No laughing matter: Inside the serious business of Theatre for Children

A new play opens in the city. There is an excited chatter amongst the audience members patiently waiting in line to enter. The bell rings, they stuff the last of the samosas into their mouths and wash it down with cold coffee. As they trickle inside the theatre and find the best seats in the house, their parents and guardians follow close behind, keeping an eye out for any mischief. The young audience members sit on the edge of their decidedly favourite seats as the house lights fade. If you were imagining the line to be made up of Bunshah’s Theatre Aunties, sorry (not sorry) to burst your bubble. This is theatre for children, and it is serious business. 

Theatre for children. Children’s theatre. Theatre made by children for children. Theatre made by adults for children. Theatre and drama in schools. Drama classes after school hours. Drama therapy for children. Therapeutic theatre for adolescents. Theatre as a tool to teach other subjects. Drama performances and annual days in schools. Theatre for young audiences. Theatre for very young audiences. Theatre for teenagers as a way to process the angst they experience while going through puberty so that we don’t have to be scared of them anymore. 

For something that has numerous off-shoots, how does one arrive at a common understanding for ‘theatre for children’? As I spoke to several educators, artists, and theatre makers associated with this field for this article, it became clear that there is no single agreed-upon definition for the vast umbrella that is Theatre for Children. It could include almost all of the aforementioned categories, and evolve to hold many more branches and offshoots, or it could be a very specific area of play within this larger understanding. There are clear distinctions for common terms used in this industry, but there is also a sense of generalisation, a dismissal of the specificities, especially by people on the outside. When talking about Theatre for Children here, we will be referring to the theatre specifically curated and created for children of various ages, by adults (also of various ages), keeping the children’s needs, interests, and entertainment in mind. Theatre makers are also cognizant of the diversity of their audience members, which in turn informs the kind of theatre that is being made by them. From Gillo Repertory Theatre’s Souzou to Aasakta Kalamanch’s Bed Ke Neeche Rehne Waali, from Collective Madness’ Tara’s Trio to Katkatha’s About Ram, from Tiny Tales Theatre Company’s Raja Nang Dhadanga Hai to Tram Arts Trust’s Maati Katha, there is a plethora of performances to cater to these diverse needs. 

Legitimising children as audiences

Even as we talk about theatre for children, there are concerns over the lack of recognising children and young adults as legitimate audience members, who are capable of engaging with complex themes, appreciating artistic expression, or even simply enjoying a performance for what it is. Nishna Mehta, an independent theatre maker, arts manager and researcher, mentions, “The theatre fraternity needs to respect the fact that the children can be an audience. Believe that your audience can be as much under the age of six as it can comprise six-month old babies or three-year-old toddlers.” 

This recognition forms the foundation of a growing movement to elevate children’s theatre beyond mere instructional performances that culminate with a sing-song moral of the story. Priyanka Babbar, performer, educator, and founder of Small Tales Academy mentions, “We think we know more, and it is our job to tell [the children] what they should do and what they should not do.” Echoing her thoughts is Dipna Daryanani, a Mumbai-based Early Years Educator, and a contemporary dance and movement artist. “Why does everything made for children have to be centered around a moral, have a learning-outcome? Why can it not be about engaging with the arts, with the performance world, with learning how to be an audience member or a viewer?” Acknowledging the innate curiosity of children, their capacity to engage with and appreciate theatrical experiences, and moving beyond the traditional view of children as passive recipients of moral lessons is necessary in imagining, recognising, and respecting them as valuable audience members. Nishna adds, “We’re constantly pushing children to learn something from somewhere and everywhere. There are spaces for learning, but there are also spaces for experiencing ‘aesthetic pleasure’ – pleasure derived solely on the basis of beauty – and that aesthetic pleasure is essential, not optional.” 

Nurturing curiosity in a ‘Peppa Pig’ world

We are living in a world governed by screens of all sizes. While we might have been introduced to the bright, illuminated, constantly moving, wondrously engaging and brain-numbing devices much later in life, children today are I-Pad Kids, refusing to swallow a single morsel of food without Peppa Pig. In this era of intangible entertainment, introducing children to the wonderful and tactile world of material theatre is nothing short of imperative. Puppetry, clowning, object theatre and other similar forms become necessary in a child’s holistic development and a life of artistic consumption beyond the screens. The decline in the oral tradition of storytelling, the Nani-Dadi ki kahaniyaan, further urges the need for children’s theatre to be acknowledged as a developmental necessity. 

