‘We must all do theatre, to find out who we are, and to discover what we can become’
Theatron, the Annual Inter School Theatre Fest, was organised by the Expressions Theatre Club of Delhi Public School, R.K.Puram on 25 August 2018 sponsored by Jamboree. The festival was organised with an aim to provide students from a plethora of venerable schools with a platform to emblazon their passion for the stage. There were 6 distinct categories, namely, Stage Play, Street Play, Thespian Coliseum, Ad Act, Play-o-Poem and Theatrical Extravaganza (Surprise Event).
Mr Stephen Marazzi graced the occasion with his august presence. A Music and Theatre Director, graphic artist, eminent theatre personality, voice and speech trainer, drama instructor, storyteller, and illustrator, having a repertoire of over 30 stage productions and concerts, including musicals like The Sound of Music, The Lion King, Cats, Oliver! and non musicals like Frankenstein, To Kill A Mockingbird, Macbeth and Tughlaq, he has worked extensively for publishers like WHO, UNICEF, VHAI, Oxford and TERI.
Guest of Honour Mr Stephen Marazzi and Mr Gurpreet Pathak, eminent cinema and theatre actor, theatre trainer in schools, with experience of having performed in different parts of India on socio-political issues as well as a close association with the Asmita Theatre Group, judged the Stage Play. The students, during the event, set the stage afire with their vibrant ensembles and riveting dialogues and painted a beautiful picture of the topics provided.
Mr. Mayank Garg, who is associated with India’s most prolific theatre group ASMITA with experience of over 500 stage, 2500 street plays and judging theatre competitions of various schools and colleges judged Street Play along with Mr. Vipul, a theatre artist and social activist, who has performed over 400 stage plays and 2000 street plays. In the Nukkad Natak the participants used the medium of a traditional street play to talk about various social issues plaguing society, unencumbered by gaudy props.
Mr. Tarun Kohli, founder of the Mashq Theatre group, professional contemporary dancer, theatre personality and worked with well known director Mr Hansal Mehta in Omerta, judged Ad Act along with Ms Swati Singh, an advertising professional and a creative director with over 18 years of association with Media with diverse experiences in sectors like Public Relations and Corporate Training. Ad-Act incorporated pop culture citations as the students scrambled to imaginatively market sundry, out-of-the-box products.
Ms. Lakshmi Subramanyam, retired Associate Professor of English, Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University, writer on Modern Indian Theatre and editor of essays and books on Drama and Ms. Sukhpreet Khalon, Trustee, Khwaja Ahmed Abbas Memorial Trust, film scholar, programmer for film festivals and curator of several film exhibitions assessed the actors of Thespian Coliseum. The monologues and soliloquies of the legendary bard William Shakespeare were brought to life by adroit performers, decked in vivid garb in the Thespian Coliseum, and were evaluated on the basis of their delivery and diction, costumes and props, body language and stage presence.
Ms Shikha Mittal, Founder and Director of the site Be.artsy.com, a website targeting needs of society and business with impact of art and street theatre and art based solutions, and Ms Kriti Pant, Founder of The Tadpole Repertory and an actor, trainer and voice over artist as well as co-director of Plasticity, a piece of materiel theatre for toddlers, judged Play-o-Poem. The judges and audience alike were held captive by the electrifying delivery of the participants complete with vivid pink colour in the air and costumes to match. The performers displayed finesse in their portrayal of various socio-cultural phenomena.
The Theatrical Extravaganza( surprise event) was judged by Ms Aakriti Seth, who has been a part of the theatre circuit since her school days and has various street and stage plays to her credit, also is a part of productions of Three Arts Theatre Club, along with Ms Smridhi Khanna, who has been part of the Theatreela Group and many workshops by senior theatre artists, currently working with Gartner, a research and consulting firm as a Senior Research Analyst. The surprise event tested the competitors’ improvising skills and ability to think on the spot. The first round was “Moulding” where the participants were told to assume a particular position and improvise a scene starting from there. The second round was an Expression Face-Off, where participants were giving an expression such as happiness, anger or disgust and were challenged to express it in varying degrees ranging from mild to extreme.
A few pizzas later, the participants, refreshed, headed to the AVH for the closing ceremony. The Chief Guest was felicitated by the Principal, Ms. Vanita Sehgal and the Vice Principal, Ms. Padma Srinivasan.
The Principal, Ms. Vanita Sehgal, in her address, commended the efforts of the Expressions Theatre Club and entrusted them with meeting her expectations for the Annual Production to be put up at the end of the year. She took a trip down memory lane, reminiscing of her school and college days, when theatre had not yet taken centre stage among extracurricular activities; unlike contemporary times, wherein theatre events enjoy mass participation. She also spoke about the fact that behind every successful actor, there is a well-written script and a talented Director. She concluded with praise for Ms. Sanya Taneja, the Teacher-in-charge of Expressions Theatre Club, and coordinator of Theatron; inviting the senior members of the club up on stage and lauding their phenomenal organisation of the event. Wrapping up her speech, she reminded the students, to never imagine that they’re the best, for once they reach the top, there is nowhere else to go.
After the Principal’s speech, the Expressions Theatre Club presented a showcase of the performances that Delhi Public School R. K. Puram had put forward as their entry for the various events of the fest. They were hugely appreciated as the hall reverberated with thunderous applause.
The Chief Guest began by expressing his gratitude to the Principal for inviting him to the event and making his weekend enjoyable. He lamented the fact that he could not be in multiple places and see the various events. After ascertaining that all the participants had enjoyed at the event, he went on to thank the Principal for organising the fest and expressed his awe at its sheer scale. He was happy that students were participating in theatrical endeavours and not remaining buried in their textbooks and electronic gadgets. He concluded by complimenting the actors’ attention to detail in the the Theatre Club showcase.
The Teacher-in-charge, Ms. Sanya Taneja of the English Department thanked everyone who made the event possible.
The event ended with the Vice Principal, Ms. Padma Srinivasan, delivering the Vote of thanks. She thanked the judges for taking out time from their busy schedules and commended the enthusiasm of the participants and the efforts of the teachers.
The ceremony concluded with the National Anthem.
The results are as follows:
| Event Name | Position | School |
| Stage Play | First Second Third |
Indraprastha World School, Paschim Vihar Amity International School, Noida St. Xavier’s Sr. Sec School |
| Street Play | First Second Third |
Indraprastha World School, Paschim Vihar Delhi Public School, Noida St. Xavier’s Sr. Sec School |
| Thespian Coliseum | First Second Third |
Step by Step School St. Xavier’s Sr. Sec School Delhi Public School, Dwarka |
| Ad Act | First Second Third |
Delhi Public School, Dwarka St. Xavier’s Sr. Sec School Delhi Public School, Noida |
| Play-o-Poem | First Second Third |
Delhi Public School, Noida The Mother’s International School Tagore International School |
| Theatrical Extravaganza (Surprise Event) | First Second Third |
Convent of Jesus and Mary School Delhi Public School, Noida The Mother’s International School |
- The overall winners were St. Xavier’s Senior Secondary School.
- Best Actor for Street Play: Sakshi (Indraprastha World School, Paschim Vihar)
- Best Actor for Stage Play: Ansh Kapoor (Step by Step School)
