June 23, 2026 | Storytelling Performance at Shree Jagrup Sah Rampur Sah Uchha Madhyamik Vidyalaya, Dhanusha, Parshuram Talav, Mithila Bihari Municipality, Dhanusha
As part of The Joy House Collective’s storytelling journey through Dhanusha, माछाको रंगीन सपना (Fish’s Rainbow Dream) travelled to Shree Jagrup Sah Rampur Sah Uchha Madhyamik Vidyalaya, where approximately 250–300 students from Grades 1 to 8 participated in an outdoor interactive theatre performance.
With classroom benches, simple cloth backdrops, ropes, and materials available at the school, an open space beneath a beautiful tree was transformed into a temporary theatre. The audience gathered in front while the performers created a small but inviting stage where imagination could unfold.
Unlike a conventional auditorium, the natural setting became part of the performance itself. The shade of the tree, the open sky, and the surrounding landscape blended naturally with the story’s journey through forests, ponds, hills, and magical encounters, making it easier for children to imagine themselves inside the adventure.
About the Story
माछाको रंगीन सपना (Fish’s Rainbow Dream) follows the journey of a lonely Black and White Fish who dreams of becoming as colourful as the Rainbow Fish. Believing that colours can be found somewhere in the world, the fish sets off on an adventure, meeting unusual characters, overcoming challenges, and discovering new places along the way.
Throughout the performance, children are invited to help the characters make decisions, solve problems, sing, imagine, and interact with the story. As the journey unfolds, they gradually discover that colours are not something that can simply be collected—they grow through friendship, kindness, courage, and shared experiences. Using handcrafted puppets, music, sensory props, and participation, the story becomes an experience that children actively create together.
Adapting to the Space
Every performance teaches us something new about the place where it happens.
The open school ground brought a wonderful sense of freedom, but it also required the performers and teachers to work together in different ways. The children’s excitement was immediate and genuine. Their curiosity often brought them close to the stage, eager to see every prop and character up close.
To help everyone enjoy the performance, a simple rope boundary was created between the audience and the performing space while teachers gently guided the children throughout the event. Their support made it possible for the story to continue without losing its playful energy.
Beyond Words
One observation from our Dhanusha performances became even clearer during this event.
Many younger children were more comfortable speaking Maithili than Nepali. While this sometimes limited verbal responses, it did not reduce their engagement with the performance.
Children followed the story through movement, expressions, music, colours, and visual storytelling. Older students responded more confidently to spoken interactions, while younger children joined through actions, songs, and imitation. It reminded us that meaningful storytelling for young children depends just as much on visual and sensory experiences as it does on language.
At the same time, the experience highlighted an important learning for our team: future performances in the region would become even richer if local languages were incorporated into the storytelling.
When Everyone Joins the Story
As with many Joy House performances, the story belonged as much to the audience as it did to the performers.
The arrival of the Rainbow Fish immediately lifted the energy across the audience. Children eagerly answered questions, helped the characters solve problems, and celebrated every new discovery.
They happily offered lollipops to the hungry crocodile, transformed themselves into astronauts to help the fish travel into space, and sang along with the rapping tree before it shared its orange. Every interaction invited children to contribute, making them active participants rather than spectators.
Behind the scenes, teachers became an equally important part of the performance. Some distributed props during interactive moments, others managed the sound system, while many simply helped maintain a welcoming space where hundreds of excited children could enjoy the story together.
What This Performance Taught Us
This performance reminded us that interactive storytelling is remarkably adaptable.
Even in a completely open environment, with children from different age groups and different language backgrounds, the story continued to communicate through action, music, humour, rhythm, and participation.
It also reminded us that introducing theatre into communities where storytelling performances are new is a gradual process. Alongside performances, classroom storytelling activities and teacher training can help children become more familiar with listening, imagining, and participating in stories, creating even deeper engagement over time.
Rather than seeing this as a limitation, we see it as an invitation for more sustained art-based learning opportunities in schools like these.
Concluding Remarks
One image from this performance remains unforgettable: hundreds of children sitting beneath a large tree, laughing freely, singing together, and becoming part of the story.
It reminded us that meaningful theatre does not depend on elaborate stages or sophisticated technology. With a welcoming school community, committed teachers, and children’s willingness to imagine together, almost any place can become a storyworld.
Many Thanks
- All the teachers and students of Shree Jagrup Sah Rampur Sah Uchha Madhyamik Vidyalaya
- Bimal Upadhyay, Shamim Ansari and Sanjit Kumar Sah – Teaching Fellows, Teach For Nepal
- Madhav P. Devkota and the Teach For Nepal team
- Bansri Pandey – Actress in the role of the Black & White Fish
- Shishir Siwakoti – Actor in the role of the Rainbow Fish
- Surbhi Darnal – Music and Photography Support
- The Joy House Collective Team for their support
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