Theatre festival showcases plays made for kids between six months and six years

Choiti Ghosh performs in OoolImagine a baby in a pram or a toddler in their mothers lap enjoying a theatrical performance not because the venue lets kids in but because the play has been specially made for the youngest of the young Early Years Theatre EYT has its roots in the UK of the late 70s when artistes realised that certain elements of childrens theatre werent appropriate for younger audiences that otherwise enjoyed a live performanceA scene from Warp amp WeftEarly startThough the genre is yet to come into its own in India new strides have been made in the field in the recent years And to celebrate this development and treat little Mumbaikars aged between six months and six years to the already existing wealth of performances Tram Arts Trust TAT Extensions Arts and Harkat Studios have organised the Baby Theatre Festival with plays to be staged on every Sunday of JuneThere is something amazing about watching a child experience theatre for the first time It involves alertness of all senses Parents have come and told me I have never seen my child sit and watch something for 30 minutes reveals Choiti Ghosh object theatre artiste puppeteer and the artistic director of TAT adding that she has come across 20odd EYT productions in India in the last two years And this is just what we know of which is why fests like these should happen all over the country she addsAacircAcircu00c2u0080Acircu00c2u0088child shapes an object during Clay PlayWhat separates EYT from other forms of theatre is the formers reliance on nonverbal communication Storytelling through words and plot points dont work here You have to identify the things that are a part of the world of the toddler and how they respond to them The duration of a performance is usually not longer than 30 minutes explains GhoshAll eyes on the stageThe festival will showcase four productions from Mumbai and one from Delhi and most of them are centred on raw material While Sananda Mukhopadhayas Warp amp Weft is about a child up to mischief while waiting at a fabric store Plasticity by Tadpole Repertory explores how there is much more to plastic than what meets the eye Prerna Bagarias Clay Play as the name suggests lets kids get creative with clay Dhanendra Kawades Nal Jal presents water in a new light and Oool performed by Ghosh is all about wool and its many possibilitiesA scene from Nal JalWe dont pay enough attention to how the simplest of things fascinate children Their perception of colours material and objects opens up their imagination The idea is to make kids engagement with art experiential and not learningdriven as has been the case in India shares Karan Talwar cofounder of Harkat Studios who plans to make the festival a sixmonthly affair and commission EYT plays for the sameWhat goes on in the mind of a toddler Ghosh admits is difficult to fathom But there is complete absorption followed deciphering and assessing on a sensory level she says After the show of Nal Jal children go up and touch water as if it was gold Water is never the same for them againCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates