Colour it Theatre! Edition V : July 2016
A note from Team Thespo Hello Theatrewaalo! Ye jo Thespo hai na, Thespo… It‟s ready to storm the stage! Thespo opened house with a GRAND GRAND orientation meeting, complete with all the taamjhaam, celebrity guests, games, music, decorations and so much more! If you are under 25, now is the time to join the tornado of young and exciting theatre. Because the registrations are now open! Since we last met you, our office has moved base and we can‟t get over how beautiful it is. The best part? It has been just as stormy as the festival is going to be. Glue, paper, scissors, paints, songs, dance, ice-cream, and so many enthusiastic faces! The team has always been the soul of Thespo and it‟s great to have so many new but equally involved busybees scurrying around the place adding colour to the festival. This month, we cross all borders, with our curiosity about the young theatre scene in Pakistan. Revati Deshpande looks at the flip sides of competitive theatre at college-level while Mikhail Sen answers some quick eight questions. We also speak to two young graduates from two theatre schools across the country. Aasakta‟s Mohit Takalkar lists his choice of must-read plays. Also, full schedule of our orientation meetings inside! Tell us what you think about the issue! Also if you would like to contribute to the magazine, write to us at ink@thespo.org.
Happy Reading!
Dialogue
Theatre of the Youth and often Uncouth
Quick 8
The Distinct Voice of Pakistani Theatre
Thespo Recommends:
Orientation Meetings & Registrations
Theatre Met Me Young
A Young Perspective
Mikhail Sen
Chronicles
By Mohit Takalkar
What’s on at Thespo
Theatre Met Me Young Acting schools have always been debated across the world. Even the alumni of the National School of Drama (NSD), the most coveted theatre school in India are widely polarized in their opinion of the institute. Some openly denounce it, while a lot of others swear by their learnings at ‘The School’. But NSD is no longer the only option for those who seek formal education in the field.
Christ University (Bangalore) offers a three year undergrad course in Theatre Studies with English and Psychology among its other Performing Arts courses while The Drama School, Mumbai (DSM) started off with the fourth batch of their One Year Certificate Course in Acting and TheatreMaking in June. We spoke to two fresh passouts from these courses, Niharika Lyra Dutt from DSM and Arjun Pathni from Christ University about education, graduation and beyond...
A school where you learn all things theatre every day. Was that always a dream? Lyra: I have always wanted to be an actor. Born in a theatre family, theatre met me
I wanted to first be introduced to my natural impulses as a performer.
young. I always loved the energy and the . Why did you choose this particular communion, unlike anything I had Institute? experienced anywhere else. Juggling Arjun: Well, for starters, Christ University sociology and theatre together in college was- or rather- is the only institution in just wasn‟t working. So a year at the drama India, offering Theatre as a full-fledged BA school came at the perfect time. degree as opposed to other institutes Once I got there, things weren‟t all rosy. which provide it only as a diploma. Along There were classes I thought were a with Theatre, there was Media and English complete waste, and others I wanted to run which triangulated an ideal course for me beyond their time limit. I also went through considering how interdependent all three the phase of desperately seeking subjects are and also the intellectual and inspiration, because every minute of every creative horizon they offer. I couldn‟t have day revolved around being in a drama asked for a better programme. school. It was all pretty relentless.
Arjun: Stage was home for me right from
my childhood, but that was limited to being co-curricular. In my 11th and 12thgrade I studied science and theatre was only a recreational activity during weekends. But one thing led to another and before I knew it, theatre turned out to be one of the three majors in my BA and I couldn‟t have possibly loved it anymore. So maybe it was a dream, but the kind which I did not know I was dreaming until it actually came true.
Lyra: I wanted to stay away from molding myself by an institution into a type of an
actor, and I wanted to first be introduced to my natural impulses as a performer. I wanted to train myself, but 3 years at NSD weren‟t my cup of tea. So after soliciting advice from a lot of people, including my parents, ex-alumni friend (Mikhail Sen), and Abhishek Majumdar, a director whose work I respect, I decided that the Drama School would be a brilliant place to lay the foundational layer.
