The tile-roofed courtyard with a beautiful red-oxide floor at Annaswamy Mudaliar School, Fraser Town, is packed with children aged five and above. While some people are busy just being kids, others are excitedly jumping around exploring their acrobatic abilities. In one corner, little girls are dancing adorablely to a song that they are whispering among themselves, while the senior children are busy arranging the floor as a stage, setting it up in the most professional manner possible. As they move tables, chairs and beds to set the stage for the first scene, they are hit by pranksters driving by. Undaunted, they silence the children and go about their work.

This is a behind-the-scenes look at the rehearsals of The Bangalore Chorus (TBC), which is getting ready for its annual production. This time it’s a musical affair AnnieBased on a book by Thomas Meehan, originally directed by Martin Charnin for Broadway. Dr. Maya Mascarenhas and Judith Roby Bidapa are co-directors Annie For TBC. The proceeds from the show will be donated to Jyoti Seva Home and School for the Blind, Bengaluru.

Judy and some parents have the kids form a circle to begin warm-up exercises, while Maya sits down with us to talk about Annie and TBC. “We have kids, who are real artists from the TBC training program, who will be acting and singing. We train them to stage a play every year as an annual event.”

Every year, Maya starts a batch in late April or May with a nine-month program where children learn choral singing. “We call it ‘show choir’ because we do a lot of choreography; They are not just standing but walking and singing. Some songs require a little theater so we have musical theatre.

Maya says that TBC concerts consist mostly of musical acts. “They are called the Big Bang series. I saw that the kids were talented and I decided to challenge them further with music.”

Maya, a pediatrician, says music is in her blood. Maya says Annie was chosen because it is a child-friendly musical. “Second, we got the rights, for which we had to pay a huge price, but we managed with the help of crowd-funding and sponsors and third, because it is a story of hope.”

ANNIE will include children from 50 schools across Bengaluru who had enrolled as part of the TBC training programme. “The youngest is four years old. All our music programs work with the philosophy of ‘kids for kids’. All the money we raise goes to a charity that works with vulnerable children. This year, we chose Jyoti Seva Home and School.”

When Maya came to know that some of the children of Jyoti Seva sing well, she asked them to sing on stage. “They would keep singing for four minutes. It may seem like a small amount of time, but TBC is a message to kids that they need to be empathetic. Visually impaired children will be a part of the finale where the entire cast and crew will come together to sing.

Maya says, working with visually impaired children has been an incredible experience. “I sent him songs, which were converted into Braille by the sisters at his school. By the time I met him, he had already learned the songs.” Maya is the chief inspiration officer of TBC, which was founded in August 2015.

By now the actors are busy practicing their vocals while one child is hanging from a pole and another is crawling under the table. As if reading my mind, Maya says, “The challenge is not in disciplining them, but in how and who to cast because each child is so talented. The worst part is dealing with the disappointment of kids who don’t get selected.”

Maya says, children are like sponges. “They get immersed in everything. We have a lot of children, including adults, who come back after passing our training. I literally kick them out saying it’s for kids, but they refuse to go and then we kick them out too.”

Maya with co-director Judith Roby Bidapa | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Thanking Annaswamy Mudaliar School for giving her the space to practice, Maya says, “I call it the family chorus, and not just the Bangalore Chorus because we have become a huge family, where everyone is involved in making it possible. Is.”

By now the stage is set and Maya steps in to give the children some instructions, while Judy gives signals: “Silence, position, blackout, ….and lights.”

The children acted out the first scene of the play, which begins with the popular song, ‘It’s the Hard-Knock Life’, composed by Charles Strauss, which the children sang with professionalism and beauty. Then he wins your heart with his acting and comic timing in the roles of Miss Hannigan, Annie and the orphans.

We quietly leave the rehearsal as the rehearsal progresses and Annie runs away from the orphanage.

Annie will be staged on October 26 and 27 (at 3 pm and 7 pm on both days). The venue is Chaudiya Memorial Hall. Donor passes on Insider and Paytm.