The art in your hobby

A workshop festival for children and adults will see participants express themselves through drama, storytelling, puppetry and writing.

Priyanka Babbar is a 36-year-old drama teacher and the director of Small Tales that conducts arts-based workshops for children. She trains teachers on how to use theatre in classrooms. Babbar is trying to make story-telling a tool to teach kids, and a platform for expression. A similar series of workshops begins at a Fort venue next week. "The aim is to take stories to everybody. We grew up with our parents and grandparents telling us stories. But today, because of technology, we are losing the art," she says.

The first one is a unique writing workshop designed for 10- to 14-year-olds where participants will learn story structure, how to create unique characters, autobiographical and narrative writing, rhymes and comics. The second is aimed at young thespians and encourages participants to focus and concentrate on tasks at hand, improve listening and communication skills, understand text and its performative possibilities, use movement as a tool to express themselves, as well as learn to work in a team. Next up, the puppet workshop for eight- to 14-year-olds will teach young ones how to create puppets and characters, and how to use voice and music in a scene. There's also a session on story-weaving.

Priyanka Babbar

"The puppet workshop teaches kids the importance of body language, and the one on storytelling helps them understand a character, its past, present and ambitions and how to communicate their feelings," explains Babbar. The last session in this series is a crash course for adults to help them train
toddlers better.

On December 23 to January 3, 10.30 am to 5 pm
At Si Bambai, Mumbai Samachar Marg, Kala Ghoda.
Log on to allevents.in
Cost Rs 1,500 onwards

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