Arjun: I can say with the utmost
How has the experience changed you, as an actor and as a person? Lyra: As an actor, I have definitely become much more aware of my body and voice, learnt to take care of it, tune it, as well as learn when and how much of it to use. The curriculum, the way it has been designed, compels you to perform continuously. That has made me just about understand how to enjoy the rasa in the performance in front of an audience. It has made me hungrier for more work. But even beyond being an actor it has really acquainted me with the texture as well as the kinds of work I want to make, or be involved in making, in the capacity of a theatre maker as well. I have definitely made more lucid some grey areas about gender, and also found many more questions of course. And also, I‟ve grown up a little bit more. I think. And of course that really wouldn‟t make sense to anyone else but me.
confidence and belief that I evolved, beyond my expectations as a person after 3 years of such an enriching journey. Apart from the theoretical knowledge which never failed to help on-stage, just being in an environment filled with people of the similar frequency, there was not a single day when I did not learn something new. There was consistency in terms of growth, ideas and most importantly inspiration. With such an experience, I strive to become a better artist and a person, every day.. Share with us an incident from the school that will always stay with you.
Lyra: The one that jumps out at me right
now is when we were touring with our annual production, Juliet aur uska Romeo, Romeo severely injured his ankle in rehearsal. And the next day we were to leave to perform at Neenasam in Karnataka. A very difficult decision had to be made and we had a new Romeo, my friend Kaustav Sinha, who had to double role it with „band leader‟. The entire team got behind him, including injured Romeo (Rushab Kamdar).
While some of us did our scenes with him into the night, teaching him lines along the way, the others sat in a cluster on the steps, without being asked rewriting portions to make sense of the double role, and to find him more space to change between scenes. We were struck with a calamity, but all of us took it in our stride, as just another curveball. It was a mad travel there, but I think all 12 of my classmates will agree if I say that it couldn’t have ended with a more special performance, in front of an incredibly generous audience. Arjun: It would have to be my third semester, when I debuted as a director for a large-scale production and a Shakespearean one at that. Doing a degree in western theatre, the pressure was inevitable and immense. But with a self-motivated and talented cast and crew which was basically all my classmates, it was a smooth and insightful journey. And the curtain-call was simply overwhelming. There’s nothing like watching over a thousand people give your product a standing ovation after months of hard-work and determination. I learned what conviction truly meant at that very moment.
You've dived into the theatre world immediately post graduation. What has that been like? Lyra: I definitely feel fortunate to be able to have two working nights as a jobbing actor (as Arghya likes to put it) on the Prithvi stage on the day of graduating from The Drama School. Especially with a play I love, like 777. It was daunting to try and fit seamlessly into the META winning ensemble, and not stick out like a sore thumb. But although it was a busy few weeks, I’m back to looking for work and battling the insecurities of being an institutionalized child taking up a career in theatre. The great thing about theatre is that good things only last a while. It whips you to humility.
Arjun: I happened to do a production
with Jagriti Theatre right after my final semester exams. It was quite an experience considering, it was completely new in terms of everything, cast and crew, the stage, the rehearsal space, everything. Considering it was a devised play, I got acquainted to some new elements of theatre and I loved it just as much as I loved all my previous productions. And because there is no objectivity in the realm of theatre or any other art form for that matter, that‟s what makes it so enthralling and beautiful.
Where do you see yourself heading now?
Lyra: I am giving myself a year in
Bombay, to work in theatre and films and to explore different facets of myself as a creator. After which the plan is to go back home to Delhi and apply for a Masters, in theatre or otherwise.
Arjun: In September 2016, I‟m literally
heading to Norwich, UK for my MA in „Film, Television and Creative Practice.‟ Although I wanted to pursue Theatre (which I shall simultaneously), Film and Television making has always fascinated me and once I get a good understanding as well as experience in it, sometime in the future, when I‟m capable enough, I would like to blend it with theatre and create a new genre of my own. You could call it a revolution.
