Once upon a time

The lights dim, the laughter of children echoing across the room quietens and they sit with bated breathe on sheets on the floor while their parents watch intently from chairs in the back. The anticipation and excitement in the room is evident as the performers take the spotlight. With few props and no fancy lighting, the play begins - a funny mishmash of fairy tales, known as Unfairly Tales.

Dramamia, a children’s theatre group, performs for children between four and 10 years. Ramya Sundararajan and Amruta Bendre are the backbone of the group. The two of them portray the main characters and have others do additional roles. Sundararajan explains: “I used to conduct storytelling class for kids in my apartment. For one of our Children’s Day celebrations, I realised that it is the kids that dance and enjoy most of the time. So we decided to put something up for their entertainment and that is how we came up with Dramamia.”

The play, performed at Atta Galatta recently, revolves around Harshal and Gunjal, the brother-sister duo who get lost in a forest. The play explores the various adventures they come across and how they make it back to their parents. It is a take on many fairy tales such as Hansel and Gretel, from where the name Harshal and Gunjal came up, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Goldilocks. Some of the dialogues allude to Tinker Bell and Aladdin as well. The evil character is portrayed by a wolf as seen in most fairy tales. Sundararajan says: “The cottage, the three bowls of porridge, seven pillows for seven dwarfs and Amruta losing her shoe are some of the references to these popular fairy tales.”

With a lot of bickering as seen between siblings, Harshal and Gunjal manage to fascinate the young audience. By involving them and making the session interactive, they get the children rooting for these characters.

The theatre performance also consisted of seven songs which made the play a bit like a musical. Sundararajan says: “We have taken tunes that we know and have written new lyrics to suit the story. The adults enjoyed the show as well as they are familiar with these tunes. Even though it is for children the story is written for an audience across age groups.”