Picture of the Quarter: IInd Quarter for 2011
Moments captured by Pruthvi
Scene from the Play “CommonManVer2.0″ on April 27th at ADA Rangamandira.

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Picture of the Quarter: Ist Quarter for 2011:
Moments captured by Rajshekar
Scene from the Play “CommonManVer2.0″ on Feb 27th at ADA Rangamandira.

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Picture of the Quarter: IVth Quarter for 2010:
Moment captured by Vishal Chautmal
Scene from the Play “Life@Campus” on Dec 20th at Mood Indigo Festival, IIT-Mumbai

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Picture of the Quarter: Ist Quarter for 2010:

Moment captured by Prithivi
Scene from the Play “Bhagwan Dhundoo” on March 28th at ADA RangaMandira

A Scene from the play “Bhagwan Dhundoo” 

 

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Picture of the IVth Quarter of 2009

Mushayara Theatre

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Picture of the IIIrd Quarter of 2009

A Scene from Bhagawan Dhundoo

 

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Picture of the IInd Quarter of 2009

Scene from the 7th show of Common Man performed @ IISC

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Picture of the Ist Quarter of 2009

 For the first quarter we have picked two pictures out of the many interesting and exciting ones.

 

 FIRST PICTURE: A Scene from Wake-Up India

 

  SECOND PICTURE: A Scene from the 6th show of Common Man

 

 

 

 

 

6th Show of Common Man

For more picutres of our show you can click on our multiply link in the ” Blogroll “ section

Best One Thought for IInd Quarter of 2011 by Devshree Gupta..Our deepest emotions, feelings, thoughts and fears are so close to us and yet they are so far. Sometimes, we keep running away from them. Sometimes, we tappice. Sometimes we face them. Most of the times we hide them. Tangible, yet uniquely untouched, these feelings, emotions, thoughts and fears are involuntary. We have no control over them. There is a certain degree of darkness associated with all of them and this is where we live – A colorful dark world. Who says we are different from them? The only difference might be that they are used to darkness among colors while we seek colors in darkness.If I could ever jump into a painting and live its world then I would have definitely felt the way I did in the Black Rainbow workshop. If I could hail all colors and ask them to form a perfect imagery of my likeness then it would be the ones brought “in front of my closed eyes.”

Ever since I had heard about the project, I was keen to know more about it. The title “Black Rainbow” fascinated me every time it was mentioned. I was eager to watch the performance. But I got all the luxury of “hearing it” while it was being performed, and I performed too! (I feel Lucky!) It was a beautiful experience.

I picture Black Rainbow as an arc with bands of different shades of black turning to grey and slowly white. The background is lots of colors. While we are the colors or we talk and create colors and paint the lives of our special audience with sounds, the rainbow takes different forms and shapes and penetrates deeper than the visible light. Breaking all boundaries as it flows, it forms a bridge which connects them to our world and us to theirs. It changes our outlook for colors altogether.

As I close my eyes and pick up any thing to sense it, to feel the beveled and embossed surfaces, the  patterns and textures, the sounds, I am stupefied! I have started to wonder how easily we can relate those felt things to our daily lives – to the ups and downs, the obvious and expected, monotony in life and so many different things. The sense of touch is so so powerful. We don’t usually use it much.

Silence makes a different sound. It is sometimes so beautiful. It makes me feel that the actual mirror is within us. What we “see” as our reflection on the real mirror is so superficial. We may not be the prettiest persons in the world, but the snippets of our odd and unpredictable self makes us so beautiful and unique. I am now thirsty to be more and more amazed.

The whole experience of all that I am talking about and whatever small homework Ranji asked us to do takes me to a different level of thoughts and I am really thankful and glad and I feel lucky.

I hope our rainbow proves to be that bridge which connects two separate worlds which “we think” are apart.

I hope that my pursuit for amazement continues.

regards
devshree gupta

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Best One Thought for IVth Quarter of 2010 by ‘ Bharavi..

I am part of ‘Yours Truly’, a theater group in Bangalore. Last Saturday, we performed for children from 1st to 7th grade in a local school. I wasn’t exactly a performer, rather a volunteer for backstage activities, which means once the play started, I had all the time in the world to sit back and enjoy the play, and ofcourse observe the children. I had not been to a school since I graduated from mine, and had almost forgotten what schools looked and felt like – over 500 little ones gathered at one place! And then, I suddenly realised that in a couple of years, Pari too would be a part of this crowd. It was discomforting to think that my baby, the most special person on planet Earth would be just a speck in this sea of children. But then, each of those 500 children was an individual most precious to his parents. And here they sat on the cemented ground in the summer sun. I felt a pang in my heart. When I go to pick Pari, I turn on the aircon 10 minutes before I reach her daycare so that she doesn’t find the car hot when she steps in. But then, so is life. The children were remarkably unperturbed by the heat. They enjoyed the plays to the hilt and had a nice time.

The 2 plays performed followed the complete-the-story format. This means that the actors would stop the play midway, and ask the audience to suggest an ending. Now, the audience being so young, some of them looked like they still had their diapers on, I did not expect them to come up with much. And was I in for a shock! The children came up with suggestions that belied their ages. Some of them were genuinely funny, the kids had a great sense of humour and almost all their suggestions were very practical and relevant to real life. It was amazing to see the barely 7 year olds talk about stuff like plastic surgery and inner beauty. They clapped and cheered through out the performance, and waved to us when it was time to leave. The experience was overall enlightening and very gratifying.

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Best One Thought for IIIrd Quarter of 2010 by ‘Ajay Pandey ‘….

And ‘It’s a beautiful day’ indeed . So as it happened, a motley gang of Clowns and few Ringmasters arrived on a bright Saturday morning in a small school away from the hustle and bustle of ‘The City’.

The Tree  – wow – climbing the tree must be a fun for all the kids out there – but I guess they were bit small for all that adventure and teachers were too big and too strict for them – anyway let’s not digress – So the Tree + some great dupatta work by volunteers + good old Bangalore weather – the stage was set – all elements were there for another great show by YT.

Just that the Clowns had few butterflies fluttering in their small tummies. But as the Ringmaster said “Let’s watch” – the butterfly came out of each one of them. Clowns being clowns were after the butterfly with their clownish methods – well…at the end of the day, it was their own butterfly – their own creation – a creation out of nothing.

Kids being Kids were as enthusiastic and fabulous as only they can be. And did they loved whatever we did – I guess yes. May be it was our first time or may be it was the ambience or may be kids were simply superb audience – it felt nice to hear their laugh on our acts – gave some sort of boost. So when Kamini Team was giving a not-so-kamina-but-simply-beautiful performance, I went behind the kids and was watching their reactions. They were enjoying…laughing…giggling…smiling.And I felt same as one ‘Anari’ crooned few decades back :

Kisiki muskuraahaton pe ho nisaar
Kisika dard mil sake to le udhaar
Kisike waaste ho tere dil mein pyaar
Jeena issi ka naam hai

Another things that comes to my mind – how happy were they when we were introducing ourselves at the end – All those “Hi”s from them are still fresh.

So ‘In the End, it actually matters” – you take back some nice memories – you did ‘something’ this saturday – and all the credit goes to :-
-Nandini & Ranji – for mentoring,directing all the new folks and not-beating-them-up-despite-their-goofups
-all the wonderful YT members from which we have learnt whatever we could so far, in all our interactions
-Volunteers and Co-actors – As cliched it may sound, but all of you guys did a great job
- Ajay Pandey

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Best One Thought for IInd Quarter of 2010 by ‘Debpriya’….

Identity Crisis

Chocolate ice cream in a moment

Gooey lump in another

Why commit to a sense of self

A little bit of exploration rather?

No authority to defy

Just your foreclosed personality

On fearful passages and depressing alleys

Choices and paths seem not so pretty

Provoking the emotional upheaval

All that you want and hold dear

Discerning the two images

Formidable it does appear

Enmeshed in your own web

Off your guard and not awake

Why, you can use melted ice cream

To bake a lip-smacking cake!

Priya

Best One Thought for Ist Quarter of 2010 by ‘Manojna Acharya’….

On a dull Saturday afternoon, when the sun isnt shining as bright as he should be, when u see everything around u in slow motion and the roads are sleepy, what would it take to turn things around and make it a little exciting for u and get u started? If I had to answer this before my first workshop, may be I would have said Id rather sleep than even try something. Well after the first workshop at YT, my idea of a perfect Saturday afternoon had changed. As we had all managed to gather there at that place, the place where a few hours later the child in each one of us had unleashed, a place filled with positivity and enthusiasm and great amount of energy, laziness had no go but to evaporate from the scene!

As the session kicked off with this very theatrical introduction of us, I am quite certain everyone felt funny to begin with, though it was a great ice-breaker and settling in was quite easy, what with Nandinis cheerful friendly persona and Ranjis affirming voice! Then the walks we took around the room helped us absorb the space. These and many more tasks put our reflexes to good use. Team work was really important with exercises like compositions and machines. The toughest task for the day was the eye exercise. As if holding your gaze on your partner without any facial expressions was not tough enough, we were asked to move around and follow our partners action which was seriously intimidating. But I just got better and better and with the third partner I was already confident. Summing it all up, three hours flew like three minutes and left me wanting for more.

The rest of the days memories arent so fresh like the first one but one of the most memorable days from the workshop was the blind folded walk day. It touched upon so many aspects of theater like being conscious of the surrounding, keeping all senses alive, and finally trust. Trust your partner and believe in yourself. Without this any learning is incomplete. The enacting of life cycles of a human, a dog, an ant etc. was an exercise very challenging. I learnt to be more observant about happenings around me from here on. There are so many ideas and so many different takes on topics given to us by each team or individual each time, so much to assimilate. Also along with the regular workshop classes, I had a great time volunteering for the shows.

Of course the most exciting part of the workshop was the performance-day. Initially I was a bit unsure about the outcome of the play, there were so many thoughts coming across and it was a vague set of ideas. But our director Gopi did a neat job at weaving all these thoughts and scenes and made it interesting. Kudos to him! The day before the performance, he sat with us talking about different aspects of theater, and his experience as a first-timer which made me feel a little relieved. The day of the performance was action-packed. This was when I actually realized what pushing yourself physically meant. But in the end it was worth it. The audience was quite different from my expectation but was very encouraging. The energy levels were high and made the whole ambience quite right for the theme neat cocktail.

