Article on Kannada - Canada Theatre

Today the city of Bangalore is going through a lot of changes; some sudden and some gradual. In its journey from a pensioner’s paradise to the silicon valley of India, Bangalore has established itself as the new home for innovators and investors from around the world. In fact India is today recognized by this city only, on the global map. Taking advantage of this burgeoning process of globalization is one educational institution Christ college, Bangalore. Christ College along with theatre and development, Concordia University, Canada, Teesri Duniya Theatre, Canada and Park Extension Youth Association, Canada successfully organized a workshop for the students from Canada as well as from Christ College. The workshop aimed at making an attempt to comprehensively explore the relation between art and activism. Theatre-In-Education, Bangalore, carefully structured this intensive workshop that gave the members of the Christ college street theatre team, Drishti, CSA and the Canadian students an opportunity to collectively investigate on the topic of human rights with the help of Street Theatre. The workshop kick-started with an International Human Rights Film Festival on the 11th of December, through which the students were introduced to the theme. The students also worked with eminent professionals from the field of Street Theatre during this workshop. At the end of the workshop students successfully came up with two productions on the theme of water and women’s issues. Bangalorians in fact also got to witness these street plays when the ‘Canada-Kannada’ street play group performed at a few college campuses and at a few public locations like Forum Mall and Raheja Arcade on the 27th and performed at Hoskote on the 28th. The students that participated in this unique student exchange program strongly believe that street theatre is a very effective as well as an artistic tool to address issues in any part of the world. And according to the students, as this globalization process makes issues of various countries issues of the world; such student exchange programs should be heavily encouraged. And now the Canadians will confidently take back what they have learnt and experienced on Indian streets to address their local issues.

By Surekha