Teacher workshop on Drama as a teaching tool in the classroom

An engaging and immersive theatre workshop was conducted for the faculty on 30th June '26 in the School auditorium. Led by the theatre teacher, the session dramatised the historical encounter between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Afzal Khan, using drama as a medium to enhance communication, creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills among teachers.

The workshop commenced with breathing exercises to help participants relax, improve focus, and prepare for the activities ahead. This was followed by the energetic theatre game "bang,bang" which encouraged quick thinking, concentration, coordination, and active participation while creating a lively and collaborative atmosphere.

Building on this energy, participants were encouraged to internalise the persona of Shivaji by adopting his confident gait and commanding presence. This was followed by a movement exercise where teachers walked around the auditorium at varying speeds, interacting with one another using only the phrases "Kya hua?" ("What happened?") and "Kuch nahi" ("Nothing"). With minimal dialogue, the participants relied on facial expression, body language, and vocal modulation to convey emotion, tension, and meaning.

The faculty was then divided into small groups for a collaborative imagination exercise. Each group worked collectively to think from Shivaji's perspective, devising strategies for the crucial confrontation with Afzal Khan. The activity culminated in a dramatic enactment of the historic encounter, with volunteer teachers effectively recreating the tense atmosphere of the meeting in a tent.

In the concluding session, participants were invited to creatively reimagine the historical episode by exploring alternative scenarios surrounding Afzal Khan's trap and Shivaji's response. This activity encouraged critical thinking, teamwork, and creative expression while demonstrating the value of theatre as an engaging pedagogical tool for teaching history from multiple perspectives.

The workshop was highly interactive and enriching, inspiring teachers to integrate drama-based methodologies into classroom teaching to foster experiential learning, communication skills, and deeper student engagement.