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| Our names get an Indian makeover |
The pressure is rising in Lucknow with our performance at the
(perhaps-excessively-massive-600-seat) theatre taking place in just over
24-hours. Sketches about hungry monkeys, environmentally-conscious
monsters and frog princes are coming together, with varying levels of speed
and success. Regardless, at 6:30pm tomorrow night, the curtains opens
and our kids are on. Drama.
The team at MAD (Make a Difference) - Hannah, Holly, Alice and Ryan - have been assigned a group of sixteen pre-pubescent girls, who are an absolute joy 99% of the time, and pre-pubescent girls the rest. MAD work as English teachers and support for underprivileged children in cities across India, and we're working alongside them at an orphanage in central Lucknow. After spending the first week playing ice-breaker games and building up a few theatrical techniques, this week we cracked on with our scenes.
It's by no means been easy, but there is little doubt that fantastic
progress has been made. Some girls who had previously sobbed at the
thought of walking across a circle of people, are now leaping around the stage as slightly manic monkeys. While others who could only mumble their name at the beginning of each session are now confidently delivering lines as frogs, spiders and beautiful princesses. Our session today was cancelled due to the fact that it's Teacher's Day in India (a wonderful thing, but rather ill-timed), making tomorrow's session rather crucial.
But, of course, the main thing in amongst all this chaos is
that the girls themselves are having a good time. And we rather think they are.
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| Preparing the story of Arachne |
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| More ballet in India - it's still going down a treat! |
In the words of Brett Mackenzie and Jemaine Clement, "It's business time."
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| Some curious onlookers at the orphanage |
The team at MAD (Make a Difference) - Hannah, Holly, Alice and Ryan - have been assigned a group of sixteen pre-pubescent girls, who are an absolute joy 99% of the time, and pre-pubescent girls the rest. MAD work as English teachers and support for underprivileged children in cities across India, and we're working alongside them at an orphanage in central Lucknow. After spending the first week playing ice-breaker games and building up a few theatrical techniques, this week we cracked on with our scenes.
It's by no means been easy, but there is little doubt that fantastic
progress has been made. Some girls who had previously sobbed at the
thought of walking across a circle of people, are now leaping around the stage as slightly manic monkeys. While others who could only mumble their name at the beginning of each session are now confidently delivering lines as frogs, spiders and beautiful princesses. Our session today was cancelled due to the fact that it's Teacher's Day in India (a wonderful thing, but rather ill-timed), making tomorrow's session rather crucial.
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