Come December, artists return to bring smiles to children at Egmore ICH

The Little Theatre artists will bring cheer to children and parents at the Institute of Child Health this Christmas. Through their performances, they will use the power of distraction to reduce stress and mental trauma. The 27th pantomime performance, 'MIB-A Space Comet-y', will be held from Dec 14-17 to boost confidence and creativity in children.

This Christmas, a special treat awaits the children at the Institute of Child Health (ICH) and Hospital for Children, Egmore.

Artists of The Little Theatre will once again don the costume of hospital clowns to bring some cheer to the children and parents at the hospital this holiday season.

Rohini Rau, trustee of The Little Theatre, who is also a medical professional-cum-hospital clown, said, “The artists will perform a host of acts which will enliven the atmosphere and reduce stress among the children.

“Dressed as hospital clowns, we will play with the children or dance, sing and perform. We try to use the power of distraction as much as possible. They laugh out aloud at least for a while and in many cases, we have observed how much it has helped them cope with mental trauma,” Ms. Rohini said.

Aysha Rau, founder and managing trustee of The Little Theatre, said, “Though they (the artists) have been doing this for a while now, they took a break due to the flood. They plan to resume it again during Christmas. This is a difficult time for everyone due to the flood. Some of our artists, too, faced issues, making it difficult to rehearse. So, hospital clowning events will be quite helpful for the families of the children too.”

Ms. Aysha also said that they perform pantomime every year and it has helped them in carrying out outreach programmes.

This year, The Little Theatre’s 27th pantomime performance, ‘MIB-A Space Comet-y’, will be held from December 14 to 17 at the Anna Centenary Library Auditorium. “Initially, between 1995 and 2005, we undertook street theatre production and creative workshops for children studying in government schools; it not only brought down their stress but also made them more creative and boosted their confidence,” she added.