This month at the Loktantra Shala, we made a song and
dance about democracy, literally! Around
thirty people from around Rajasthan came to learn how to use street theatre to
create awareness among people about the upcoming Rajasthan elections.
The participants, under the guidance of Mazdoor
Kisan Shakti Sangathan veteran Shankar Singh, learned about different aspects
of street theatre. The intention was to teach the participants’ how to create
activism through art. The three-day workshop, which started on Oct. 3, started
with a discussion on the elections, scheduled for December. The budding
thespians were cautioned about the need to be neutral while reinforcing the
message that voters need to reject candidates who campaign on caste or communal
issues or resort to inducements like liquor and cash.
The group then got down to the basics of crafting
street theatre. They learnt how to create slogans and songs, write a script for
a street play and enact it effectively to communicate the need for clean
electoral politics. They also picked up the finer points of voice modulation, tweaking
folk tunes into political songs, writing the appropriate lyrics and how to keep
the audience engaged. There were interactive games designed to keep the
workshop fun and singing sessions where everyone joined in.
On the third day the participants were broken up
into smaller groups and told to enact the script they had written. The play was
simple: Two “candidates” speak to the people about the benefits of voting for
them and, in a nod-nod-wink-wink style, the benefits that they will create for
themselves upon being voted into power. Issues
like drinking water, food, health and education were brought up. In the end,
the narrator told the audience that if they are not satisfied with any of the
candidates they can exercise the newly constituted “none of the above” option.
The theatre group then headed out to the nearby
village of Badi-ka-Badia to test their newly acquired skills. Armed with mobile
microphones and a musical troupe, they sang songs and slogans to attract the
villagers and performed the play. It was well received by the villagers, who
shared their concerns about electoral democracy and promised to vote for the
right candidates.
