Ben with the cast of 'The Desert Willow', Year 5 at Munsel-Ling school in Spiti. We ran a 2-day theatre project with these children in August 2015.
Over the course of 2 days they turned a well known Jataka Tale (a Buddhist story with a moral message, similar to an Aesops fable), into a play. They learnt their lines in English, practiced scenes, made up a dance, made masks and the backdrop. The backdrop doubled as a programme - each child decorated a leaf with their name and their character. At the end of a crazy and slightly intense 2 days, the rest of the school filed into the hall - all 600 of them! - and Year 5 presented their play. They did so well, and shone with pride at the end.
This project was really successful, but limited by lack of funds, lack of time, and a language barrier.
By the time we were on the plane home, we were already identifying what we wanted to improve for next time!
- Although these children in Year 5 (age 9-10) could speak English pretty well, the younger ones could not. We did some story telling with Year 3 (age 7-8 - below) and they struggled to understand, although they liked the letters we brought them from Izzys Year 3 class in the UK!
Any future project would need a way to communicate regardless of ability to speak English.
- The 2 days we spent with these children was wonderful - they had an incredible (if sometimes exhausting!) thirst for all things creative and they threw themselves into the project whole-heartedly. It made us realise that the education system based on rote-learning could benefit from some of the inputs we take for granted in the UK - performances and workshops for children, and teacher training for staff to feel able to use more drama in the classroom, and to see its benefits.
- We were amazed what a difference having our own children, aged 7 and 11, with us made to the success of the project as a whole. They broke down the barriers between 'us' and 'them' straightaway. What could have been an awkward and difficult first hour into a hilarious sharing of gynmastic feats, break dancing and wild kung-fu leaps, everyone trying to out-do each-other - the embarrassment at trying to speak another language was forgotten in the urge to communicate, and very soon we all felt like we'd known each other for ages. At lunchtime our kids disappeared off with Year 5 for lunch, everyone happily chatting and laughing together. We were humbled by their ability to adapt and befriend.
Any future project needed to involve our children, an incredible bridge between cultures.
- 2 days was not even close to enough. 3 weeks wouldn't be enough either, but probably the maximum we would be able to manage, given that getting to Spiti from Delhi, then acclimatising to the altitude (4000m above sea level and you're gasping for breath!), takes a good week before you even start.
- The 2-day project was a fantastic way to work with a small number of children, however we wanted the scope of any future project to be much wider. In particular we wanted to reach children and their families in the high villages who were so isolated. We wanted to perform with special needs children, who struggle to access theatre in our own society, never mind in the middle of the Indian Himalayas! And we wanted to perform in larger schools so that teachers could see how they could use the performance as a springboard for engaging children in their lessons accross the curriculum.
- We quickly realised that if we wanted to bring a full scale performance to Spiti, we would need more actors. And more children. Another family in fact. Fortunately, we knew just the people to ask....
- Although we wouldn't be able to afford to fund the whole project ourselves, we felt confident from the start that other people would see the value in what we wanted to do.
....And so, The Yak Pack Theatre Project was born....
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