Over the last decade, this has led to growing recognition of the importance of children’s theatre in nurturing their curiosity and introducing them to novel ideas, even to different forms of theatre using innovative materials. Several performances for children transform everyday objects into imaginative wonders, use kitchen utensils and household supplies as musical instruments, upcycle waste into beautiful puppets, and even repurpose birthday decorations as props. Sananda Mukhopadhyaya, an arts-based educator and theatre maker, is especially interested in creating and mentoring theatre for early years using such materials. Her play, Ee Gida, Aa Mara creates an experience for toddlers even before speech has emerged in their life with a world of seeds, leaves, and gentle sounds. Sananda also speaks about theatre organisations such as Tram Arts Theatre (specialising in object theatre) and Katkatha (specialising in puppetry), saying that they not only put up performances for children, but also provide training and induct more performers and theatre-makers into using material objects to create engaging performances for children, adding another layer of wonder which feeds their imagination. Katkatha’s new performance, Saau, for instance, uses shadow puppetry, Bunraku puppetry, self-lit puppets, and various sources of light to share events from Savitri Bai Phule’s life. On the other hand, Maati Katha by Tram Arts Theatre brings alive the Sunderbans through clay dolls and ‘maati’, celebrating the interconnectedness between the rivers, the animals, and the people in the world’s largest mangrove system. Priyanka, the programme manager at Studio Safdar in New Delhi, shares how several performances curated for the Shadipur Natak Utsav use puppetry, material theatre, and clowning, introducing the audience to diverse forms of art. She especially mentions Red Nose Entertainment’s Shakuntalam: Agar Pura Kar Paye Toh, an interactive physical comedy which merges clown and mime techniques with Kalidas’ classic, which was thoroughly enjoyed by the children. 

Cultivating a culture of practice-sharing

There is a pressing need for children to experience the arts in today’s material-driven world. Theatre for children carries an intrinsic value to a child’s way of living. And this acknowledgment is crucial to forming a collective identity, which will help further legitimise the collective as an industry. Similar to other theatre fraternities in India, children’s theatre is also an unorganised industry which relies heavily on community initiatives and collaboration, which is possible only when a network of support exists. Networking initiatives then play a crucial role in fostering this sense of community and shared purpose.

In India, it is children’s theatre festivals that hold the potential to provide such vital spaces for networking and collaboration. Festivals like Rangshankara’s AHA! in Bengaluru, Studio Safdar’s Shadipur Natak Utsav in Delhi, Kolkata’s International Children’s Theatre Festival, and festivals in Mysore, Guwahati, Chennai and other cities offer a space for practitioners to meet others engaged in similar practices, learn from each other, exchange ideas over shared meals, and form much stronger networks, thus expanding the community. 

Shaili Sathyu, Artistic Director at Gillo Repertory Theatre and an arts practitioner with a focus on Theatre for Young Audiences, talks about the lack of practice sharing within the theatre fraternity in our country, “People don’t readily share, for various reasons. Either they don’t have the time, or they don’t feel the need to. They don’t have access to the places where the sharing is happening, or they don’t have the documentation.” As Shaili posits, it is not only about simply sharing, but also documenting the learnings, understanding and analysing the given information, and reaching out to a larger community for solutions as the way forward. Building a comprehensive directory of practitioners, their geographical centres, their work and practice then becomes a crucial step – one that Shaili is striving towards, undertaking the project. 

In fact, Shaili has been working on the “Directory on Children and Theatre in India” for over two decades. She explains, “It has been very difficult to get India-specific case studies and profiles of teaching artists, reading and research material in the Indian context. So, I decided to start collecting information about the sector and soon there was a considerable amount of data.” Initially, Shaili shared this information directly with other practitioners and researchers, but she recognized the potential of making it available online to reach a wider audience. While there’s still much information and many interviews to be uploaded, the project faces challenges in terms of time and resources. Shaili hopes to secure support to hire an editor and website manager to enhance this valuable resource for the children’s theatre community. As Sananda also notes, there is a need for a centralised platform to connect people and companies in the industry. This would not only facilitate networking but also provide valuable insights into the scope and diversity of children’s theatre across India.