One more totally enjoyable experience was when I volunteered for dont make me laugh. I would have never dreamt of playing clown with no experience what-so-ever. And actually being able to make people laugh was thrilling. That was the first playback I watched and I loved it. I was in awe of the teams coherence and talent to communicate with each other without the use of words. I so wish I can be that good.

To wrap it up, the workshop has had such a positive impact on me, and my observation skills, communication skills and confidence levels have gone up a few notches. Also I dont feel silly doing silly things, or some things that I would have thought were silly before. Its all fun now! Im still bad at expressing verbally [this testimonial would be enough to point that out], hope to improve that as well. These were some of the things I wished to learn when nandini initially asked me while joining yours truly. Of course the growth never stops and I wish to learn way more and wish to push myself much more both physically and mentally. Thanks to YT for whatever it has given me so far….. Manojna

Best One Thought for IVth Quarter by ‘Ranjith Raj C R’….

Rain.

Some call it `tears from heaven’; some others, `holywater from the Highlands’…I like to call rain `little, little drops of freedom’. I remember those good ol’ days when I actually let myself get wet in the rain; when I let myself splash in the muddy puddles and I would look up into the sky to let the water drops caress my face while I danced and sang in total abandon. I remember wishing that my father would come late to pick me up from school on rainy days so that I could free the child within me. I remember wishing that it would rain on holidays so that I could eat hot garma garm pakodas at home looking at the millions of droplets of water splashing across my bedroom window pane.

And then, I grew up…

I started wearing leather shoes, leather belts, mobiles, watches… which shouldn’t get wet. I locked the child inside me, inside me. I no longer wanted it to rain.

And it never did. For a long, long time…

Last  November, I found myself making noises that I had forgotten about, heard myself laughing out loud, saw myself walking, running, screaming not bothering about the boundaries that I had created for myself. I looked into the eyes of total strangers and they were strangers no more. We let our bodies make individual senseless objects which in totality, made absolute sense. We were all part of the Yours Truly workshop. We made new friends there and we let the child inside us, come out.

I let the child inside me, come out.

The vibes at Yours Truly were infectiously positive and happiness and fun, are just few of the emotions felt at the workshop; there’s also fear (of letting go) and the exhilaration of having conquered these fears, the elation of having found the real me, hidden deep inside layers and layers of social conditioning, and the sheer joy of feeling truly, throbbingly alive. The first time I talked with Ranji (in my mind, I picture him as Peter Pan, the guy who brings the extraordinary into our ordinary lives J) on phone about Your Truly, I was somehow overwhelmed by the feeling that this is where I belong . The workshop kindled my imagination and lit up my pent up creativity. One of the exercises I distinctly remember was walking blindfolded around Indiranagar, “seeing” the world through my senses of sound, smell and touch and by trusting a fellow YTian (Shanthakumar), who also helped in guiding my blindfolded way. Simply remarkable! (Though blindfolded, I like to think it opened my ‘eyes’.:) ) What I liked about the workshop is that it helps us break our mental blocks and helped us connect to hitherto unused/forgotten aspects of our mind, heart and head. The workshop taught us the basics of acting, expressing, to give 100% of ourselves into our acts and to simply let go. The workshop culminated with the ‘neat cocktail’ (intoxicating!), where we, under the able directorship of Ranji, Gopi and Sumit, put up our very own play. And from that day on, the show simply goes on….

Today, I find myself looking forward to my weekends to spent time with Yours Truly. It’s that time when the rules don’t really matter, when u can scream, laugh, shout, make faces and it’s all just alright… and it’s rubbed off into other areas of my life; I find myself more confident, more happy and I have a well rounded feeling about my life.

I’m glad the rain is back in my life…. Raj

Best One Thought for IIInd Quarter by Vijay….

Hi Everyone,

It’s more a personal note than a thought. Thought of sharing here.

Was under a complete depressing phase of my life (First half of 2008). I was always a guy with many dreams and to be the change, like any other person of my age. But nothing was happening as I wasn’t into anything to make anything happen. Not sure where to start, not sure will i be a dreamer forever or will I do something eventually at anytime at all. Professional life was too good but other parts of life were really boring. Sometimes I tried to copy my professional life approach into my personal things. Didn’t work. Nothing happened as usual.

One Sunday night 2 AM [Monday], was watching a movie in Zee Studio. Don’t remember the title. The protagonist in that movie almost resembled my state of life. He eventually directs and acts in a play and he settles some issues through the show and somehow he settles down and that’s the end of the movie. No second thoughts. I took my laptop and googled for Bangalore theaters. I got 2 mail IDs and mailed them both saying “I would like to be a part of them”. I don’t remember the one. And no prices for guessing the other one. I never thought of being an actor on stage on my first day visit to YT. I was ready for any back stage or assistance job and all I just wanted is to be part of some happening.

After the great workshop, I became part of Playback team and I loved the challenging format of theater. What could be more fun in life, than try challenging your own every time.

After a while, I got a call from Ranji one day and he said I will be part of SIGNS team and no more a part of team Playback. I didnt know anything about SIGNS project. But felt one thing for sure is that it could never be challenging than playback. To be honest, I really felt a little disappointed  after the call. Thought this was a demotion to me for being an irregular or may be my inability to perform in playback. But anyhow I didnt allow that disappointment to get into me and became a part of SIGNS.

I really dont know how to describe it is to be a part of SIGNS team since that AUG 15th Show. Few of my dreams coming true in my own life in this same janam, and obviously in unexpected form and flavour with each and every show of SIGNS. Its more than acting and volunteering, for a SIGNS show. Being a part of it in any form is itself a honour for any human.

And back to where I started….nothing has changed in my personal life, but I changed the way I look at things. Im no more depressed. I have taken few initiatives which i wanted to take in my life. Dont know how far i would succeed in them. But one thing for sure is that, I am not going to stop. All I want to do now is to keep working on them. Literally, I started Living my life. I am admitting here to everyone that YT is the key factor in all these changes in my life.

Theatre was never my passion, never my dream. Something else is holding me to this.

Thanks to every YTian for allowing me and accepting me as a part of your team.

Last thought: This one thought had become like a Personal Diary.

We are the pages.

We are the words.

We are the thoughts.

We are the memories.

We are the Performers, We are the Audience.

Its no more you and me, its simply We.

[Note: The above 6 lines are Copyrighted for my next song.]…. Vijay

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Best One Thought for IInd Quarter by Sudhir….

Its anther workin day.. same as b4 ..

but m not the same..

sitting in d office trying to work..

uufffffff…completely confused soul ..

tons of work piling me.

m not able to concentrate..oh my GOD

Isn’t my mind here ??..I think

I lost my heart.. plz give me bac !

just walked away frm d place..  sipping coffee..glanced  d newspaper..

Sports headline..F1 team…

yup… i heard dis sumwher…

Googled me mind..

yeh its F1.. spirits of yOurS truLy

but y m I remembering now..its ofc !!

wake up dude…go to work…gnarled..

is my mind still roaming around vIsTaRA

but y m I still there..I think

I lost my heart..plz give me bac !

rushd to my desk..

logd into system..

pusht myself 2 start d work

beautiful scenery on d desktop..i kno

dis place..yup.. its like vIsTaRA..

see dere F1 team dancing

haaa YTAC team .hailing demselves

hmm..sumthing is goin on beneath d tree.dats plays by 2

n here so deep curvd…huuuuu empty wel

sum cuties r playing around

is my mind still roaming around vIsTaRA

but y m I still there..I think

I lost my heart..plz give me bac !

beep beep !! weee mangr call .

helloo ..k k.shoutd on me as usual !!

thought to fresh up myself..went 2 green room.

oh nooooooo..sorry rest room !!

came back on stage..hehe..my place

oh shit..m not able to concentarte..

is my mind still roaming around vIsTaRA

but y m I still there..I think

I lost my heart..plz give me bac !

glancd d window..bright sunny sky..

hey look at it.. birds flying.. twittering

r they doing playback theatre..ha ha ..no its SIGNS

lookd down..

some gangs chit chatting in AALA

glared again.noo its college dudes.

uufff..y everything is so different today

is my mind still roaming around vIsTaRA

but y m I still there..I think

I lost my heart..plz give me bac !

yeh… now i kno d reason..

but dtkno d solution..

m in luv th yT..its so pretty !!

my dear yT @~ ~@

i lost to u completely..

..plz give me bac !

Writer : Sudhir Sonad

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Best One Thought for Ist Quarter by Ravikiran

It is part of our custom to reflect back on a sunday that went by, in one thought.
Taking a week’s time to realize, a one thought
To capture what is beyond in, one thought

This section is dedicated to the “best” one thought for a quarter.

Here goes……….

I usually keep relating, comparing and extrapolating things.. ( in the sense – from game to theatre is what Ranji/Nandini teach us & that theatre learning I apply to life.. I could give several specific examples …) and as has happened, the Yt workshop had given me ample opportunities to do that …

Today it was about “Just focus on what next ?” This was slightly touched upon as one of the learning of “***** bomb” game, and later explained by Ranji/others as to how this applies to rehearsal or on stage goofups.. things happen..Murphy’s laws hold good..but what is important is to see – what next. There is no point in complaining or feeling sad about the mess ..just move on. The show must go on.

Some of my friends accuse me that I hold back a lot into past..(which I don’t agree)..but what I do “consciously” is to move on.. this simple philosophy has allowed me to forgive, allowed me not to get angry, and has frequently given me strength to fight next battle.

If my mail sounded too boring or philosophical…trust me, if you take me out for a walk or coffee[hint hint ! ], I am not like this

Till then….

Cheers!
RaviKiran

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And ‘It’s a beautiful day’ indeed . So as it happened, a motley gang of Clowns and few Ringmasters arrived on a bright Saturday morning in a small school away from the hustle and bustle of ‘The City’.

The Tree  – wow – climbing the tree must be a fun for all the kids out there – but I guess they were bit small for all that adventure and teachers were too big and too strict for them – anyway let’s not digress – So the Tree + some great dupatta work by volunteers + good old Bangalore weather – the stage was set – all elements were there for another great show by YT.

Just that the Clowns had few butterflies fluttering in their small tummies. But as the Ringmaster said “Let’s watch” – the butterfly came out of each one of them. Clowns being clowns were after the butterfly with their clownish methods – well…at the end of the day, it was their own butterfly – their own creation – a creation out of nothing.