THEATRE OF THE YOUTH AND OFTEN UNCOUTH Is it about creating theatre or is it about the gold medal? Revati Deshpande discusses intercollegiate theatre in the city of Mumbai; the good, bad and ugly of it. One particular afternoon, as I sat in the chair at the dentist‟s (those scary metal tools hanging from my mouth) when the TV in the cabin suddenly flashed a very familiar face in an ad for a scooter. And much to the amusement of the dentist, I was soon chuckling despite all the fear. A friend from college had popped up on screen. It isn‟t a rare occasion these days, when people I was sitting across at college rehearsals appeared in ads, TV shows, movies and posters for (I think they literally had nobody else) and commercial plays. having a significant part in a play being put up for the prestigious Mumbai University I moved to Mumbai from the UAE three Youth festival by the next week. years ago to do my Bachelors. The only
cultural experience that I ever there was performing in school. As enthusiastic as I was, I had no real experience in theatre, and had to have a new acquaintance from college sit me down and explain to me at length what the concept of a college festival even was. In other words, I was completely clueless. But that did not stop me from auditioning for everything I could on the second day of college, being made a contingent leader within a week
Suddenly my entire life was about intercollegiate festivals. It wasn‟t easy. There were language barriers, scheduling conflicts and far too much pressure. Then again there were a bunch of like-minded people all torn between two extremesabsolutely loving the experience, and keeping up with the hectic rehearsals who soon became my constant companions.
When I started off, everyone around me built the idea of intercollegiate theatre up in my head so much that for a while, I truly believed that the greatest plays of our century could only be witnessed on this platform. The biggest thing about intercollegiate theatre is that it‟s full of spirit. I began my journey with the Mumbai University Youth festival that has nearly 500 colleges from Mumbai and the interiors of Maharashtra come down and battle it out. That‟s a lot of people, a lot of ideas, a lot of talent and a lot of teenage spirit. I have never seen an audience as responsive and loving as the one at Youth. Dialoguebaazi gets unending applause and the skits receive so much laughter that they often are at risk of running over time and thus getting disqualified.
Being a part of this taught me a lot, that helps me even today; the very basic ropes of theatre- how to stand, how to project, how to nonchalantly manage the fact that the doorframe you were supposed to enter from is at the other end of the stage and most importantly, how to be a part of team that eats, sleeps, breathes as a unit at all times (yes it really is that cheesy and intense).
Since it‟s such a big competition, it also always had me and everyone else around me trying to think of ideas and concepts that were bigger and better, new devices, better stunts, etc. All of these young people trying to expand their thoughts beyond everything they had known and seen. But this was not always a good thing. A lot of times, the focus was only winning. This meant desperately trying to stick to a formula that everyone knew worked even if that meant the work done would be fairly regressive. This was reinforced by the fact that whenever someone tried to do something experimental and new, the response would be highly de-motivating for anyone to try it again. I have seen many highly talented people become frustrated with this process. To top it off, intercollegiate is usually so large with so many teams that the judges never really are able to give any feedback to the students and so no one really knows how to change and what to improve. „Points‟ and „Fixing‟ become frequently heard words and „just make sure you guys qualify‟ and „we just need second place to increase the overall score‟ are not rare sentences. Age old ideas like „don‟t ever stand with your back to the audience‟ and „projections and tears make you a better actor‟ get reinforced.
All of that being said, this platform still manages to create scores of theatre enthusiasts every year, who then go on to do really good material. Names like Lubna Salim and Ramu Ramnathan immediately come to mind.
Another thing that disappointed me on a very personal level was that the content that often won and had good reception was highly regressive. It would be screaming sexism, homophobia, transphobia and everyone would be clapping along, agreeing. There have also been instances where an extremely transphobic skit, for example, openly calling members of these communities things like „abnormal‟ and „badnaam‟ featured amongst the top winners. There‟s apparently also a lot of fixing, though I have never actually seen or experienced it happening despite being a Contingent Leader. If anything, it has given us a drive to create and deliver something so good, it forces the judges to overlook calculation and manipulations (if any, really) and leaves them with no choice but to give our product the appreciation it deserves.
Sure, the intercollegiate theatre scene in Mumbai has its drawbacks, but so does everything else in life, and if one can take these drawbacks with a pinch of salt, being a part of this massive experience is something everyone must try out at least once. As somebody who has thoroughly enjoyed being a part of these years, I hope one day these competitions also rediscover themselves and focus more on creating good theatre and theatre-makers than anything else. The things you learn, the ethics that are beaten into you and the sheer love for theatre and its process that it embeds in you, can never be found anywhere else.
