Sankardev College experiments with learning through drama
SHILLONG: Famous characters from great works of literature came to life with flawless performances from students of Sankardev College in a unique venture of the English Department to interweave education and entertainment.
The plays were performed during a seminar cum declamation on contemporary British and American drama organised by the English department here on Wednesday.
As per their academic syllabus, the students played the role of some of the prominent characters created by famous authors and playwrights, like Victor Hugo (Bishop’s Candlesticks), William Shakespeare (King Lear), Arthur Miller (Death of a Salesman), George Bernard Shaw (Saint Joan), John Osborne (Look Back in Anger) and others.
Prominent characters performed by students included King Lear from King Lear, Joan of Arc from Saint Joan, Jimmy Porter and Alison Porter from Look Back in Anger etc., which kept the audience entertained and in awe.
Speaking to The Shillong Times, Naomi Bhuyan, Associate Professor of English at Sankardev College and also a theatre personality who completed her doctorate in theatre, said, “Acts are enacted on the lines of famous speeches extracted from famous plays. Students will be enacting the roles and the teachers will learn from the students for the time being.”
“It is a practical way of learning and students learn better if studies are done on pragmatic lines. The plays enacted will be according to their syllabus. In this way, the students learn better as they shift from theory to practical,” she said.
Underlining the need of learning the facts of life through drama, she said that the move from theory to practical is to help students get rid of the monotony of learning through reading.
“The enactment of the plays is done to help them in their studies. Moreover, it is to prepare them for their lives ahead. For the students and teachers it is an experiment of learning and teaching,” Bhuyan added.
Lauding the students’ talents for deftly getting into the skin of their character, she said, “Students should know what they are capable of. A small beginning of this kind will be of tremendous help to them. The programme will focus on the learning and talent of the students.”