Kids being Kids were as enthusiastic and fabulous as only they can be. And did they loved whatever we did – I guess yes. May be it was our first time or may be it was the ambience or may be kids were simply superb audience – it felt nice to hear their laugh on our acts – gave some sort of boost. So when Kamini Team was giving a not-so-kamina-but-simply-beautiful performance, I went behind the kids and was watching their reactions. They were enjoying…laughing…giggling…smiling.And I felt same as one ‘Anari’ crooned few decades back :

Kisiki muskuraahaton pe ho nisaar
Kisika dard mil sake to le udhaar
Kisike waaste ho tere dil mein pyaar
Jeena issi ka naam hai

Another things that comes to my mind – how happy were they when we were introducing ourselves at the end – All those “Hi”s from them are still fresh.

So ‘In the End, it actually matters” – you take back some nice memories – you did ‘something’ this saturday – and all the credit goes to :-
-Nandini & Ranji – for mentoring,directing all the new folks and not-beating-them-up-despite-their-goofups
-all the wonderful YT members from which we have learnt whatever we could so far, in all our interactions
-Volunteers and Co-actors – As cliched it may sound, but all of you guys did a great job

Best Review for the IInd Quarter for 2011 by Ameet Bhuvan …..

Its always a tendency on our part to seek security. To remain in the safe zone. to retain the bubble of comfort and familiarity around us, anywhere we go, whatever we do.  So a south Indian would always carry the time tested mango pickle or curd rice recipe when off for a long stint in the north.

A bong would look for maacher jhol in the bylines of a vegetarian madurai.

A forlorn nri would run to the nearest screen showing that rare Hindi masala release and a kid would never part with his teddy each time he goes to sleep!

familiarity and comfort give us a sense of well-being, unravel our strengths. yet, it is necessary to break the pattern, to get out of the mold. To break free, let lose. remaining in that comfort zone stifles creativity, kills opportunities and prevents growth.

with BD, my comfort zone has been on the laptop in the light room for a brief small window of time, I had the opportunity to step out of this comfort zone. Was elated, was lost and a lot confused. and just as i was preparing myself to rebuild my bubble from the scratch, am back in my zone

Am back to the light room, Back to where i belong, for now but does this mean my growth is in peril? certainly not.

For patterns are never the same, however many times you draw the same one. Each attempt is bound to yield something new. something unique that missed my eye before. Innovation is never out of fashion. Practice can never be under rated!

so here I am, back on the sound. A chance to improve, a chance to reach coveted perfection. A chance to revel in my comfort zone

and like i always say, I am loving it

Till about an year and a half ago, whenever I used to look into my microscope, I was always left immensely dazzled. There on my slides, used to be immaculately structured and designed colonies of e.coli, salmonella and what have you. Irrespective of what the microbe was, there was always one thing common to them, PATTERN.   Intricate structure of an onion peel. A dragon fly’s wing. The veins that run through a leaf’s lower base and the detailing on a snake’s skin. The arrangement of actin and myosin fibers in our muscles and the way a single drop of water runs down the glass of a window pane. PATTERNS govern life and nature. For all we know and don’t, nature is the greatest artist of them all! And the greatest mathematician too, for every PATTERN she makes is governed and based upon sound calculations and symmetry.

PATTERNS have a multiplicity of meanings, from a shape, to blueprint, to structure, thread of development or repetition, or a concept. Nature didn’t make them to show off her sense of aesthetics. PATTERNS give depth to perception, vent to experience and a platform to evolution.  With PATTERNS, nature created a living dynamic and forever changing entity that lured the senses, while simultaneously challenging and invigorating the mind. With PATTERNS, Playback too does the same.

Each time I see actors create and recreate PATTERNS on stage, the following rings so true in my mind:  “Each pattern describes a problem which occurs over and over again and again in our environment, and then describes the core of the solution to that problem, in such a way that you can use this solution a million times over, without ever doing it the same way twice.” (Alexander, 1977)

PATTERNS liven up the humblest of flowers and the ugliest of creatures.

PATTERNS jazz up the most drab of stories or the weakest of moments on stage

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Best Review for the Ist Quarter for 2011 by Arun Sachi …..

From a Common Man , Common Man Ver2.0

Life of a common man is Food for thought, I thought. I was eagerly waiting for the premiere as I had watched the first show of Common man few years ago and wanted to see how the commonness progressed in the years gone by . I’m not going to spill the beans about the story, however I want share the overall experience being in oneness with the performance. Music, lights and performance. An 3D experience in true sense .You have be there to know the touch of story and feel of theater play.

To Start with, Anchors In truly Yours truly Style,did a audience warm-up activity that set the tone for the evening. After that it was a riot of colors and laughter and applause. Common Man Franchise has grown both in size and production quality. The Performance was, as ever, best. To mention few highlights and sequences that were etched in my memory , actors in a black dress in a with a torch light are searching for the path and “Common man” lost and looked for light in his life … .The shower of postage’s ,sequencing of _thorns in life_ act , Symbolism of Umbrella’s and last but not the least , Voice of common man that resonated from the start to the end , in form of narration , situation and in the end Voice of common man himself . What makes the whole act even endearing is the Amazing chemistry and comfort between the actors. Its looked so simple(=Natural) and easy. But I’ bet that simplicity is amazingly complicated to achieve and the actors would have slogged to get the sync / simplicity. Among the things I observed was discipline of actors on stage .The performers made sure the stage was clean, at every point the postage’s trickled down as a part of the act or just when it fell at random .The same discipline reflected in their performance too.To point at some performance’s in specific felt MRF was little effort-ed at couple of places.Also the ending went little tangent to the story stitched for the ending in the first two sequence’s and then the back on track with what audience had suggested . That’s beauty of interactive/improvisational theater . Applause Applause . Life in a Common man ramps up from Confusion to Clarity, Darkness to Colors, and Evolution to existence .Silence to voice. “Common man” has arrived or Ver 2.0 shall I say !

Production Wise :
1.   Great music . Agam was surprise package . It definitely gave depth and dimension to the sequences enacted .They did “Agam’ed ” the original soundtrack and lyrics from the earlier version , and a fantastic background score as well . Ditto to the set design and the SFX .
2.  A note about costumes . If my memory fetches me right it was White Shirt and Black Pants/jeans and some colorful duppatas, in the first show , that graduated to Jackets / gowns / colorful ensemble. This definitely added the required nativity to the sequence enacted and grandness to the frame.
3.  Kudos to the team of YT for putting such a great show.

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Best Review for the IVth Quarter for 2010 by Dushyanth …..

” Pyasa Heeran jaise,
Dhunde hai jal ko,
Aise Prabhu mai tujhe dhund raha,
Aise Prabhu mai tujhe dhund raha…”

The race for GOD with face of success,
The Search for GOD with face of happiness,
The hunt for GOD with face of Money,
The chase for GOD with face of passion,
The quest for GOD with face of peace,
The pursuit for GOD with my face…

In nut shell Bhagwaan Dhundo…

Finally finally finally … I have seen Bhagwaan Dhundo play… i had missed three chances to view it this year and finally on 4th attempt i have made it… I was not even aware of what i was missing for so long. Its not a play that i was missing, i was missing a phenomena …

The D day :

The day started with not much of pressure, this being the fifth all the other members of the team were very clear on what has to be done and by whom, and Rupa with her all jovial smile assigned the work (front desk and ushering team) and we were on to it. Some team members were down but only on health, all others aspect such as Energy, Attitude and Enthu were on full High.I wonder what kind of PONGAL they ate I really dont know what was happening inside the auditorium as I was instructed by Nandini not to see rehearsal and Devshree was making sure i dont enter even when i had some work on my hand … I am glad i did not see most of it on rehearsal because the experience i had while watching would not have been the same.

The Painting: I knew the backdrop was painted by some big shot painter but i guess i dont understand art that much, but looking at the backdrop of BD the first time in my life i was actually searching for something in it. The city all messed up and still systematic, the city in chaos and still clean, city that is lost and still right infront of us.

The Start: The freeze moments and mechanical moments were a lot synchronized that i have seen from our workshop time and I know its because of the experience all the actors carried along with them to  this show. The old ancient tribal scene was a picture perfect, the way all actors were moving along with the music really gave goosebumps to me.Chetan sir … kya bolte ho yaar … dialogue delivery crisp clear and bang on target. Shalini, Ramya and Nandini were actually resembling to people from a same dance group with synchronized waving of ribbon. the positioning was really very consistent… all the stage covered, I guess devshree’s planets were glowing good

The Painter: I was seeing Ranji act on stage for the first time and what a performance I say … CHANAGIDIRA … … Sumit was such a support which established the character so well… I am sure he reminded all of us of someone who supports you, ur best friend, uncle, teacher or neighbors. The struggle was portrayed in such a classy way that i could actually see a movie right infront of me and relate them to my daily life, people around.

The HUHA KABADDI: what a symbolism shown in that small act. Very much describes the society we stay in following the “bhaed chaal” and doing what others do as a tried and tested formula. I actually was making out two points out of it 1. An idea can change a society 2. ek gundi machli poore taalaab ko gunda kar sakti hai. Both the messages have a thing to teach.

The GIRL looking for boy: Change the gender and its every guys story … most of them looking for gals … not to marry as first preference but to just have someone in this city. Nandini the bubbly enthusiastic quality of the character was very much visible and expression of shock, embarrassment on every boy she met were caught on spot, even the audience next to me were saying see her eyes they are expressing the emotion.(I realised later the pain in eyes was real… her toe nail was out ) Rajni sir and Fresh maal Ranji… your characters seriously took the audience out of deep emotion to humour and then music pulled them back to emotion… awesome roller coaster ride I SAY…

The Joker: Sumit sir kya bole…. kamaal kar ditta kamaal kar ditta… the timing of your humour in the character was impeccable and it definitely stirred a lot of people… as we all can connect to it… what we wanted to be in childhood and what we end up in our youth to earn… and real question put forward on yer face is … how many actually follow back there dreams at the end.

