A Remixed Story Hits the Stage

@prathambooks My cat enjoyed the Retell, Remix and Rejoice Contest very much! Especially the drawing with the mice! pic.twitter.com/iGIO7ryqwy
— Modern Troubadours (@ModTroubadours) April 6, 2015

I found out about the contest via twitter – I like following people who are linked to storytelling, and I came across the Pratham Books page. I liked the page and their philosophy. That’s when I also discovered the contest, and I immediately liked the illustrations and the idea of creating a story around those images. The minute I saw them, ideas and stories were running through my brain! 

I am the founder of the “Modern Troubadours” – a storytelling and music group. Our philosophy is about connecting people through music and stories, and learning about each other’s cultures and backgrounds. We give workshops and performances around the world. We had a performance in The Hague in April, and we try to make every performance unique and push ourselves to use new stories and create new music. We also love getting the audience involved and actively participate in the show. 

That’s when I decided to use the story I had just written for the contest. I printed out the illustrations on A3 papers, and showed them to the audience while telling the story. And when we reached the part of the dance (in the story), we gave little percussion instruments (drums, maracas, etc) to the audience, and made them play and sing with us. It really brought the story to life! It was such a joy to see the people’s faces light up as they played and chanted with us. 

The illustrations also helped a lot – every time I turned the page to the next one, I could see the audience studying the picture and really enjoying the experience. This performance was for adults, but I can also imagine it working really nicely with children. 

I would definitely want to repeat this experience in future performances. I am also thinking of using it with my students (I teach music in a primary school) – creating the story together (or using the one I have already written), and then putting music to it.

I find these types of projects really exciting – combining different arts, with storytelling, writing, drawing and music – and collaborating with people from around the world, exchanging ideas and experiences. It is exactly what the Modern Troubadours is about and it is wonderful to be able to share all of this, and grow and get inspired in the process. 

Some photos from the rehearsals :

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