 |
| Gopi, Kuttikkol village, Kasargod |
|
Download Database of featured talents. (Excel file) |
The parents in Kuttikkol village, Kasargod do not have to worry how to wean their children away from TV during holidays. Gopi, a young dramatist, has Pied Piper-like, taken care of leading about 3000 school children to the amateur Sunday Theatre in the village, where they write and perform their own plays.
Gopi, a young man with moon in his eyes, left the village after 10th standard, to pursue his interest in drama. He returned home only after enriching himself with experiences and awareness about the stage.
His first effort was to teach theatre to students. Not an easy task, surely. But when the will is there, can the difficulties be insurmountable? Travelling by foot to schools and villages, Gopi spotted talented children, to whom he assigned the task of writing dramas and staging them.
Students coming to the Sunday theatre write a diary as homework and read it in the open gathering. Later, the members split into 2 groups. One group writes the drama in 3 hours and performs it while the other group acts as critics. After the performance the groups merge into one.
Physical exercises for students before performance and arranging face-to-face programmes with noted actors and musicians are other items that Gopi does in his role as a facilitator of talent.
Once a young boy, Viswanathan, who was to act the role of the leading character in School Youth Festival performance, did not rehearse as well as the director expected. Exercising a passionate teacher’s prerogative, Gopi gave him a slap. The crying boy went home and vowed never to return. And the parents too seconded it. The director was in a fix. However, on the day before the Youth Festival, Viswanathan returned, having practiced his role in front of the mirror. The boy entered the stage and apologized to the teacher with tears in his eyes and later went on to become the best actor in the Festival.
The Sunday theatre
in action
Courtesy: Sony M.Bhattathirippad (text), R.S.Gopan (photo), Malayala Manorama, August 10, 2003
Contributed by: Administrator
