As part of exploring all aspects of theatre, this year the students embarked on an organic process we affectionately termed “Page to the Stage”. The first term was totally dedicated to story building. We started with literally nothing - a blank whiteboard. In the first few weeks the children were encouraged to throw any and all ideas at the board. Slowly but surely a story started taking shape. With every brainstorming session, new ideas were included while at the same time old ideas were discarded. Having Jivi Anna, a talented script writer, story teller, and documentary film maker who volunteered at the Home School for a year brought out a different quality in the children and gave them a deeper sensitivity to story building. This also meant that in time he was able to write a script based entirely on the children's ideas.
 

The second term was dedicated to putting the stories on stage. Going through this production process was a whole education in itself. The first priority was to cast the characters, the children auditioned for their roles and within a week the cast was set. The remainder of the children formed the backstage team otherwise known as the crew. During the course of the term, they prepared the props, costumes and designed set piece layouts together. The crew also brainstormed on creating certain effects for the play they then tested and executed these techniques. On the night, they took responsibility for everything needed to make the performance happen backstage including writing the lighting script and executing complex lighting cues.
 
Being part of the cast meant that the actors were responsible for coming to class fully prepared. Ultimately this meant having memorized their lines. As the sessions progressed, they learnt how to interpret their lines, to understand their character, and to deliver their lines clearly and audibly. The improvement in their pronunciation and delivery was a constant throughout the term. The incentive of clearly sharing their story with the audience had much to do with this. As rehearsals became more intense and closer to the performance date, many of the children exhibited more and more commitment, responsibility and willingness to contribute to the class production.
 
Towards the end, a few days before each performance, the students started realizing how much intensity, focus and involvement it really takes to put up a show of high quality. On the night, it all came together and the students performed at a level way beyond their youthful years.  Ultimately, this year long “Page to the Stage “process has left many of the students transformed, elated and experiencing a new found love for theatre.
 
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“We wanted to give the children at least a chance to fall in love with the subject. That's why them coming up with their own story was so important because it gave them a level of ownership they never would have had if they were performing another "writers" work.” – Jivi Singh, Professional Script Writer/ Drama Teacher

“The scary part as co-director/producer of a drama is that so many factors come into play on the night of the performance. We had given them all the tools but in the end it was up to the students to pull it off. I was astonished at how well they did. ” – Swami Ekapada, Drama Teacher
 
“It's incredible how being in a play makes you bond with people. You don't think, you just do what is needed.” - Sanjana, 13 years old, Student Actress.
 
“For me, I learnt much more than drama this year; I learned about gaining trust, being happy with what you have, coming up with new plans, organizing and leading.” - Nickendra, 13 year old, Crew Chief and Stage Manager.
 
“This term, I really liked being the assistant director of the play “The Golden Buddha”. This role made me realize how responsible I can be, and should be” - Srila, 13 years old, Assistant Director.
 
“I learnt how exciting drama class can be, even if you are not a great actor. [...] I personally would like to say thank you to my teachers and classmates for respecting my decisions when it came to costumes and creative input.” Arianth, 13 years old, Creative Director for the Crew.