This July, take your little one to meet Yao Yao. A little girl from Korea, Yao Yao, is a mischievous kid and her dad’s beloved child. But every morning, when daddy leaves for work, Yao Yao is unhappy. One day, when her dad is leaving for work, an upset Yao Yao accidentally pulls a thread from her father’s overcoat. The thread she pulls leads to the start of an adventurous journey through a magical world, where Yao Yao discovers new things. All this may seem like a fantasy or a dream. But your child can join Yao Yao, by being part of the audience at Ranga Shankara’s AHA! International Theatre Festival for Children.
The 8th edition of this theatre fest features many such stories. This play by Brush Theatre, South Korea is one of the seven productions that will be staged at the festival which begins in mid-July. Other plays include Man with a Hunchback by Figurentheater, Switzerland, Hans in Luck by Parwana Theater and Puppet Theatre Group, Afghanistan, Small Fables (a hand shadow puppet show) by Finger and Thumb, UK, Tilchattey ki Diary by Yellowcat Theatre, Delhi, 3 Times King by Theater Gruene Sosse, Germany and Ranga Shankara’s AHA! Production, the Circle of Life. Talking about the participation, Ranga Shankara’s trustee S Surendranath says, “People from across the world wrote to us saying they want to be part of this festival. Perhaps the reason is because there are so few international theatre fests for children.”
Most of the plays in this edition are about magic and fantasy but there are also certain plays that focus on contemporary themes, such as the Circle of Life and Tilchattey ki Diary. “There is an attempt to make children understand the realities of the world but through interesting tales, not harsh messages,” says Surendranath. Though the festival is aimed at children, even adults can get their share of entertainment and social messages at AHA!
At Ranga Shankara, JP Nagar, July 8-14. Details: rangashankara.org
ayeshatabassum@newindianexpress.com
@aishatax