The Modern Day Couple: The relationship values have definitely changed in our society and this act was definitely bringing it to notice of everyone. I am sure many committed couples might be asking each other after the play… Are you actually gonna marry me because even you say let me be stable first ? A very bright concept and a humorous ending to lingering question in our society…

The Innocence lost : The performance with the hoods on… the evil floating all around, the desires, the attraction towards short cuts and the making of the EVIL in our innocence — the growing up. Abhijeet I know you are not a very innocent guy but the character was really very cutely shown, engulfed by the materialism of society which made you a part of a cult, cult of dishonest people ( although they try put on the hood but missed it a couple of times ) … All i wanted to say after the scene was ” ANDHERA KAYAM RAHE !!! “

The Puppet : The start with a lil bit of contemporary dance step …. Man Vishal that step was marvellous … that scorpian turn was just WOW. The transformation to puppet and all the things that you went through were a daily household routine for many… the audience were murmurring on every character that was coming and guiding you… i guess they connected to some idea or other. A perfect execution of puppetry and ZING ZANG ZOOM performance.

The SFX team: awesome work guys … the men in black were looking so smart, the unmarried once out of the four could actually have asked some gals out…

The Music: Ameet … Bravo is the word… the rehearsed piece were Great but the thing you did in Improvisational part was terrific … the chemistry of a team work was very much evident.

Deepak: Lighting was as if configured to music… the lights were actually dancing on the beats of the music… great work even when you r not well .. i wonder if you were well you would have made a show just from lights…

Aditya, Angelin, Mithila, Devshree, Savyasachi, Ayesha : awesome efforts by you guys in coordinating event smoothly.

Shantha Kumar : A true Event manager, focused and silent but making sure nothing goes from one place to another without reason.

The Improvisation part : I have seen playback by the four characters playing the last part, but with music and lighting this part was a different experience. I learnt a lot on how an idea can be elaborated and the story woven around it. I personally would not have suggested a women to women relationship as 880 gals to 1000 boys is odd enough 120 guys still dont get gals … just kidding so please dont come with blazing guns for this thought. Face book i every place now, and very well introduced in the plot … the poking thing was really cute.

I guess the dish is ready and garnishing done … SO Guys help your self to this one thought of Mine …

Best Review for the IIIrd Quarter for 2010 by Chidambar …..

The day started off with a dose of rehearsals in the run up to the show,well that dose was enough to put us into the dream till afternoon. And at the Venue, Everything was falling in place at a lightning speed. Time was moving faster than usual; energy was higher than normal rehearsal day. Could not make out what was happening, whatever was needed for the show was naturally set up, be it trees,flowers and the shade. Ideas, thoughts and actions flooded the place all together. We moved from one layer to other in higher energy chasing the butterfly flying up high in the air, time gaining speed with every layer. So did the kids, who followed our movements .Claps and laughter came from the unexpected quarters. As we were running out of ideas to catch the elusive golden butterfly, kids were already jumping around to show us the butterfly. Then the Kaminey Duniya was introduced to the kids. Kids n teachers alike, were pointing at each other as the story unfolded.  Images, for sure, will make kids think twice before they bunk the classes and go out with strangers!The stage/show was a dream shared in more ways than one. It was an inception of an actor’s journey to many a members who debuted. It was an inception to kids, whose minds were planted with the noble ideas. Then we had an architect of the show/dream in Nandini, who coordinated the show and the timely kick to get us back into the reality. The other “Inception” premiered on Friday, ours on Saturday Apart from these abstract thoughts, written in the hangover of the show as well as the movie. It was a total fun day to hang out with kids. As a kid, I personally hated Sat mornings for having to get up earlier than usual weekday time for the school. PE periods were the only consoling part of the otherwise sleepy sessions till afternoon. But this time around, I was eager to get up and go to school. Felt nostalgic as we walked into the school compound. As it was a government school, had never expected so much liveliness in the class. However to my surprise, the classes were filled with colorful and yet meaningful pictures, reminding us all the fun we had making or tearing similar things during our school days. It was fun watching few of us trying to read what was written all over the walls. The innocent faces, few smiling and few crying, few surprised and few confused as we started chatting with them. They maintained the same level of enthusiasm and energy all throughout the show. It was Amazing to see Anganwadi kids quietly enjoying the show.Only after speaking to Sushmita, the blind girl, and her close friends after the show, did I realize the “The Butterfly Effect” in “Kaminey” Duniya. Good Job guys ! Thank you all.Special thanks to Nandini for the great show. And for great Opportunity given to us! Looking forward to many more fun filled Saturdays. Cheers. Chidambar

Quarter: Second Quarter, 2011
Workshop Name: Rascals
Participant Names: Gaurav Karmakar and Sunny

We have had many  instances earlier where people have travelled from kerala, chennai to be part of the YoursTrulyTheatre Workshop, and this quarter we had two folks who travelled every weekend from Managalore to be a part of the YT theatre workshop, this is a lesson for all of us on commitment and passion. They are Gaurav Karmakar and Sunny……

The journey as usual began from Google, sometime 1st week of March. Me searching for a good theatre group in Bangalore- to begin with- as a first step towards quenching my thirst for acting. Not much of brainstorming had to be put in, as ‘Yours Truly’ was the first result I saw, with a good description on Wiki. I found it to be good mainly because of one line, “T theatre group in India to use ‘Interactive Theatre’ techniques.”, and this I felt was enough of a catalyst for a beginner like me who was dying to get a chance to be a part of a theatre group for last 2 years. The decision was made, I called on the given number, and to my luck there was a 4-weekend theatre workshop coming up soon, starting from March’s last weekend, but in a cricket crazy nation of ours – I being no exception – it only began on April’s 1st Sunday, 2nd April 2011 being a sacred day was spared for celebrating Sachin’s dream. So that was it, the journey had to begin now- travelling from Mangalore to Bangalore for four consecutive weekends. Yes, Mangalore being my current location.

The travel wasn’t at all looking easy but when you are dying to do theatre for such a long time, “it doesn’t even matter”. And as you all must have heard “Jab tum kissi cheez ko poori shiddat se chahte ho, toh poori kaaynaat tumhe usse milane ki saajish mein lag jaati hai”… , I told one of my friends in Mangalore, Sunny, about the group & my plan and the next thing I remember was me changing the ticket bookings from one to two.

The theatre classes started & the first moment itself was good enough to bring out the child in us, which I guess was the sole purpose of the workshop. The first day we had introductions, time was spent knowing the other “Rascals” (the name of our batch , understanding our teacher Mr. Ranji’s way of teaching, getting used to all the fun that the workshop offered.

I had just done plays at college level before this, and believe me, I never knew so much techniques are involved in theatre. And I guess this is just the beginning. But of course, ‘Yours Truly’ gave me a chance to taste a glass of water from the large pool of other techniques. Frankly speaking, I initially perceived the techniques to be of no use. But for proving me wrong, the play “Common Man Ver 2.0″ was enough, as I could see my gurus using the same basic techniques to pull off a very beautiful interactive theatre show.

There are many things that I liked about the workshop, some to name are – The “No Judgment” rule, where your creativity is never judged, which in turn allows you to be more true to yourself. The decision to meet, practice & perform only on weekends, allowing working people to be part of this hardworking group. The various initiatives taken by this group to raise awareness about many social issues among the masses by using their talent.

All in all it was a very good & inspired decision by me to attend the workshop.

“Best Of Luck Yours Truly”
Regards,
Gaurav Karmakar
Mangalore

Yourstruly theatre was something very good that has happened to me in the recent times.

It was a very exhilarating experience. The workshop helped me basically in two areas: #1 it helped me to ‘open up’. To let go of the inhibitions and have faith that things will somehow turn out to be well. #2 It enabled me to ‘think on my feet’. The very idea of improvisation theatre workshop proved to me that doing things impromptu could be a very learning and refreshing experience.

I thank Ranji and Nandini and others on the team for facilitating the workshop.

Looking forward to work with them on plays in future.

With Best Wishes,
Mangalore
Sunny

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Quarter: First Quarter, 2011
Workshop Name: Wakao
Participant Name: Karen D’Melo

There’s no one better at being present than a child. I love to watch children as they play, they are not thinking about what happened to them yesterday, or what they are going to do later in the day. While they are Superman, all that matters to them is trying to save people and fight the not so good guys. Nothing else in the world exists at that moment; I just love to watch them for this.

When was the last time I felt like a kid again? I think to myself

And the foremost thing that pops out of my mind is the ‘getting into character’ part of the workshop

For me that day was like trying to find myself by disappearing into something other than who I am.

Whether it was being a 1% Dog or 100% snake or the experience of the cycle of being born to dying as a tree or a cat or a pigeon or just another human, I was giving it my all.

Closing my eyes I was just feeling, savoring. Immersing in the music as my body moved made me feel like the rest of the world just disappeared

It was all about each of those moments, I was living that experience right then right there not thinking  ahead, or mulling over the past.

Surrendering to the feelings I experienced at each of those moments gave me a new sense of energy and freedom.

Also the whole experience of the cycle of living and dying was extremely emotional and humbling for me. It has made me look at life with more vigor as to what I want to do ‘while’ I’m here. Cos I wish to live a fuller life and flamboyantly as well

Again I have been made to release that it’s all about the journey and not the destination. And I want to have one hell of a journey

‘May we all live all the days of our life’ (read this somewhere)
Cheers
Karen
Advertising Professional

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Quarter: First Quarter, 2011
Workshop Name: Wakao
Participant Name: Sajith Soman

What if Google was not there to give me a link to “yours truly”?

What if I had office on weekends?

What if there was an Earthquake in Bangalore on 15^th Jan 2011?

The answer to all above ifs is” I would have missed one of the coolest three hours of my life, even though ALMA is not air-conditioned”. From the moment of registration I was waiting for the workshop like a guy waiting for his “FIRST NIGHT”.

The best things in life are short in supply say the Golden Shower Tree that blooms only once in a year, Aston Martin One-77 is a limited edition car, You lose vir$inity only once in a lifetime & not in every fortnight….. Week…. or maybe every day, workshop lasted only a day for  me as my call of duty came to take me for a 4 months business trip the very  next day.

Workshop was like a chewing gum for me, the sweetness lasted for a brief time only & the disappointment of not completing the workshop which I am stretching like the rubber gum all the way from Bangalore to Singapore till this day. I’m sure for others it was a cocktail party, the intoxication started with Champagne & ended with Blue label Scotch. Writing about the ” If I would have been part of the WAKAOO team” is like again tasting my sour grapes, but I hope reading this others will enjoy because sour grape pickles go well with booze.

