Bringing Mowgli to life on the Chichester Festival Theatre stage

The classic tale comes in a brand-new adaptation by Sonali Bhattacharyya from Saturday, December 16-Sunday, December 31 on the main-house stage.

Featuring original songs by Ruth Chan written especially for the youth theatre, it will be directed by Matt Hassall. And Sarada, aged 16, who lives in Horndean, is loving the challenge.

“I'm not part of the youth theatre currently. For this show I was scouted, but I'm definitely joining in January. I do dance and my dance teacher has done performances in the Minerva before and she recommended me for this.

“Rehearsals started in late September and it was quite daunting at first.

"Me and the other Mowgli were the only ones who had not been part of the youth theatre before, I think, but everyone's just so fantastically welcoming. Everyone is lovely, all the directors and all the managers and all the cast. This has been a great experience.”

Inevitably part of the challenge is how to put across Mowgli: “The Jungle Book is set in the jungle and you've got all the animals and the only one who isn't an animal is Mowgli but Mowgli is not the most human of humans. She is quite animalistic. She has been raised in the jungle by the animals and she has picked things up from all of them. She just doesn't act in a way that we do as humans. She is drawing on all the animals around her, the bears, the tigers and the snakes and there are all these characteristics that you have to bring together while making her seem a bit human at least! But she is very home in the jungle. This is the place that she has known all her life. She has not known the human village but she is also aware that she is quite different. She knows that she is not like the others.”

And she is an interesting character to play: “She is quite curious. She asks a lot of questions and she is adventurous.”

Mowgli will be Sarada’s biggest acting role so far: “And Chichester Festival Theatre is a big space but it's exciting really. You get nervous but I've done lots of dance shows in the past. It is not the audience. It's just the fact that it is acting.”

And also singing: “There are a lot of songs and they are songs of all different types. There are sad songs and there are upbeat songs as well.”

It's a lovely prospect this Christmas: “Christmas is a time when you want to spend time with your family but this is also a great way to spend Christmas with so many people you have become close to and just sharing the Christmas spirit.

“I would like to carry on doing something like this in the future.

"t's interesting and it's exciting in a good way because you're experiencing something where you do feel safe. I joined for the first time not knowing anybody only two months ago but already I feel very comfortable. The whole community is a very safe community where you just feel very accepted for whoever you are in whatever shape or form.”

Tickets from Chichester Festival Theatre.