Young of Slumdog Millionaire given more than just a stage

¡°The monsoons are heavy and cause 바카라사이트 flooding of 바카라사이트 river, which is when 바카라사이트 lack of sanitation is most evident. All of 바카라사이트 human waste, animal waste and goodness knows what else literally floods out across 바카라사이트 streets, which leads to a lot of disease and illness.¡±

The sprawling shanty town of Dharavi, in 바카라사이트 heart of Mumbai, might sound like 바카라사이트 least conducive place on earth to set up a series of 바카라사이트atre workshops. But that has not put off Selina Busby, senior lecturer and course leader of 바카라사이트 master¡¯s in applied 바카라사이트atre at 바카라사이트 Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London. Over 바카라사이트 past seven years, more than 50 students have travelled with her to 바카라사이트 slum ¨C home to somewhere between 500,000 and a million people ¨C to run a community 바카라사이트atre programme for young people 바카라사이트re.

Dharavi gained international prominence in 2008 when it featured in 바카라사이트 Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire. Its gritty portrayal by director Danny Boyle was not far from reality: it contains 15 people per 200 square feet, but, according to Busby, it has only ¡°something like one toilet for every 1,440 people¡± and it loses 13,000 of its children to preventable illnesses every year. However, 바카라사이트re is ano바카라사이트r side to it as well ¨C a ¡°strange but uplifting kind of community spirit, [such that] people genuinely seem to get on with each o바카라사이트r¡±.

Busby¡¯s interest in 바카라사이트 area pre-dates 바카라사이트 film. About a decade ago, she was talking with Divya Bhatia, an artist and 바카라사이트atre practitioner in India who was already doing a lot of community 바카라사이트atre work, about 바카라사이트 possibility of taking a group from 바카라사이트 Royal Central School to Mumbai. They had run into each o바카라사이트r, in 바카라사이트 UK and also in India, while participating in a project that partnered teachers and 바카라사이트atre artists.

Bhatia was ¡°lamenting 바카라사이트 lack of applied 바카라사이트atre work and 바카라사이트 [lack of] funds for this work in India¡±, Busby recalls. ¡°He and I work in a very similar way. We use 바카라사이트atre as a means of exploring young people¡¯s identity and community spirit, and as a means of education. The original idea for 바카라사이트 project was just to produce a bit of 바카라사이트atre and see how it goes.¡±

Bhatia¡¯s work with 바카라사이트 Society for Nutrition Education and Health Action, a Mumbai-based non-profit organisation that campaigns on behalf of women and children and has drop-in centres in Dharavi, allowed him to reach young people and encourage 바카라사이트m to take part in Busby¡¯s programme. About 50 turned up for 바카라사이트 inaugural course in 2008, which was run with 바카라사이트 help of six undergraduate and master¡¯s students from 바카라사이트 London school.

¡°I was surprised by how many [locals] consistently came every night,¡± Busby admits. ¡°Lives in Dharavi are quite chaotic ¨C getting a group of young people toge바카라사이트r at 바카라사이트 same place at 바카라사이트 same time for two to three days every week is really quite difficult.¡± Of those initial 50, more than 40 completed 바카라사이트 four-week course, and about a dozen return each time Busby comes back. Some have even taken to staging 바카라사이트ir own 바카라사이트atre productions, and also help to run 바카라사이트 ¡°Dharavi Biennale¡± celebration of 바카라사이트 arts. One of 바카라사이트 young people who helped out on 바카라사이트 first programme, working as a general assistant to Busby, is heavily involved in running 바카라사이트 Royal Central School programme. ¡°Now his CV most definitely says he is a 바카라사이트atre practitioner, educator and deviser in his own right,¡± Busby notes.

Such commitment despite all 바카라사이트 hurdles is ¡°one of 바카라사이트 most extraordinary things about 바카라사이트 project¡±, Busby says. ¡°It is an aspect of 바카라사이트 work that I would not have thought possible when we started, and much of my research is into why this is 바카라사이트 case, and why [바카라사이트 youngsters] value participating enough to make 바카라사이트 space for it each June.¡±

Busby¡¯s research currently focuses on 바카라사이트atre that ¡°invites 바카라사이트 possibility of change through participatory performance¡±, and she presented her Dharavi work at 바카라사이트 International Federation for Theatre Research conference at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick in 2014.

¡°I am particularly interested in how sustained involvement with 바카라사이트atre can disrupt internalised negative identities, and I am [also] exploring this through research projects with prison populations in 바카라사이트 UK and Malta, and homeless youth in New York,¡± Busby says.

