Children play, make-believe, and role-play. That is how their imagination soars. If allowed to inhabit a world that channels their creativity, their aggressive impulses are likely to be in check. Theatre is a powerful vehicle of creative engagement that should be a part of every child’s growing up and remain so when they are adults.

GIIS Bannerghatta SMART campus is very delighted and proud to share that the Theatre Club initiated in August 2020 has been validated as a successful best practice by the management.

We kick-started the Theatre Club in August 2020 as one of the CCA initiatives for Grades 1 to 5. Its uniqueness is that a topic like theatre introduced via the virtual platform, successfully sustained itself, until the end of the academic session 2020-2021. A Plan was creatively formulated to engage students productively throughout the academic year 2020-2021.

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many part.

• William Shakespeare

While the Academic virtual sessions were running smoothly, discussions among the team brought a thought that the school now needed was an innovative method to keep the students interested and engaged in activities other than regular lessons. A month-wise curriculum was designed and implemented, that focused on the holistic development of children in line with the 9-Gems Methodology.

The innovative aspect about this Club was that all the classes were held virtually and with existing campus resources. It emphasized on the need for personality development and was a unique platform for children to excel in the art of self-expression and dramatics, a very useful 21st-century skill. In fact, the initial apprehension that was there regarding the success of non-academic activities through the online space just disappeared with remarkable responses.

The Theatre Club became one of the favorite classes and students looked forward to attending the interesting classes every week. This increased their level of confidence. It eventually became a club activity for the family as parents also took it as a happy break from their mundane daily chores. Students were very happy as they enjoyed the time learning, acting, and enjoying every moment along with their parents. It also encouraged peer-to-peer bonding (Grades 3 to 5 were given several group activities) which proved that the virtual platform too brought students together.

It was so interesting to hear stories of children making new friends across grades giving it the feel of an offline school mode. The parent engagement activities added to the fun element and brought out hidden talents of the parents too.

With lots of interesting activities, the Theatre Club is all set to welcome the students with the stage set virtually, awaiting the promising enthusiastic actors!