Join Us for Ginny's Theatre Group

What: Theatre Games, Improvisations, Self-awareness, Performance

When : 27th, 30th May, 1st, 3rd, 6th, 8th, 10th June. Performance on 13th June

Days: Tues, Thurs, Sat

Time: 11 am - 1 pm for Practice. Performance on 13 June at 5-7:30 pm

Age group: 8-12 years

Fees: Rs. 3500/- per participant for all days

Who will we meet? : Shapno Ekhon Team: Shahana & Shomik

Total No. of Sessions: 8

What will happen in the 8 sessions of Ginny's Theatre Group?

Ginny's theatre group offers a space for children to explore themselves in relation to their surroundings. The process aims to let children express their perceptions of the diverse spaces they inhabit using the agency of theatre. In the first 7 sessions, the workshop will encompass a range of theatre games, exercises, improvisations, art and craft, and writing activities.

The last session, on 13 June evening (5 -7:30 pm) is the final theatre performance by the group. The group would have worked on it as a team to finally showcase their growth, talents, and all that they imbibed through the group activities.

The theatre activities will help children become confident, and creative, while respectful of diversity and differences.

Who are the experts leading the theatre activities?

Richa and Jamal will be guided by Shahana & Shomik, from Shapno Ekhon Group, to lead the theatre group activities with children.

Richa Sharma is a theatre practitioner who is passionate about stories that exist all around us, in everyday happenings and emotions. She has trained in theatre at Sri Ram Center for Performing Arts and then performed several stage plays and has written a play as well. 

She is passionate about exploring the potential of theatre as a medium to unlock creativity, imagination, confidence and inculcating a more empathetic perspective towards the self and the others.

Jamal Siddiqui is a Co-Founder of Ginny's Planet. He is an artist as well as a social work professional.He has 2 decades of work experience that spans public health, livelihoods, communications, and program management in several international organisations, such as Care India, ACF, Mercy Corps, NDI, & Orbis International. Jamal loves to sing, sculpt, recycle, and write poems, and stories. He has conducted several theatre workshops for students of social work. He brings his understanding of social issues into stories and theatre conversations.

About Shomik: The Lead advisor

Shomik was introduced to the theatre very early in his school days. His engagement in school, college, and amateur theatre continued till he left Kolkata for Delhi in 2004 for professional reasons. Having worked with a few theatre groups in Delhi and with senior directors in Delhi Shomik along with a few like-minded friends formed Shapno Ekhon in 2009. In the last 10 years, Shapno Ekhon has emerged as a major theatre group in Delhi with 36 productions and more than 30 awards. Shomik has penned more than 20 plays, having directed and acted in all of Shapno Ekhon’s productions.

Shomik and Shapno Ekhon practice what they call socially relevant theatre. Shomik and Shapno Ekhon’s plays mirror the current times and theatrical responses to them.

Professionally, Shomik is a Public Health researcher and spends a good time of his day in academic and research pursuits. The rest is spent in theatrical pursuits of writing, acting, directing, and creating an organization for the future.

About Shahana: The Lead planner

Shahana works for the development sector and her understanding of human issues and sufferings equips her with a natural capacity to internalize and portray complex characters on stage. She has been associated with Shapno Ekhon for the last 10 years and is one of the senior members of the group. Before Shapno Ekhon, Shahana worked with senior directors like Dr.Ashish Ghosh and Faisal Alkazi. A habitual method actor, Shahana, has won many awards at National level forums and is engaged in acting as well as mentoring junior members. She has a rare versatility to adapt to various forms of theater with equal ease. Shahana also has a keen interest in Heritage Education and leads initiatives in this domain within Shapno Ekhon. 

About Shapno Ekhon: Shapno Ekhon, founded in 2009, is a creative platform based in New Delhi. This platform aims to practice and promote socially relevant theatre. They have produced 36 plays. Furthermore, they have been honored with more than 30 awards in different categories of theatre. The area of Heritage Education is where Shapno Ekhon has also been active. Concurrently for the last 10 years, they have been planning and implementing heritage education projects and walks for children.

Why should you consider these summer workshops?

Do you want to give children a unique summer experience that is not just fun and engaging but also builds life skills for a global world? Through these summer workshop sessions, kids will develop confidence, creativity, life skills, and empathy for people as well as the planet!

Delivered by experts from diverse fields, our Summer Workshop Series is the perfect balance of learning, engagement, and fun. It is a chance for children to experiment, be creative, build confidence, and be challenged to achieve different skills in a low-stress, enjoyable learning environment.

How big is the workshop venue? Can children with disabilities attend?

The workshops are taking place in a well-lit, clean hall of Theatre Kunzum, at M Block Market, GK2, New Delhi. This venue can easily accommodate 100 people. We are keeping the number much lower per workshop so that children have enough space to move around and work.

We welcome all children to join, including children with disabilities.

There is a lift/elevator to reach Theatre Kunzum once you enter the building. However, we apologize for the fact that there are 2-4 steps at the entry which are a barrier for a wheelchair user. The toilet attached to Theatre Kunzum is also not accessible for wheelchair users.

We hope these barriers will be overcome when we do this event again.

About Ginny's Planet

Ginny's Planet nurtures empathy, respect for diversity, & spirit of inquiry through workshops, dolls, stories, and responsible products. Know more: HERE

Don't forget to check "What Ginny Reads": HERE

It is a weekly series where we present one book every week, give you a glimpse, and tell you why it is a great book! The books covered in this series are from across India and the world.