I was presuming the first day to be a serious session upon Acting, Writing, Narration etc. Being more particular,” I went to meet Satyajit Ray but ended up meeting Charlie Chaplin”. From people introducing themselves, gazing into each other’s eyes, body formations, machines…..everybody popping with great ideas, I was breathing creativity instead of oxygen. Some came because of their love for theater, some came as they thought it will help their dancing skills, and some thought it will help them professionally. My sole reason is my love for cinema & theater being the mother of it. When a child is born the first word it utters is “Maa”, but the first word I uttered was not “Maa” it was “CineMaaa”.

I’m determined to continue with the workshop once I get back to Bangalore and hope no personal, professional, political or natural disaster struck. I don’t want to make the 1th8 like my chewing gum ‘cos things are sweeter when they are short

”Sometimes some Anonymous quotes stay with us more than a HOMER ballad”.

{ALL THE BEST FOR COMMON MAN VERSION 2.0…its one of my sour grapes as i haven’t been able to watch it}

Sajith Soman
Software Engineer

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Quarter: Fourth Quarter, 2010
Workshop Name: Gibberru
Participant Name: Dian

Hi ALL,

In glancing over my notes of the first eccentric week in which I had on 25 Sept 2010, I could sense the glory of over joyful and excitement, merely crazy, but addicted. I refused to take a more lazy nap at home with a comfortable feeling which I believe would take me to experience heavenly dreams and even fantastic, for joining my first drama workshop ever!

It was quite sunny that Saturday that I woke one morning to find myself alone in the house (my beloved soul-mate had gone out of town), fully in a bad mood to get over the dreams. As I checked on my phone which showed me that it was 25 September now, I blinked up at it in a great surprise, and perhaps a little resentment, for I was myself regular in my habits, forgetting that today was the big day, the first day of the workshop! I quickly flew to the bathroom and made myself ready in no time and was all set in a few minutes to experience the tale of Yours Truly Theater.

When I reached the venue, I had no keener pleasure than in following the process of the workshop which was completely what I had figured in my mind, even extraordinary than that. I admired the rapid closeness with other partners, as swift as intuitions, and yet always kept the attachment and the detachment at the same time, though it wasnt an easy task for me to remember each name on the first day.

We screamed, whispered, jumped, walked, ran, straddled and lay down on the floor in a complete state of excitement which insisted us upon exaggerating it again and over again. Now we were about to lose our breath but the thrill remained.

Our attention and energy were speedily drawn on the first week; I couldnt even imagine what would be like on the second, third, fourth, fifth Oh my God bring it on and be ready teams, especially my GIBBERU!!!

Dian
Foreign Language Expert

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Quarter: Third Quarter, 2010
Workshop Name: Natural Swingers
Participant Name: Sivagama Sundari

I am a newcomer and this is my introductory one-thought:

I love maths, and am very new to theatre.

While the two may seem worlds apart, I feel that theatre has a lot in common with maths: both are a part of every person, both involve creativity, both reach out to others, both are beautiful and create peace and joy, both are universal arts that transcend time and space, both are infinite worlds to be freely explored… and finally, (after all those boring similarities comes this unbeatably significant similarity) I “seem” to enjoy both (am not locking it yet… lets wait and see… I’ll first learn this art).

However (before the religious theatrists of YT attack me for such a shockingly blasphemous association: “Waaaaat!!! Theatre and MAAATHS!!! Dangerous madness!!!! Kick her out right now before she corrupts the minds of our young and impressionable!!! What if she starts converting Theatre enthusiasts to Maths enthusiasts?!!! NO.. NO… NOOOO!!!! Pluck out the weed!!! Burn the witch!!! Prevention is better than cure….”), I concede that theatre is the more evolved of the two since in theatre, the mind is not bounded by what exists and it really reeally reeeally feels grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat to exaggeraaaate (I have just started exaggerating at home and am enjoying it… I love my wickedness…HA HA HA… … thank you very very very much ))))))))). And unlike in maths, in theatre, I don’t have to worry about going wrong! And sometimes, wrong seems more right than right!!! Phew!!! WHAT A RELIEF!!! Parts of my head can go on vacation now!!!

And another thing is that theatre goes beyond the mind and involves the body too. My YT workshop experience has so far been AMAAAAAAAAZING- my body is grateful for having gotten its much needed exercise and my heart for the spontaneous, happy, fun-filled moments of all activities that automatically magically flushed out all needless pain

(actually, all activities except the ‘one’ actitvity that was ‘supposed to’ do exactly this!!! Maybe thats why clowns are more effective than fairies. Wow!!! EUREKA!!! ).

I am also happy to have met some reeeally beeeautiful people here… magic… clowns… fairies… dreams… it is difficult not to get lost in happiness at YT…. )))))))))

Finally (and without exaggerating) (in a serious, thoughtful, dreamy tone):

Everyone dreams.

Many fulfill their own dreams.

Some fulfill dreams of others as well.

Only a rare few fulfill the dreams of the world — YT is one of them.

Therefore, on behalf of the world, “Thank you, YT, for existing.”

With love and for peace, Cheers

Sivagama Sundari M
Phd Student, IISc (Indian Institute of Science)

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Quarter: Second Quarter, 2010
Workshop Name: Kaminey Duniya
Participant Name: Annu Vinayak 

I have finally jotted down my long-pending thoughts about our workshop and the later events. So here we go:

I came for this workshop with no real reason in mind, except that I wanted to try something new. And I made no effort to conceal this fact even when Ranji questioned me about this on the so-called “audition” day

My very first class and I had the awkward moment of the “ sound” activity. We are all so used to that set way of talking; introducing ourselves that any deviation from the basics seemed preposterous. I was yet to learn that this deviation from the usual, clichéd patterns was one thing that had I had lost somewhere in time.

Unlike the others, I was never bothered as to how the activities of workshop related to theatre. I had never known that walking around the room can be so much fun, for the simple reason of seeing the wrangled faces, twisted walks, weird sounds created by us! Each one of us was struggling, in his own way, to come out of the plastic packet of conditioning which is put on us the very moment we enter this earth and which keeps getting thicker every minute.

There were two activities that moved me in particular, one being the animal activity and the other in which we had to take out all the negative feelings we hold on inside. These two seemed like milestones in my journey of knowing that I know nothing about my own self and that I have a million miles yet in front of me .

The performance, which was meant to be the climax of it all, was indeed unlike what I had reckoned it to be. I had thought I would be nervous but I felt not a thing, and I noticed that it was the same for all of us. The credit for this goes to the amicable environment created during our workshops and performance. And its not just Ranji and Nandini during our workshops, everyone who came to see our performance as well was so cheerful and appreciative we did not feel any tension even for a moment. I wouldn’t talk about the “Saas bhi kabhi bahu thi” type of stories that we (specially my gang) kept choosing and how we made it in the end (the secret resides with us and Ranji ). It just happened and I thoroughly enjoyed through it!

Now, regarding the “Golden Butterfly” and “Father’s day” performances; these were our first steps into the group and we watched like little kids gazing with awe at a new toy in a shop, very sure that they want it but not sure how or when! At many moments, I felt enthralled by the tremendous energy that rocked the place during the Golden Butterfly. I still can’t forget the scene when the blind kid (sorry don’t know your name!!!!)  moans feebly to his friends to go and play with the other kids while he sits alone. I really wanted to see the story being completed.

The “Father’s day” performance was kind of “out of the world” for me. I had witnessed the format of improvisation in “Bhagwan dhoondho” earlier, but the transformation of words into such touching acts was what blew my mind completely. We were told in our workshop how the whole team can carry an act together. I think that the activities laid a solid illustration in front of us. Nandini seemed so childish and vulnerable in her role of Manish and yes indeed, the famous “Sumit on top of 3 tables” act , Ranji and his stuck smile J , Vidya’s perfume wala jhola… wow.. each and every moment held something unique in itself.

Thanks a ton guys specially Ranji and Nandini for showing me a new way of doing things, a new way of being me  I am so very sure that I am gonna have a gala time with you all!

Cheers,
Annu Vinayak
Sofware Engineer Working for a S/w firm

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Quarter: First Quarter, 2010
Workshop Name: Hullabuloo
Participant Name: Ameet Bhuvan

There is a change I have observed in me of late. I have started laughing aloud, that full throated laughter, emerging from a deep seated contentment. The same kind I had when I was younger, when life was simpler and pure. I choose to call it the YTeffect.

It all began last November, at Nayana audi, when a group of about seven people challenged me not to make them laugh. They shared my story with all, recreating it impromptu on stage. I was hooked. The evening left a lasting impression, got me thinking, wanting more of it. And before I could know the when how and where of it, I was at Alma, registering for a six day weekend workshop with Yours Truly Theatre.

Theatre and I? Really? Having made peace with the fact that this would be a constant question staring me in the face for a couple of days then on, I embarked on what later turned out to be a journey of reinventing myself, meeting my real self for the first time. The initial awkwardness of introducing me with a sound and an action amongst thirty rank strangers, of walking randomly in a room like cattle let loose in a lush green meadow, melted, as I shed my inhibitions, like a snake sheds its skin. As I packed all worries into a metaphorical sack, throwing it out of the mind, understanding “levels”, observing “Patterns” in the sights and sounds of everyday life, I opened my eyes to a whole new world.

We teamed up to make moves, froze to make frames, played games we had forgotten in school, walked blind through streets, learnt to “lead” and “follow”, stopped competing to begin complementing each other and had a lot more fun than we ever had since we joined the rat race called life. I had come in prepared having to deliver monologues, posing existential questions to a khadi-jhola-intellectual ragtag of an audience. What I was doing instead, was having a one to one with my real self, who was buried deep inside afraid to show his true colours. Time flies by. The adage never rang truer as three weeks zoomed by, culminating in our final performance day.

The big graduation day, when we would display our newly acquired histrionic skills, had arrived. I distinctly remember the stage backdrop, a random arrangement of brightly coloured sheets, representing in a way, us, a random mix of people from sundry walks of life, collaged to produce a “Hullaballoo”. There were characters, frames, frozen images, and an enthusiastic audience “completed the story” with an item number too. But what remained with me that night, was the fact that how the activities of the past six classes made sense suddenly. Slowly but surely, I had imbibed in a new sense of being, a new thought process, a new outlook, a new zeal. I had changed, and yet the change was subtle, difficult to pin down. The YTeffect had begun.

Today, my journey with YT has commenced, as I look forward to letting free every weekend, as I make mental notes of 1th8s walking back home from Alma, and celebrate a whole new set of friendships. Recommending YT to all I know like hot chocolate on a rainy day, I pause to notice a change in me. I have started laughing aloud, that full throated laughter, emerging from a deep seated contentment, that only YT can give me….

