Bringing Back The Magic Of Live Performances; How Three Artists Are Reviving Children’s Theatre in India
Blending storytelling, music, and empathy, three creative minds are transforming how India’s children experience art and education.
Published : October 18, 2025 at 3:01 PM IST
A lot has changed in the 21st century when it comes to live performances. The screens have replaced playgrounds and imagination often takes a backseat. But three creative minds, Shiv Tandan, Mohit Agarwal, and Ragini Tandan, are on a mission to bring children back to the magic of live performance. Their collaborative work in children’s theatre is rewriting how India engages with young adudiances. They mix entertainment, social-emotional learning, and music into one captivating experience. Their latest production is Say Cheese Grandpa.
“I’ve been working in both theatre and the education sector for years, and I kept feeling that the two worlds needed to meet,” says Shiv, a playwright, director, and educationist. “There is so much untapped potential here. Kids really have no enriching entertainment options out there. So we started talking about making an ambitious play for kids.”
What began as a simple idea soon evolved into an emotional and socially conscious movement. Shiv’s contribution was to weave in elements of social-emotional learning (SEL) to ensure that children not only enjoy the story but also carry its lessons with them. “You want the kids watching to remember what they learnt for a long time to come and that only happens if they are moved by the story. This is what I call ‘radical empathy’. Empathy that isn’t passive, but creates real action,” he explains.
Making Learning an Emotional Experience
Children’s theatre, the trio believes, is more than just another co-curricular activity. It’s a tool for connection and growth. “We don’t have nearly enough avenues for adults to understand our kids’ lives,” says Shiv. “Kids live in their own little bubble of schools, tuitions, and extracurriculars. The only space we have for really understanding them is the parent-teacher meeting. A professional theatre culture for kids will create a refreshing, and emotional space for them to be real and vulnerable with the adults in their lives.”
Theatre, for them, becomes a mirror through which society can see itself more clearly. “Art is not just for entertainment. Art is where society goes to see itself clearly, to find its faults and begin to do better. It’s incredibly important that kids be included in all these conversations,” he adds.
Interestingly, the response, Shiv says, from parents and educators has been overwhelmingly positive. “There really aren’t any challenges,” he admits. “Everyone gets it already. Schools and families invest heavily in their Annual Day performances. It’s just that teachers don’t have the time or skill to mount professional productions of this type. So when we came in with our well-thought-out product, everyone welcomed us with open arms.”
From Screen to Stage
The trio’s foray into live theatre wasn’t a spontaneous move, but a natural extension of their long-standing commitment to education and creativity. “This has been a long-term mission for us,” shares Mohit, who has worked extensively with schools and NGOs. Shiv and Ragini run a YouTube channel called Central Board for Fixing Education, where they critique the education system through storytelling and film. Shiv, along with Shwetang Shankar, also runs Cham Cham Express, a kids’ music label. "So Say Cheese Grandpa felt like the perfect next step, where we go beyond the screen and meet kids in the real world," says Mohit.
Their plays are immersive, musical, and interactive, which invite children to become active participants rather than passive viewers. “Kids are a brutally honest audience,” says Mohit. “If they don’t like what they see, they will tell you. So we always start with fun, rhythm, humour, surprise. But we also make sure to involve them in the storytelling. They contribute to the story moving forward.”
The team’s golden rule? Never talk down to kids. “We respect their intelligence and start with the assumption that they will get it,” Mohit says. “That’s why our shows work for both kids and adults. That’s the hallmark of good theatre.”
Building Empathy and Connection
The power of live performance, according to the trio, lies in its ability to build empathy and human connection, which they believe are often lost in today’s digital world. “Making theatre, writing stories, understanding characters, delivering emotional performances is an exercise in empathy,” opines Shiv.
He believes watching a meaningful show can bridge social divides and strengthen relationships. “Parents just don’t know how to talk to their kids anymore, and kids are feeling more and more isolated. Screens and social media have personalised everyone’s reality. Theatre changes that. You are in a room together, experiencing the same thing. It makes the child feel seen and gives them heart because they no longer feel alone."
The Soundtrack of Imagination
Music plays a vital role in their productions, which is led by Ragini, a trained Hindustani classical singer. “In Say Cheese Grandpa, she has updated the classics like Nani Teri Morni and Lakdi Ki Kaathi and gave them a modern twist. "Then we integrated them into the story in exciting new ways," says Ragini.
With Cham Cham Express, the team is experimenting even further. They are creating an entirely new, modern sound for kids, which is contemporary, multilingual, and thematically relevant. “Because of this combination, our music connects with kids, and the lessons we embed stay with them forever," Ragini explains.
Mixing Art and Education
While many see children’s theatre as mere entertainment, the trio envisions it as a crucial tool for nation-building. “Policymakers need to recognise theatre as nation-building,” emphasises Shiv. “If we want empathetic citizens tomorrow, we have to start by raising imaginative ones today.”
He also points out the importance of institutional support. “Creators and artists are finding new business models to support themselves, but we still need the government and other organisations to contribute meaningfully. A society with a strong culture of live theatre and music is more rooted, more connected, and infinitely more beautiful.”
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