KIDS WORLD

A MAGICAL LAND

First City September 1991

With Kids World, a theatre group for children, Lushin Dubey and Bubbles Sabharwal are making kids' dreams come true just like fairy godmothers.

Magic Carpets, Flying saucers, evil gnomes, good fairies… these make a child's world. Lushin Dubey and Bubbles Sabharwal perhaps understand this best. As co-directors of Kids World, a theatre group for children their aim is to transform dreams into reality. Says Lushin, "A child needs to break away from the pressure of studies and examinations. We provide him/her with that opportunity." Adds Bubbles, "What most people don't realise is that education and entertainment can go hand in hand. We are attempting to show that the two can co-exist."


Going by the response to Kids World, it is not difficult to understand her point. When the group staged the production based on "Charlottes Web" its first play, the feedback was overwhelming. This was followed by Willie Wonka and The Chocolate Factory, a fantastic play. But, with Jungle Book, its third production, Kids' World struck gold. It had finally arrived as a major group in the children's theatre scene in Delhi.

"We staged Jungle Book last October," says Lushin. "Originally, we had planned eight shows, but because of its popularity, we had to add one more." In fact, the play seemed to have captured every child's imagination. Recounts Lushin, "I remember noticing this child at the auditorium. Later I found out that she had been coming for the show every day."

The play was a hit with the 'little' actors and actresses as well. "Not only did they make friends with each other, but even learnt to become more open, more confident," says Bubbles. "Children who had joined us as shy introverts were transformed into cheerful and enthusiastic youngsters."

Lushin and Bubbles, however, had to work hard at extracting the best from them. "We needed to provide them with a lot of personalised attention," says Bubbles. All this meant coping with tantrums, bad moods and frayed tempers on many occasions. But the two directors were not prepared to give up. "The process was time consuming, but we always knew that there was a rainbow at the end of the ordeal," says Bubbles with a smile. "Perhaps what makes it easier to work with children is the fact that they have no ego problems," says Lushin. "There are no language barriers or cultural stigmas. As a result, we managed to work amiably."

The end product was a stupendous success. The play ran to full houses on all days. In fact, Russi Mody, the venerable chairman of TISCO, agreed to sponsor the staging of Jungle Book in Jamshedpur and Calcutta too. In the steel city, the success story was repeated once again. "We even subsidised the prices of tickets for shows meant for factory workers," says Lushin. In Calcutta, however, the play received a lukewarm response due to "lack of publicity". What was more important is the fact that the children had thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Travelling together and staying as one unit had infused a sense of fun and adventure amongst them. At the end of it, when it was time to part ways, Lushin would receive tearful phone calls from children wanting to know "when the next play would be held".

AT THE MOMENT, LUSHIN AND Bubbles are working on Peter Pan, another fantasy. Scheduled to be staged in November, the play will be held on a bigger scale. "For one," explains Lushin, "the cast will include about 40 children from different age groups. The orchestra will comprise a six-piece professional band from Casa Medici. The sound, lights, choreography and costumes will be done on a more elaborate scale." with time running out, the two directors are working long hours to audition children to play the main roles. "We bring them home and make them practice lines," explains Bubbles. "Sometimes we are amazed at the depth of talent we find even in small children. Whatever the role, a child takes to it naturally."

Kids World aims to bring to life stories that a child has read. "But, we wouldn't want to do a Snow White And Seven Dwarfs simply because it would be difficult to conceive a role for the 17-year-old who also belongs to our group," explains Lushin. "On the other hand," she adds, "stories like Jungle Book or Peter Pan are more universal -even a three-year-old would find a role in it."

In the future, the two plan to branch out to theatre in its full form. "We want to stage Hindi plays as well," says Bubbles. "And take on adults too," adds Lushin. For the moment, however, the two can't think of anything beyond Peter Pan. Their main task at hand is to emulate, if not improve upon, the success of jungle Book. "As soon as the curtains are drawn on the stage, every child in the audience must feel that he/she has walked into a different world," enthuses Lushin. And the two directors are working hard to ensure that the world of fantasy is well within the reach of the child.

With prior experience on stage, Lushin and Bubbles are not finding the going difficult at all. They have both worked in plays produced by the Theatre Action Group. What is more, Lushin has travelled abroad and specialised in teaching dyslexic and learning-disabled children. This obviously puts her at an advantage where understanding little minds is concerned.

In an age where the child is fed on social realities shown on television and video, it is heartening to find a world that is still inhabited by fairies and gnomes ...and where the prince and princess live happily ever after..