 Ameet Bhuvan
Working for a Publication Firm
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Quarter: Last Quarter, 2009
Workshop Name: Neat Cocktail
Participant Name: Neha

How do you answer the audition question, ‘What’s the most unconventional thing you have done?’

I scanned my brain and wonder if ‘sleep walking through my weekly review meetings ‘made a suitable answer, then realized they meant unconventional not regular.

Finally I mumble,’ I am in a choir’

I get a few blank looks (accompanied by some furious thinking behind that blank look that said ‘Huh? ‘)

Surprisingly I made it through .I should have known better….

YT is all about being unconventional!

So, whether it’s a dignified IT professional depicting a cow dung or a bank employee exploring a bird or an engineering student acting as a jewel thief (no, not the Dev Anand variety- Just FYI, film references are frowned upon here. This is pure unadulterated THEATER), there is eccentricity in everything.

I have always wondered, what’s it about theater performers that makes them different from the zillion other actors we see on TV or the silver screen. At YT, I found my answer in a single word ‘Passion’.

It’s great to see people with undiluted passion for acting combined with a desire to do something different.

At YT, I learnt it’s not about ability but availability and humility, which is a great way for any workshop to function. So, even if I were the worst actor on stage, (A poll across the batch might just confirm my claims), I still had folks telling me I did great.

It’s about having fun, about quelling your embarrassment of looking silly and most importantly about unlocking yourself. It’s about getting back to that place where making funny noises and faces was still cool.

It’s about being yourself!

When great ideas, great people and unparalleled passion cross roads – something’s bound to happen!

And like Robert Frost, my favorite poet one said I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference!

Neha Shinde
HR professional

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Quarter: 2009
Workshop Name: Shock Tales
Participant Name: Manogna Acharya

On a dull Saturday afternoon, when the sun isnt shining as bright as he should be, when u see everything around u in slow motion and the roads are sleepy, what would it take to turn things around and make it a little exciting for u and get u started? If I had to answer this before my first workshop, may be I would have said Id rather sleep than even try something. Well after the first workshop at YT, my idea of a perfect Saturday afternoon had changed. As we had all managed to gather there at that place, the place where a few hours later the child in each one of us had unleashed, a place filled with positivity and enthusiasm and great amount of energy, laziness had no go but to evaporate from the scene!

As the session kicked off with this very theatrical introduction of us, I am quite certain everyone felt funny to begin with, though it was a great ice-breaker and settling in was quite easy, what with Nandinis cheerful friendly persona and Ranjis affirming voice! Then the walks we took around the room helped us absorb the space. These and many more tasks put our reflexes to good use. Team work was really important with exercises like compositions and machines. The toughest task for the day was the eye exercise. As if holding your gaze on your partner without any facial expressions was not tough enough, we were asked to move around and follow our partners action which was seriously intimidating. But I just got better and better and with the third partner I was already confident. Summing it all up, three hours flew like three minutes and left me wanting for more.

The rest of the days memories arent so fresh like the first one but one of the most memorable days from the workshop was the blind folded walk day. It touched upon so many aspects of theater like being conscious of the surrounding, keeping all senses alive, and finally trust. Trust your partner and believe in yourself. Without this any learning is incomplete. The enacting of life cycles of a human, a dog, an ant etc. was an exercise very challenging. I learnt to be more observant about happenings around me from here on. There are so many ideas and so many different takes on topics given to us by each team or individual each time, so much to assimilate. Also along with the regular workshop classes, I had a great time volunteering for the shows.

Of course the most exciting part of the workshop was the performance-day. Initially I was a bit unsure about the outcome of the play, there were so many thoughts coming across and it was a vague set of ideas. But our director Gopi did a neat job at weaving all these thoughts and scenes and made it interesting. Kudos to him! The day before the performance, he sat with us talking about different aspects of theater, and his experience as a first-timer which made me feel a little relieved. The day of the performance was action-packed. This was when I actually realized what pushing yourself physically meant. But in the end it was worth it. The audience was quite different from my expectation but was very encouraging. The energy levels were high and made the whole ambience quite right for the theme neat cocktail.

One more totally enjoyable experience was when I volunteered for dont make me laugh. I would have never dreamt of playing clown with no experience what-so-ever. And actually being able to make people laugh was thrilling. That was the first playback I watched and I loved it. I was in awe of the teams coherence and talent to communicate with each other without the use of words. I so wish I can be that good.

To wrap it up, the workshop has had such a positive impact on me, and my observation skills, communication skills and confidence levels have gone up a few notches. Also I dont feel silly doing silly things, or some things that I would have thought were silly before. Its all fun now! Im still bad at expressing verbally [this testimonial would be enough to point that out], hope to improve that as well. These were some of the things I wished to learn when nandini initially asked me while joining yours truly. Of course the growth never stops and I wish to learn way more and wish to push myself much more both physically and mentally. Thanks to YT for whatever it has given me so far.

Manojna
Student at PES College

Continuing from my previous article on ‘Professionalism in theatre’ (link), would like to share my perspectives about what it means to be part of a theatre team or a group and how different it is from putting up a college day show or attending a competition.

Perceptions & expectations!
Thanks to college theatre experience, there are many theatre enthusiasts who like to pursue theatre post college life or atleast like to watch plays and be in touch with the art form.

In our theatre journey we have come across many people, some just out of college, some bored with corporate jobs, and others looking at pursuing theatre as a long lost dream. But what is always common is the way they talk enthusiastically about their theatre experience in college/school times even if it was many years back. That positive experience stays with them for years to come.

However for the ones wanting to purse theatre outside and post college life, it’s important to understand that they will have to grow out of the college experience and be ready to change their own perceptions & expectations of theatre.

Fun, freedom and friends.

Typical college shows are all about friends, cheesy roles, politics, gossips, college prestige, and most importantly the goal always is to participate in Competition and result expected is 1^st prize. Infact in a few theatre competition i have attended in last few years as an outsider, i have noticed that teams don’t even stay back to watch each other’s performance, they just  perform for judges and leave.

Anyway my idea is not to show college experience in a negative light, but to chalk the differences so to help newcomers transition better into an amature or professional theatre groups.

My references in the article are be about working in a theatre group (amateur* or professional groups) and not freelance actors. * Amateur means people who don’t rely on art/theatre for living, so typically have other jobs which pay them and art/theatre is pursed for passion and not for living.

Disclaimer – the article refers to only my experience & exposure and though this might be true in most cases, I am also sure there may be many exceptions.

Formation
Theatre groups outside college are typically formed through coming together of few like minded people, interested to pursue theatre. College group could be formed in similar fashion or at times a mandate from college or formed with intentions of participating in contests/competitions.

Few colleges also have active theatre clubs run by seniors of the college. There are of course very few lucky ones to have the privilege of having guidance from outside theatre professional or have theatre as a subject or even have a professor with theatre experience.

Style of working
Most of the times, college groups have a democratic approach, other college groups do have a leader designated or self nominated,  who might lead the team for a short term.

Democratic – though as Indians we are very proud of being a democratic country, my personal view is it may not always work in all groups and teams. Without a single decision maker things can lead into tons of politics. A select few with louder voices and with little previous experience can get their way through as the director or main lead of a play in college, while the rest never a get fair chance.

Now the ones who lead as director or main lead also carry a baggage of being the HERO & STAR of their college for rest of their lives and never feel the necessity of learning it the right way, many times they carry a  ‘I know it all, I have been there and done that’ attitude , while the one who didn’t get a chance or got the so-called insignificant roles may never try again with ‘I don’t have it in me’ ‘ I am not as talented as them’ syndrome.

Sadly many ameture theatre groups work in similar fashion where people management and sorting out conflicts among team members becomes the focus and theatre starts taking a back seat. 

While with very few  well organized theatre group, you as a new comer get to learn the basics first, you are given the time and space to come out of your shells and break inhibitions, work in a unbiased and non judgmental environment, given the freedom to  explore, experiment and make mistake.  And I am proud to be part of  yours truly theatre, where we work this way.

Goal or Aim
While a professional or ameture theatre group’s reason may be vary from doing meaningful theatre, revisiting classics, bring contemporary works to light, experiment with devised and original productions or to bring social change or political awareness

Most college groups come together to put either a ‘Skit’, ‘MADADs’ ‘Spoofs’ ,‘street plays’ or 20-30 minute proscenium play’. The goal for all of the above remains  ‘Winning the COMPETITION title’.

Sustenance
 College groups are obviously very short term in their approach till the competition lasts after that the focus shifts to internals and exams. They don’t have to worry about reruns. Also students leading this year pass out and the next come in and there is rarely any knowledge transfer or documentation of work done over the years. So the new batch starts from scratch all over again.

Theatre groups may also have the problem of high attrition and constant churn of people coming in and going out, however with a stable leadership, the group would have developed informal vision and goal they would want to commit to. Over a period of time, theatre groups do formally or informally develop a set of values they would like to stick both internally and in their theatre work. Groups surviving longer years also have a defined language in terms of the kind of theatre, genres, and attributes which makes their audience revisit them.

Learning & training
Few theatre groups do make a constant effort to learn and update skills either by watching professional plays, research, learning by professionals and collaboration with other directors, while not all college teams are lucky to get the right guidance. Also its not a culture for many students to go and watch ameature or professional performance, so their exposure remains to what they do or what the winning team did, which mostly is very limited.

The method of choosing plays – College plays typically tend to be on either of the extreme of a total comedy/entertainer or very serious hard hitting plays with lengthy dialogues. Many try the recycling the ‘tried and test’ formulas. In any case the objective is take make an impression with the judges and get few whistles from college mates.

While many ameature groups tend to do the same in the initial years of formation which is a rub off effect from college life, however with some years of work,  ameature groups have the freedom to relook at the kind of theatre they want to do or believe in doing. They may eventually want to balance between extremes of genre, target audiences and more.

Way of working
Casting criteria’s in college time may range from ‘Most talented’ to ‘great looks’ to  ‘best friend’ to the ‘ most enthu’.

I cant deny the same happens in other theatre groups as well, however for some groups outside college what matters over a period of time is to look at a cast which is willing to commit for long term than lookout for the ‘most talented’ ones. 

Directors & co directors – ‘Everyone including the cast, crew & college security guards know how a play should be done and also know the best way to do it’ sounds familiar??? Well thanks to democracy and not setting some set of rules before the rehersal-work starts does the spoil-sport and thus everyone has to freedom to value add to the play whether their value-adds are required or not.