Mikhail Sen is an actor trained at Drama School, Mumbai, Drama Centre, London and The Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute, Moscow. He’s worked with directors like Daniele Bartolini, Derek Bond, Mahesh Dattani, Anna - Helena McLean and Kussum Haider, among others. He has conducted workshops for corporates, teachers and young people and has also taught theatre at different colleges and schools in Bangalore and New Delhi. Mikhail was a part of The Stranger in Thespo 17 and currently plays the titular role in Alyque Padamsee’s Legend of Lovers. Prachi Bhagwat interviews the young actor.
Quick 8 The moment when you decided to take the plunge into acting professionally. I was working the night shift at NDTV in 2012-13 and spending 14 hours a day in front of a computer. I didn‟t want to spend the rest of my life doing a job like that (and especially not at 21.) Also, doing the theatre residency in Kent with Anirudh Nair and Anna - Helena McLean. It was life-changing and I realized I wanted to do theatre for the rest of my life. Character from existing dramatic literature you would give anything to play. Iago from Shakespeare‟s Othello. He‟s such a complex character with so many dark shades. It would be a real challenge to play him and plumb those depths to bring out the truth of the character. Also, he‟s got the best lines.
The best show you’ve watched till this date People, Places and Things by Duncan McMillan
The best and worst parts about being a young actor who’s starting out. You‟ve got a lot of drive. You‟re willing to do everything to make things happen, get work, make work. Then again, you have to depend on assignments for your bread and butter. Not to mention, hoping that you get the next project before the current one runs out... But then - that‟s life. The best theatre festival you have attended/ performed at. Why? The Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival in 2012 had Shakespeare plays from all over the world. I got to watch Atul Kumar‟s Piya Behrupiya, Sunil Shanbhag „s Maro Piyu Gayo Rangoon and brilliant productions from Georgia, Kenya and Bangladesh. Your best performance. Yet to come, hopefully! All the other careers you thought of pursuing. I wanted to be a cricketer till I was 16, and then a lawyer, and/or a journalist. But I always thought I‟d act on the side.
Another aspect of theatre that excites you. Directing, Lighting, designing… every aspect of THEATRE really.
THE DISTINCT VOICE OF PAKISTANi THEATRE Aamir Nawaz talks about theatre in Pakistan and the progress it has made over time due to the change in ideologies, people and even societal structures. You rarely get to watch or understand theatre from regions other than your own. Films make it across oceans, TV shows make it to top torrents the minute they are telecast and songs become earworms before you can spell the artist‟s name. With theatre, you still hear about the classics (Lion King, Phantom of the Opera) and the hyped ones (The Cursed and Cumberbatch's Hamlet) from western countries and envy the friends who actually watch them. But what are the young theatre makers there doing? What are they experimenting on? These things hardly make Buzzfeed articles. Rare still are the updates on our counterparts in the neighbouring countries. After all, Sri Lanka was in a Civil War for 30 years. Theatre was banned in Pakistan for several years. One can't help but be curious about how theatre in these countries works, especially among the youth.
With Walking Path at Thespo 16, we saw how bright the future of theatre in Sri Lanka is. This month we have Aamir Nawaz, president of the MAAS FOUNDATION in Pakistan writing in.
“The distinct voice of Pakistani literature came soon after the independence of Pakistan in 1947”, he says. Given the many cultural similarities, Urdu and English Literature were naturally inherited by the new state. “Over due
course, a literature which was somewhat uniquely Pakistani has emerged in every province. Initially, the plays were all about the independence and the atrocities committed on the Muslims by the Hindus and Sikhs. This gradually began to change” Like in most countries, the art scene in Pakistan is divided into two streams Commercial Theatre and Parallel Theatre. Theatrewaalas are venturing into a lot of different genres and attempt to infuse
than 300 theatre shows since its creation. It started as a group of young men and women, primarily students that was concerned with the poor quality of arts and cultural activities in Pakistan.”
theatre as a cultural norm in the country. These Private companies soon emerge as companies of Parallel theatre. "The
general complaint in conservative circles is that commercial theatre is lowbrow and thrives on obscene dialogue and dances. But the good thing is that both theatre is going on and people are watching them.“
Among the popular theatre companies in Pakistan are LOK RAHS, AJOKA THEATRE, AZAD THEATRE and Aamir's own, MAAS FOUNDATION.
