LOLs in a hospital ward

On World Theatre Day, lets acknowledge the contribution of theatre in the field of medicine. Hunter Doherty Adams, more commonly known as Patch Adams — with reference to the blockbuster movie of the same name — revolutionised hospital care by bringing humour to patients all over the world with his troupe of what we refer to today as hospital clowns.

Clowning is one of the hardest forms of theatre, but not for the clowns from The Little Theatre, Chennai. These clowns put their acting skills to use with ease, in close contact with little children in the city’s pediatric wards. Krishnakumar, artistic director of The Little Theatre, says, “The idea of clowning is that you peel off all the layers you’ve assimilated over the years and you’re being a bare, basic human. In essence, a clown is someone who just does. He reacts to situations around him without putting too much thought. Hospital clowning involves a huge amount of improvisation. It is a different breed in itself.”

Every week, at the pediatric ward of Egmore, hospital clowns from The Little Theatre bring in neat tricks, liveliness and colourful antics. As the clowns effortlessly move around the room, delightful smiles slowly fill the room. Unsure of what is happening at the beginning, the kids warm up to these wonderful larger than life characters by the end of the session.

Silver lining

To the little ones, these clowns are faithful companions who, for a couple of hours, only want to have fun and make them forget that they’re unwell. Shabeer Kallarakkal, a seasoned actor and a hospital clown, says, “In the last clowning session, we were about to leave the hospital when a distraught mother asked us to meet her daughter. The girl had burn marks on her neck and she wouldn’t stop crying. We did a lot of things but she refused to stop crying. We started singing as a last resort, and then the little girl started giggling. I realised the impact we had when I walked out of that room with that girl smiling.”

Kauvery Hospital’s Dr Rohini Rau, also a theatre artist herself, says, “Usually, doctors look at treating the body with medicines and procedures. But we’re completely neglecting their mental happiness, control and sense of self.” This is where clowns work their wizardry.

Fif Fernandes and Hamish Boyd, artistic directors of MeDi Clown Academy in Auroville, are two professional medical clowns who have brought their practice from Canada to India. The duo has a background in medicine and theatre, which it puts to use by conducting workshops and medical clowning courses along with its own clowning at Aravind Eye Hospital.

Bigger than the stage

Boyd says, “As a theatre professional, I live the truth, whether it’s on stage or in the hospital room. But in some ways, it’s more pointed and poignant when you’re with a patient. The ambience you have in a hospital room is beautifully intimate. The intention has nothing to do with the actor. It has everything to do with bringing life to the patient.” Here, the patients, their families, doctors and nurses are all a part of the drama.

The clowns don’t rehearse what they’re going to do. Their training as theatre professionals helps them react and think on their. Fernandes says, “When we’re with patients, it’s their imaginary world which we bring alive. They are the director in the spontaneity, the improv, the magic. In theatre, we talk about breaking the fourth wall. In medical clowning, we almost go into a fourth dimension.” She adds, “One of the things we do is, the patients would tell us a small story, and without talking, the clowns would enact it. Then the narrator would give their views on the enactment. After which they would reenact the whole thing again.” This gives patients a sense of control, when feeling helpless in the face of medical problems.