And somehow sitting and watching rehearsals from outside, the best ideas come, isn’t it?  However not all directors outside college campuses may not like that.  Hence Directors may respond to you in polite ways or some may respond in a way that you will never forget for rest of your life, since you have become an expert so quickly. So be aware!

Support system, facilities & sponsorships – While amateur groups struggle for a small rehearsals space, raising funds for performances and finding decent auditoriums to put up their work. 

Most college groups get all this in abundance. They have the whole college management , faculties as support system, and students cheering and supporting in huge numbers. Also the college brand-names makes getting funds and sponsorships much easier. 

Best days of our lives!  
Putting a show is the best time of college, the rehearsals, the fun, the post rehearsals parties and gossips, the excitement of show, preparing sets and props together as team, finding flaws in competitors performances, frustration of losing , joy of winning,   all make it a most enjoyable experience.  Its all about the time you spend with your best pals.

So After college, expecting the same environment or trying hard to create the same feel may not always work the best. Your co-actors need not be your best friend and the group with whom you work need not be your partymates. Though I hope ameature groups do retain some of the elements of college time like team work, enjoying the rehearsals, and the pure enthusiasm and spirit of doing theatre!

Few  short theatre formats popular in college and my take on them !Skits 
Definition:  ‘Sketches consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called “sketches,” commonly between one and ten minutes long.’
I feel these are great ice brakers and a good  way to learn basic and transition into longer plays.

Street plays
 Definition: Street theatre is a form of theatrical performance and presentation in outdoor public spaces without a specific paying audience.”

Extremely popular in India, infact many associate theatre to only ‘street theatre’. Performing street theatre is great for students as they need to push their energies, voice and physical abilities. A great way to hone theatre skill.  However I hope college groups don’t do street theatre only for ‘competitions’ rather take it to real locations, may be a labor camp or other place  where they get to feel the real heat of performing and for real audiences. (note – to do street theatre on streets might require permissions depending on policies in different states and cities)
‘Spoofs’  – Though spoofs can be extremely entertaining, they are the  shortcut route. And spoofs on bollywood is done to death in media, I don’t understand why perform the same back in theatre.

Theatre should be about brining original content to light than reproducing and making fun of something for quick giggles. 

If you want to do spoof, do a spoof on classics or any other original ones,  that requires tremendous creativity. For gods sake think beyond Bollywood.

MADADs’ – It’s a unfortunate  that theatre is being replaced with ‘madads’ culture. I am not against mad ads per se, but replacing theatre for madads is definitely not good for theatre.

Most madads work on cheap, cheaper, vulgar jokes, a quick burst of spoofs with lack of thought and creativity. Lets not REPLACE THEATRE WITH MAD ads.

About the Writer:  Nandini Rao is one of the Artistic Director’s of Yours Truly Theatre.  She acts, directs, and trains actors.  She hails from one of karnataka’s predominant theatre family ”Prabath”.  Over a period of 10 years she started her individual exploration into a very new format of theatre &  gathered a rich interactive Theatre experience as a performer.

Well, as I started putting my thoughts together to make notes for newcomers in yours truly theatre, I just realized that these pointers and thoughts are universal and true to most amateur theatre groups in India or otherwise. So thought will share it with everyone and most importantly I hope newcomers in theatre read this and can gain some insights from it.

Considering many  theatre groups in India are amature theatre (not doing theatre for livelihood ), which means most of the actors who are part of them,  do work in some or other places and are hence exposed to corporate world.

Now, it is funny that being in the corporate world we are very aware of the word ‘professionalism’ , the unsaid protocols, set etiquettes, and few basic courtesies. However same people who follow these to tee at work, forget about them completely when they are with a theatre group or working on productions. Unfortunately,  this is true for some who have decent number of experience in theatre as well.

Professionalism in Theatre: communication is the key

So I am just jotting down few points on ‘Professionalism’ which will help newcomers, co-actors, directors and mainly the play/production and theatre in general.

Will be using the abv ESTD (easier said than done) thru these articles , I know its not a perfect world and most of things list sound easy but difficult to practice.

Before you start:
1) There is no harm in learning/getting trained in theatre:
Many believe in concept of ‘born talent’ ‘talent in the blood’, ‘its there in me or not there’. However just like every other art requires, theatre and acting also needs passion for it along with consistency and long term commitment.
Its true for every art, the more you stay and dedicate time, energy the more you get comfortable and good with it.
Short term , fast food quickie in art will give little or no idea of the depth of it nor the satisfaction. So choose your interest, but for gods sake stay with it for sometime, see what it does to you. Give yourself time with it.

I have come across quite few people, who have been involved in college skits/mad ads/street theatre believe they have done it all and because they won ‘best actress in school/college/office’ they don’t need to learn any more.
There are many theatre workshops conducted in every city, learning concepts and ideas of theatre will not harm you, but will give a wider perspective and greater understanding.

2) Starting small is not bad  (ETSD)
- I cant be a tree or a soldier, many times youngsters believe that they would be offered main leads or so called ‘cheesy roles’. It’s a perfect dream come true moment people wait for all their lives. Don’t wait for that, take up the opportunities coming your way, every experience is a great learning. This way you also can build trust of directors and co-actors by showing your commitment & passion. Also watching and being part of productions will teach you more about overall aspects of theatre.

- Will perform only in proscenium stage -  many want to their first show to be in a big, fancy & most reputed theatre auditoriums and never take the opportunities of beginning small and humble. The pleasure of performing at variety of locations from under a tree to intimate room is actually a great experience. The informality these locations offers help actors to get comfortable at early stages than a formal auditorium with pressure of performance. Same is true when you perform for variety of audience, from children to older age. Not many groups do take this route, but if you get a chance, don’t miss it.  

Now lets move to next aspect once you are close to being part of a production

Before you commit :

Its great to have enthusiasm, but before you commit to a play/production do
 understand the timelines of commitment expected for rehearsals and  show days and schedules.
In initial enthusiasm you might commit, but later realize that you cant stretch your personal or professional commitment. Don’t hide the truth to directors, specially if you for sure or tentatively know that you will be moving out for job, studies or personal reason. You will be putting the director, co-actors and the production into a soup by doing that. Tell them the truth, many  time they will be accommodative and will appreciate your honesty.

During the rehearsals:
Its always easy to commit but difficult to sustain. So if you have commited to a project

1)      Be regular for rehearsals(ETSD)  – Don’t bunk and give list of excuses to directors. Its not your school or college nor your director your teacher. Remember you have not just committed to them director and co-actor, but it’s a commitment you have made to yourself, so respect your own decision. Plan ahead, if you are going to miss out, inform and communicate as and when required. Trust me most  directors are accommodative if there are genuine and imp reasons. 

2)      Be on time for rehearsals (ETSD) – IST( Indian standard time) is not something we need to be proud of and follow. There is a lot of things which will be planned for every rehearsal. One actor coming 5 min late for every rehearsals is overall a huge waste of time for all.  Respect your co-actors, directors time. Plan ahead the distance, traffic, peak hours etc. But Be on time.

3)      Keep your personal life at the doorstep -  All of us do go through ups and down in our personal and professional life, but when you do come for rehearsals, do keep them away (ETSD)  and give your best in rehearsals. Infact this will help you forget about the problems for that time and you will feel more relaxed.

4)      Don’t get too personal – (ETSD) (ETSD) Yes, in theatre you would be working closely with many people physically and emotionally, and its natural to get close and sometime very close, however, my personal opinion is to keep a professional relations with co-actors and directors. Making boyfriend/girl friends/best friends /soul mates can sometime get messy not just for you but for all. Even if you do happen to get close, its better to keep it away from the rehearsal space. Though theatre is lot of fun, don’t make it a place to have picnic.

5)      Try to learn – instead of being critical about co-actors or counting how many more lines or stage appearances they have got than you, try and learn and absorb. Every individual has a there own way of representing characters or scenes, some may take time to learn and some might be faster. So try and leave your prejudices and enjoy the moment.

6)      Give your best – I have come across many who don’t believe in giving their best during rehearsals, they wait for the show day to give their best performance. Theatre is a ‘riyaaz’ and that why rehearsals are called practice, treat every rehearsal like a show without audience, keep the consistency, if you plan to change something, speak to director.

7)      Homework – Go back home, rehearse your scenes, parts, lines. This will save time and director will be keen to work with actors who go that extra mile and put effort. Observe life, there is so much you can apply back in rehearsals.

8)      Don’t direct the director or co-direct co-actors  – It’s quite natural that sitting outside or watching other scenes, you will get more or better ideas about how it can be or should be. If you do have any opinion about your scene or any other scene, speak to director after rehearsals, if he/she is open they might want to accommodate.

Respect the fact that director has a vision of the play which is a larger perspective about the whole production. So take the instructions, the director is directing because they have years of experience and they will know what works and what doesn’t. Even if it’s a new director, give him/her the due credit.

Show day & later :

Let the show aftereffect not affect you – Idea should be to give your best for the show, post the show the success or failure, the accolades or the brickbats, the fame or tomatoes should not affect your self esteem or suddenly develop a super star attitude. Every show is an experience and takeaways are many.
 
Stay with it – many believe once I have performed on the stage, I have done it all, now I need to move to new production or another art. But performing first 5 shows are the tip of the iceberg, these shows all actors are mostly getting the moves right, getting lines right, they wouldn’t have touched the layers of the scenes.

Quitting a production:  We as Indians are mostly non-assertive types, to say NO is not too much part of our DNA. We would rather disappear from earths surface than face the situation. Very rarely we assertively can put our points and view across.

However it would just help you and the directors.  if you are honest and clear about your priorities. Instead of the disappearing acts or list of creative excuses on mails or smses, it is better you meet the directors face to face ( they are not monsters who will eat you up), tell them the truth, reasons you have to quit, reasons you have to take a break etc. Stitching creative stories and excuses which everyone can see through will only make them lose respect for you and you will never have the face to return.

Give them notice period – just like in corporate you give notice 2-3 months before, if you do have to quit, don’t wait for last minute to shock your director. Inform them as soon as you get to know, so they can plan accordingly. Trust me they will be thankful to you for informing in advance.

So make the exit smoother, keep in touch with them, theatre community is a small one, you will come across them more often than not. You can choose to personally say good bye or write a mail or a note, thanking for opportunities you got and time they spent of mentoring you.  Keep good relations and leaving at a good note helps.