Such valuable insights are also what the festivals attempt to offer by providing opportunities to share one’s work with a much larger audience outside their homeground, creating visibility for children’s theatre from across the country, sometimes also providing a platform for international collaborations. They allow practitioners to watch each other’s work and engage in meaningful exchanges, “offering insight and critical feedback”, Sananda adds. “They allow you to find your footing in a new community and figure out how your play responds and what your play might need.” Working as a venue manager at the Tata Literature Live! in 2023, I remember the excited buzz in the audience awaiting the beautifully constructed PLACES, an object theatre performance from Italy, and also the difficulty I faced clearing the house for the next session because the audience had so much to share with the performers and the director, they simply refused to leave! 

The road ahead: Formal pedagogical training

A simple conversation with anyone working in children’s theatre will reveal the multiple issues and challenges faced by the community presently, including (but not limited to) the lack of funding opportunities, infrastructure, policies and support systems, and an absence of legitimacy attached to the children’s theatre industry. 

One of the most significant challenges however, that came up during my discussions with the practitioners, is the lack of specialised pedagogical training and formal education programs for makers of children’s theatre and facilitators working for and with children. While drama schools across the country train students in acting and theatre making, there are very few institutes that boast of a module covering children’s theatre. Even for the ones that exist, the curriculum does not always serve contemporary purposes, given that it is usually dated and outmoded in our ever-evolving world. How then can we expect the new generation of theatre makers to take an interest in and produce credible works for this audience? With no formal training, understanding of child psychology or child safety, or the experience of working with them, graduates from theatre institutions are today closely working with children, facilitating workshops, training them, directing their annual day plays. The responsibility then falls to the training institutions for theatre and drama schools to ensure children’s theatre is given its due in pedagogical training and conversations with a curriculum and program that suits the needs of the present day. To this end, Shaili’s work at Ninasam Theatre Institute has been highly appreciated and has led her to create a training module which can serve as a blueprint for other theatre institutions. 

Over the past five years, Shaili has been visiting Ninasam to share her expertise in theatre for children and has developed a comprehensive two-week module that covers various aspects of Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA). This intensive “crash course,” as Shaili describes it, includes observing school students, hands-on theatre-making for TYA, conducting workshops with children and young people, and exploring the underlying pedagogy. The module provides a holistic approach to understanding and creating theatre for young audiences, combining theory with practical experience. Shaili’s goal is to extend this valuable training to more drama schools across the country, potentially addressing the gap in specialised education for children’s theatre practitioners.

Beyond pedagogical challenges, there is also a shocking lack of research, evident in several performances made for children. As Sananda mentions, one cannot think a play into existence, one must spend time with this intended audience – in this case, understand the world of the child. The recognition of children as a legitimate audience, understanding their needs and interests, bringing this world of the child into existence and not diminishing it to mere slapstick comedy with caricatures, bright lights and loud music is essential. “Are you watching theatre made for children?” asks Nishna. “If you’re not watching, then how are you making?” Consuming other performances made for children of specific age groups, exchanging ideas, and engaging in conversation with other practitioners about various theatre practices is vital to understanding the world of the child. 

The path forward involves a multi-faceted approach: legitimising children as discerning audience members, cultivating a culture of practice-sharing, and establishing formal pedagogical training. These steps are essential not just for the growth of the industry, but for the holistic development of children themselves. As we look to the future of children’s theatre in India, we might take a cue from the very audience we seek to engage. Children approach the world with wonder, curiosity, and an openness to new experiences. They find joy in the simplest objects and forge connections without hesitation. Perhaps the key to elevating children’s theatre lies in embracing these very qualities. Thanks to their uninhibited nature, children will hardly ever fear speaking their minds and will generally be unabashedly honest. If we are to learn anything from them, it could be the ease with which they cultivate connections and inherently understand that functioning within a silo will be no fun on the playground.