The Joy House Collective

‘Croc, Let’s Talk!’ Forum Theatre Performance for the children of Pranavanand Ashram Nepal

Croc, Let’s Talk, Forum Theatre for Kids, Performing for a Cause, Storytelling Performance

Performance for underprivileged children of Pranavanand Ashram, Kathmandu, Nepal | May 23, 2025

While the animals, birds, and insects (role-played by students) dance and move around the pond with a friendly Grandma Alligator, a fierce crocodile enters and pushes them out. The students try to share their thoughts and reasons with the crocodile, but the Croc is no mood to Talk! As the students come together to discuss how to get their pond back, Grandma Alligator tells them that the pond is very sick. They rush to see it and find it covered with algae and overgrown wild grass. The crocodile is also unwell, and mosquitoes swarm the area. Now the animals had a big decision to make. Should they help the crocodile? Should they punish him? Or should they find a new way to deal with the problem? The students split into groups, shared their ideas, and acted them out to see what might happen next.

Later, the crocodile quietly left the pond and left behind a letter. The animals read it and learned his story—why he came to their pond and why he behaved badly. Now the big question was: should they forgive him? Should they invite him back? And how should they clean and protect their pond? This special performance used a method called forum theatre, where the story is paused and the audience is invited to talk, think, and solve the problem together. It helps children use their imagination, think deeply, and work as a team.

We were lucky to bring this performance to the wonderful children at Pranavanand Ashram Nepal, a institute in Kathmandu that gives free education to underprivileged children. The children discussed, debated, got a chance to reflect and share their ideas. This play gave a platform where children could voice out their opinions safely and saw the outcome of their ideas. This not only is essential for their learning but to build confidence and work as a team.

After an interactive session of Storytelling, the kids participated in an art workshop led by The Joy House team where they created invitation cards for the crocodile to come back to their pond and be their friend. The children showed empathy and forgiveness for the crocodile who had driven them out of their homes and found many creative ways to express their emotions. Their care for the environment, their perception of a home, and understanding of their own emotions poured out into their drawings they made as invitation for the crocodile to come back and join them as a friend.