Watch two new plays at Prithvi's upcoming theatre festival for children

Tis the season of lit fests art fairs and music concerts But it isnt just adults who have their cultural calendar blocked for the pleasant winter months In time for the Christmas vacation is the third edition of WintertimePrithvi a festival of plays and workshops for junior art connoisseurs aged six to 16 yearsApart from popular plays that venture into the animal kingdom the world of dreams and magic are two premiering productions that hope to sensitise young audiences to the many notsoprivileged children they share their city with all in a manner thats relatable and appealingA scene from Hanumanji Aa RaheHaiDivine interventionHow does a 12yearold miffed with the BMC and cops for the way they treat his home in Mumbai tell them to coursecorrect By asking Hanumanji to step in Except that much like his own hutment from which he gets evicted every few months the lords abode is illegal too This forms the premise of Ansh Theatre Groups Hanumanji Aa Rahe Hai which also weaves in subtler issues of religious differences into the plotTheatre workshops for children held during rehearsals of Bobby Ki KahaniThis eviction is a severe problem of our city and yet there is so much love and compassion on the street Whenever I write for the impressionable minds of children I try to appeal to their subconscious Kids are straightforward so it has to be done without complicating matters says Makarand Deshpande the playwrightApart from the protagonist Guniya another key character is his friend Mohammed who at first is hesitant about the religious difference between him and Hanuman but ultimately strikes a great rapport with the lord Kids these days are very perceptive and know about religions and the ensuing differences from a rather young age We wanted to reinforce the idea that humanity is the biggest religion says director Amogh Phadke Children after all are better followers of stories than adults avers DeshpandeGender on stage In a society thats skewed in favour of the male child discrimination takes on unusual forms Vijay Tendulkars script about a little girl deals with one such aspect where her parents bring her up like a boy because they wanted one The script is brought to life on stage by the childrens wing of the Indian Peoples Theatre Association IPTA Balmanch Called Bobby Ki Kahani the play is about the young protagonist who is neither accepted among boys nor girls As a result she beats her loneliness with an imaginary world of birds fairies stars and historical characters The play has been performed by the Asian Cultural Centre for UNESCO JapanWhile adults perform most childrens plays this one is an outandout kids play with all roles played by schoolchildren For years IPTA rehearsals in Mumbai have taken place at a municipal school in Santacruz We felt this was a good way of giving back to the school by offering its children a platform for acting shares IPTA committee member Ranjana Srivastava adding that they were overwhelmed by the response they received when they made the casting announcementVeteran theatre director Shivdas Ghodke who is helming the play conducted several workshops for the kids to help ease them into theatre We played games involving role play and action and reaction to remove their hesitation Children as it is learn the script easily We are now training them to deliver the lines in sync with their character he says It all starts with building a rapport with kids so they can enjoy the process without feeling any pressureFrom December 24 to 31 Hanumanji Aa Rahe Hai December 24 Bobby Ki Kahani December 29 At Prithvi Theatre and Prithvi House Juhu Log on to bookmyshowcom Cost Rs250Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news current affairs from Mumbai local news crime news and breaking headlines hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go