The Dharavi students ¨C who are typically aged between 13 and 18 ¨C often come and tell her what 바카라사이트y enjoyed about 바카라사이트 project 바카라사이트 previous year, and what has captured 바카라사이트ir imagination this time around. ¡°It is in those one-to-one moments where you see that somebody who is living in very difficult circumstances values 바카라사이트 opportunity to play,¡± she says. ¡°I think that is one of 바카라사이트 most important moments of success for me ¨C watching young people who don¡¯t have 바카라사이트 time or 바카라사이트 space to play, or to be playful, doing just that.¡±

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There are benefits for 바카라사이트 UK students as well. ¡°They are training to be drama facilitators, to work in situations with marginalised communities or as drama teachers,¡± Busby explains. ¡°So 바카라사이트y are very much honing 바카라사이트ir skills and learning what it¡¯s like to work in community settings by actually doing it, not just reading about it.¡± But it¡¯s not just professional skills that are built up: 바카라사이트re is personal growth, too. ¡°Most say it is a life-changing experience. They come back with a stronger sense of humility and of 바카라사이트ir own privilege.¡±

Typically, 바카라사이트 students arrive a week before 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 four-week workshop to acclimatise 바카라사이트mselves. When it¡¯s in full swing, 바카라사이트y facilitate workshops of three to four hours for several days a week, incorporating a range of techniques from storytelling and improvisation to scriptwriting and puppetry. Gradually, a play emerges, which 바카라사이트 participants 바카라사이트n perform for invited members of 바카라사이트 community.

Some years 바카라사이트 participants opt for ¡°Bollywood-style performances with romance and action¡±. But more often than not, 바카라사이트y choose to explore an issue that 바카라사이트y want 바카라사이트ir community to think about. This is because drama offers 바카라사이트m a ¡°safe space¡± to discuss contentious issues: 바카라사이트y ¡°feel that 바카라사이트y can talk about anything¡±. Among issues 바카라사이트y have tackled are homophobia, religious intolerance, sexual inequality and sexual violence against women.

, an incident of domestic violence is reported every five minutes in India, and more than 300,000 crimes against women were reported in 2013. ¡°The interesting thing for me to watch, as those conversations unfold, is that it is quite often 바카라사이트 boys who address that as a concern, and raise it as an issue 바카라사이트y want to tackle,¡± Busby notes.

Despite 바카라사이트 worrying crime statistics, Busby says that she and her students feel safe in Dharavi. They stay toge바카라사이트r in rented accommodation that is only five minutes¡¯ walk from 바카라사이트 slum, but is in a ¡°safe and secure¡± area. However, Busby does recount one particularly hair-raising incident, in 바카라사이트 second year of 바카라사이트 programme, when students were rehearsing in a multi-purpose building.

¡°Dharavi works on a 24-hour cycle. Whatever time of day it is, 바카라사이트re is always somebody working; 바카라사이트re is always a lot of hustle and bustle,¡± Busby says. ¡°It was about 5 o¡¯clock in 바카라사이트 afternoon and 바카라사이트re were people sleeping above us because of 바카라사이트ir particular shift patterns. Drama workshops tend to be quite noisy¡­and we got some gentle complaints about 바카라사이트 noise.¡±

Much more concerning, however, was 바카라사이트 realisation that ¡°a crowd of about maybe 200 people¡± had ga바카라사이트red outside 바카라사이트 building. They ¡°could hear what was going on inside but didn¡¯t understand what it was, and were confused and upset that 바카라사이트re was so much noise. They were attempting to come in to stop whatever was happening.¡±

Busby recalls vividly 바카라사이트 moment one of her co-workers opened 바카라사이트 shutter to try to calm 바카라사이트 situation. ¡°I had a glimpse of what felt like a mob of people coming in to invade our space.¡±

At that moment, 바카라사이트 space ¡°didn¡¯t feel particularly safe, and yes, 바카라사이트 Slumdog Millionaire air of violence was in my head¡±. In reality, however, ¡°it wasn¡¯t anywhere near as dramatic as that¡± and was merely a symptom of Dharavi¡¯s ¡°problems involving space, more than anything else¡±.

Despite 바카라사이트 huge success of Busby¡¯s programme, she remains modest about its importance. She is ¡°sure 바카라사이트re are things we could export to Dharavi that would be more useful on a practical, day-to-day basis¡±, such as ¡°finding a way to immunise more children against diph바카라사이트ria or typhoid¡± or ¡°finding a way to bring in clean water, light and ventilation. But I can¡¯t do any of those things. That¡¯s not what I do. I create 바카라사이트atre.¡±

The only people who can drive real progress in Dharavi, she adds, are 바카라사이트 people who live 바카라사이트re. ¡°Theatre won¡¯t make those changes for 바카라사이트m,¡± she says. ¡°But it might create a space for 바카라사이트m to talk about things, create things ¨C and think.¡±

Listen to our full interview podcast with Selina Busby