“Maas Foundation started working as an independent alternative theatre group in 2004. The group has seen a number of upheavals both internal and external during its history. On an average, the group has held a more
The young Maas boasts of internationally trained members. They credit their learnings to gurus like C M Munir, a known name in Pakistani circles. Besides their home country, they have also performed in India, Sri Lanka, South Korea and Nepal.
"From staging classical epics to quick response street skits and from working out foreign adaptations to improvising ones with community and from
“
The group cherished a society that has gender equality and democratic values, respects all humans and offers equal economic opportunities to all.
performing at overseas festivals to villages and urban slums, Maas has touched upon a host of issues. Our canvas is very wide and diverse. Our plays have dealt with subjects like child abuses and women‟s right to marry of their free will and staged plays about Visa Policies and India-Pakistan relations.” Over the last few years, especially with the advent of social media, we have grown to realize that Pakistan isn't exactly an extremely restrictive state as was the common belief. But there are still a few restriction in the field of theatre. Scripts are scrutinized and no matter what, plays which are considered to be against any religion of world, the Pakistan Army, Pakistan's Foreign Policy or things which are considered Taboo in eastern societies cannot be performed.
It is quite marvellous that a group like Maas still continues to try it's best and deal with topics that need to be talked about.
“The group cherished a society that has gender equality and democratic values, respects all humans and offers equal economic opportunities to all. Maas Foundation believes in organized and conscious efforts to realize this dream. Theater is its medium.” The fact that our peers across the boundaries are striving to bring about the progression in their society, just as we do here is indeed heartening to hear. Personally, I can't wait to meet and talk to these people, maybe even collaborate with them.
"We Hope Maas will join the family of Thespo soon.", Aamir signs off. So do we, Aamir. So do we.
Written by Kalpak Bhave
THESPO RECOMMENDS Plays to read – by Mohit Takalkar
Mohit Takalkar is the artistic director of the Pune-based theatre company „Aasakta‟. He has directed over 20 plays in Marathi, Hindi and English. He is an accomplished actor and film editor. His last production „Main Hoon Yusuf Aur Yeh Hai Mera Bhai‟ did a clean sweep at META earlier this year.
Hamlet by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE I picked this play for obvious reasons. I don't think there will be a greater play written than Hamlet. As a matter of fact, this applies to all Shakespeare plays, but this one in particular. It can present itself in an entire new light every time you read it. Simply powerful.
SHORT PLAYS of SAMUEL BECKETT This collection makes us aware of the absurdity in our life, our existence. It is a fine example of dramatic minimalism, which needs to be emphasised upon in today's time of abundance and spectacle.
BEGUM BARVE by SATISH ALEKAR This piece of Satish Alekar's brilliant writing could easily be called one of the best plays in Modern Indian drama. It will always be a challenge to actors, directors and audience and is a play which I always wanted to do but never had the courage t actually attempt.
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LAST DATE: September 1ST 2016
(Started in 1999) is a platform for any and every young person under 25 who is interested in any and all aspects of theatre. Except for the age limit, Thespo firmly believes in including youth from all parts of the world, all fields, all language groups and all art forms who share a love for theatre. Over the last seventeen years it has grown from a one-evening event to a year round movement comprising of an annual Festival, monthly shows at Prithvi Theatre, theatre training programes, workshops, site-specific performances and much more for young theatre enthusiasts.
(Established in 1944) is one of Indiaâ€&#x;s oldest English language theatre groups whose members (Alyque Padamsee, Sabira Merchant, Gerson Da Cunha, among others) have gone on to become legends in theatre, radio and television.
Established in 1999, QTP is a theatre and arts management company with diverse projects which include staging of numerous productions, engaging tours of international shows & multiple theatre initiatives, designed to keep theatre at the forefront of the publicâ€&#x;s consciousness
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INK TEAM Cover Page by: Mati Rajput, Spriha Nakhare Edited by: Kalpak Bhave, Mekhala Singhal Designed by: Kalpak Bhave
A YOUTH THEATRE MOVEMENT