G.Chandra Mohan and N Saisdharan Nair assisted Kochu Narayanan. Later the theater was shifted to a thatched shed. In 1985, it was moved to the present building near Alumthara in the middle paddy fields and coconut farms.

There are several trees inside the auditorium and a mango tree in the middle of the stage. Two scores of children participating in the ongoing theatre workshop are part of a successful experiment in providing a composite pattern of education through arts. Devoid of the trappings of sophisticated city life and urban manners these children are more receptive and they respond easily to the loose regimen at the theatre.

A large number of plays performed here are base don the folk tales like Panchatantra, which convey strong morals. Nidhiyum neethiyum highlights the importance of adopting truthful means in life while ponnum kudam is a play against apartheid.
The students are classified according to their age. Those under 15 are grouped under kadambam, between 15 and 25 come under kalari and the kaalam consists of senior students.

Children love to learn but to hate to be taught. Keeping this observation in mind the teaching methods are designed. Children are free to improvise at any point, of the play and the whole process of producing and performing drama seems just like a game. Initially parents showed reluctance to send their children to Rangaprabhath. Now they had accepted our concept. Arathi Prashars from London remarked thus:
“We need a similar school in London too.” The years ago Kapila Vatsyayan visited Rangaprabhath. Though she aimed only for a flying visit she spent nearly four hours.
Alunthura means the ground beneath the Banyan. This centre is like a banyan tree which provides shelter from the blaze academic pressures. The theatre had won International Ramachandran IKEDA Award for its contribution to the children’s Theatre Movement.