Introduction

The fifth production of Kolahal Theatre, “Chup Chap Charlie” is with Mentaid, the association for the developmental and intellectual disabled children. The task of training them to perform in a proscenium theatre as a professional artist with other professional artists will be quite challenging

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What is Drama Therapy?

Drama Therapy is a form of psycho- therapy that uses the therapeutic process of drama exploring and resolving emotional conflicts. Mental Disorders can be broadly divided into emotional, psychotic, anxiety and personality disorders. Methods such as storytelling, story creation, role playing, role changing, improvisation, narration, imagination, stage masks, are used to encourage dramatization. The Drama therapy training process could be divided into few steps as mentioned below:

Understanding the participants

• Firstly few initial therapy sessions aims at getting close to the participants. We need to know them better and understand their weaknesses and strengths for dealing their issues and making them enjoy the process.

Dramatic projections

• Secondly, we will have dramatic projections. A technique that allows participants to project their inner feelings and work their issues out onto a role or object.

Playing

• An attitude characterize by spontaneous problem-solving, in which a play space is stake out, objects are actively repurpose into new roles, and allowances makes changes.

Therapeutic empathy and distancing

• The ability of the participants to engage or disengage with the material that resonates with their personal problems and inner conflicts.

Therapeutic performance processes

• These processes refer to the therapeutic use of theatrical performance to work through the participants’ personal issues and themes 

Use of props and masks

• Wearing a mask within the therapeutic process helps participants to create their own mask that reflects their experiences or matches how they feel. This is a great opportunity to both express themselves and engage their creativity.

Learning the script

• In this stage they will be introduce to the script, the characters, and during the rehearsals we will start choosing participants who can adapt to the given role and this process will be initiated by Role Play Method by randomly switching characters

Stage choreography and light positions

• Thirdly, we will teach them the choreography for the stage along with stage and light positioning stage formations and body language for the stage.

Production rehearsals

• Rehearsals for the final stage productions starts here along with professional actors and celebrities who will perform on the stage with them.

Dry stage rehearsals

• During this stage onwards, we start rehearsals on professional theatre stage. However, minimum of 10 to 12 stage rehearsals required to make them compatible with the ambience of the stage. In addition, a group of members sitting on the audience seats to make them use to the presence of audience.

Light and costume rehearsals

• There will be few light and costume rehearsals before the final show.

The final show

• Finally at this stage the team will be ready for the premiere show.

In the initial stage we plan to have 6 stage performances. From the production rehearsals stage professional actors and celebrities will start their rehearsals with the participants of Mentaid. In addition, we will also cater to shows on invitations. The fifth production of Kolahal, “Chup Chap Charlie” is a great challenge for Kolahal but we will overcome all obstacles and present you a masterpiece.

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