Part 1- Onstage and Beyond Stage:

Like everything else in life, theatre is also a lot about finding the perfect balance. Its no tougher than walking the tight rope, you focus more one side and may trip and fall down.

It takes a while to know that you need to strike the balance a lot more to master this art.

Theatre professionals constantly face conflicts in almost every aspect, from people to process, from kind of performances to type of audience, from being commercial to doing justice to artist within. There is no perfect answer, there are no Do’s and Don’t’s in art, it is a personal journey for every artist.  Yet in many way finding a balance helps artist to sustain the work much longer.

Here are few of types of Balance acts :

Actors conflict: Onstage and Beyond Stage:
1^st Extremes : Most newcomers in India join theatre with a single aim of being on stage. They chase the moment of glory and never realize the biggest theatre and acting lessons can be learnt  when you watch performances or when you are volunteer and get to see the whole theatre production from a distance.

2^nd extreme:  There are other who believe they don’t have the right talent , looks or the confidence to face audience and find getting involved in beyond stage and production work as a good way to keep in touch with their passion.

However they completely miss out on understanding the dynamics of being stage and experiencing  the truth of moment. They also become critics , as they keep watching  all rehearsals and runthru. Isnt it always easier to sit in audience chair and have opinion about how it should have been done or how actors could have performed it better. It’s an easy tendency to get critical when you don’t face the heat of being on stage.

Balance – Alternating being onstage and offstage on a rotatary basis would give 360 degrees perspective and also create strong empathy & respect to every aspect of production.

– By Nandini Rao

Chapter 201:  Strokes of Chaotic Stillness

Chaos
One of the literal meaning of the word chaos is “a state of disorder.”
A physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual state of disorder.
Chaos can disturb people in the 3 stages; before, during and after.

Splash of Paints on walls
A painter lashes out all his colors on the wall.
The strokes of brushes make their way through the colors.
As the colors start merging, they begin to make meaning under the watchful eyes of the painter with a brush.

Chaotic Disturbance in an Actor
For actors in Imrpovizational theatre work you have to deal with these states of disturbances; physical, mental, and emotional.
In an Improv performance chaos is the order of the day.
It always happens. An actor can never run away from Chaos, they have live with it as long as they practice the art form.
Infact Improv is nothing but plain Chaos.

Very often new Improv actors are constantly disturbed by chaos. They reach a yield point, a point where they either fight or flight it.

It is here that the taming of chaos begins, but many who pursue this art from never realize it.
At this point, many quit the art from and never come back to it, simply bcos they are unnerved by chaos.
bcos at this point, a few understand that it can be tamed and enjoy the process, and continue to work on this art form.

This is a crutial milestone in the journey of an Improv actor. The process of understanding and taming chaos.

Chaos if tamed well by artists can be moulded into a beautiful and creative outpourings.
Chaos if tamed well by Improv actors can create beautiful interpretive works.
An experienced Improv Actor thrives on Chaos, along with a team.

Taming can be an individual journey, a hard one
OR it can happen along with a team
OR it can even happen under the watchful eyes of a master who helps the student tame and deal with it in stillness.

Few experienced Improv actors enjoy, live, and thrive on chaos, they are always ready for chaos.

Finding stillness with the moving brush
As the brush finds its way through the chaotic paint,it begins a journey to form and tame; giving it color, depth and more importantly meaning to chaotic paint, the brush being still creates.

There is great beauty in Chaos.
To stay in the moment while there is Chaos.
To be still while there is Chaos
To create while there is Chaos
All this requires a mind; to be still, ready, and be ready to let go.

Very often the process of taming chaos in artistic outpurings can in itself be very spiritual.

While taming it, individually you feel you are meditating on your own and as a team you feel you are meditating along with a team around you.

So the next time you are in a chaotic situation
Can you tame it or is it taming you?
Can your mind be still?

Writer: Ranji David

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Chapter 40:  Criticism & Creativity in Theatre

The Thought

If we analyze our society most of our forefathers lived and died by rules.
This old way of thinking continues to seep into art and thus have an impact on it as well.

Where-ever creativity thrives there is bound to be a few critics (usually the ones abiding by rules.)

For creativity to survive, thrive, and flourish; criticism in the form of a rule is most definitely a creativity killer.

If in a group we want creativity to flourish then there needs to be an environment that would let it to not only flourish but also take different shapes. Freedom is important.

The Impact
Most Rule followers hate creativity, because creativity is fundamentally based on rule breaking.

Now what is the impact of this in theatre.  I guess we will see those theater doers who stick by the rules in theatre typically dislike the rule breakers simply because the rule breakers constantly break rules and sometimes thrive on breaking rules.  Now why is this point so important in the present context. This fact is very important simply for the progression of theatre in Bangalore.  If  theatre directors, actors and all other specialist are all Rule followers then they most definitely are creating a system of rules.  Imagine the fate of a theatre group if auditoriums owners are also rule followers, then the actual ” struggle ” begins for rule breakers.

If theatre has to strive and flourish then it is up to the creative thinkers.  Otherwise we will keep watching plays which looks and feels ancient in its presentation and outlook; which are essentially built on rules.

Imagine, if a reviewer who reviews a play is also a rule follower. WOW what a system.

Which brings to the next point.  who is supposed to review and critic a play. Lets observe this briefly.

Criticism as a course

In our primary educational system so far there were no formal art appreciation courses  or awareness programs done in schools and colleges, hence awareness of painter, sculptors and their art work is almost non-existential.  Thus some people are unaware. Maybe their world does not require that kind of art awareness. In a place like Bangalore, the IT capital, art awareness is very badly required.  However since literature is part of our curriculum hence Hemmingway, Dickens, etc are commonly heard and thus people are aware.  However in pure Art, names and art works are unheard and thus people are unaware; I guess the problem is systemic.

In India some of the professional courses called Art History Criticism are now being renamed as Art and Aesthetics.  One wonders, the roles of these folks who have studied art criticism, in a society like ours, and their contribution.

Theatre critique has a very vital role to play in a system like ours, it is a contribution.

Art critique is a discipline.

In the yesteryears a critic had the power to bless an artist with his words, without even being part of the work and without even understanding the depth of the work by the artist.

Critics are not just word maker but collaborators in the production of meaning. Maybe if there are good number of art critics then art thrives. Maybe.

Writer: Ranji

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Chapter 30:  In conversation with “Anton Chekhov” – Part One

Ranji:  Dear Chekov, could you kindly let us know a lil bit about where your were born?
Chekov: Well, I was born in St. Petersburg on August 16, 1891 known as Michael, christened as Mikhail Aleksandrovich.  I had a wild and passionate temperament through my childhood.  The picture below that you notice is me with Leo Tolstoy, the photo was taken by Tolstaya in 1901.

Ranji: Wow that nice, Chekov, you’ve been hailed as one of the most extraordinary actors and teachers of the twentieth century. So how did this bug of theatre and characterization begin in your life?
Chekov: Ranji, thank you for your kind words.  I remember, as a kid, I would take the first piece of clothing I came across, put it on and felt “ Who am I ”.  I loved these improvisational acts and enjoyed performing them at my home.  These improvisations were serious or comic, depending on the costume.  No matter what I did my Nanny’s reaction was always the same, she burst into laughter which eventually turned into tears.  These were the early days, which was in some way indications of what was to come later.  My love for characterizations and my deep-rooted interest in the ” how ” of acting. In the last ten year of my life I worked in Hollywood both as an actor and a teacher.

Ranji: Your relationship with Konstantin Stanislavsky, the father of method acting?
Chekov: He was my teacher, and I was one of those radical challengers to Stanislavsky’s own System of modern acting.  My teacher, Stanislavsky referred me as “his most brilliant student”.  We shared our own ups and downs, you will hear them as we continue this conversation.

Ranji: Really, so when was the first time you encountered a tiff with Stanislavsky
Chekov: During one performance of Moliere’s “The Imaginary Invalid, Stanislavsky reprimanded me for “having too much fun with the part” , the part of a supernumerary physician.  I was obviously shocked with my master’s reaction. I told myself  ” wasn’t the Imaginary Invalid” a comedy?  Therefore wasn’t a certain element of fun called for? While professing perfect belief in Stanislavsky’s System of modern acting, I found myself in trouble with him from the very start. The picture you notice below is me with actors of Moscow’s Artistic Theatre

Ranji: Nice pose, so when did the seed of your style germinate?
Chekov: Thank you, the idea that an actor can “go beyond the playwright or the play” is the first key to understanding my technique.  My impulse “to go beyond” came to me during my early apprenticeship at the Maly Theatre.  During a 1910 performance of Nikolai Gogol’s Inspector General, I watched one of my teachers Boris Glagolin, in a lead part. Suddenly a revelation, a kind of “mental shift” overtook me. It became clear to me that Glagolin played the part unlike others, although I had never seen anyone else in that part.  This feeling “not like others” arose in me.  Over a period of time my acting goals changed, and gave way to a quest for extraordinary character interpretations.  In a sense I had turned Stanislavsky’s acting training on its head.  I wasn’t convinced with his “System”.

Ranji: So did you ever confront or tell Stanislavsky about this?
Chekov: Oh yes I did, I remember this was when we both met at a Berlin Café’, I was explaining the concept of Obeying the Higher Ego, stepping outside oneself to comply with the character’s demands and then Stanislavsky became startled and perplexed.  Furthermore I told him that I really admonished him for creating a harmful system of actor training, contending that his heavy reliance on Emotional Recall devices led actors into uncontrolled hysteria.  Suddenly our roles of  teacher-student were reversed.  I recommended that he replace Affective Memory with pure Imagination.  I told him honestly that only imagination was truly effective in the creation of art.  In the heat of my passionate talk Stanislavsky could only disagree with my thoughts and ideas of a new thought process.

Ranji:  So Imagination is important
Chekov:  Yes Ranji, it is very important.  Just like you have imagined me and brought me alive. Imagination is a key element in my work.

…….. the conversation continues …….

Writer: Ranji David

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Chapter 17:  The Method – Part 1 (Strings)

I open my eyes and the room is empty.
I close my eyes and open my mind, the room is full.
Being mindful I begin.

I have strings attached all over my body.

Over the years I began to realize these strings.
I realize I ” let “ some of these strings get attached inside me.
Some of the strings got attached without my realization, with its hook residing deep inside me.

Over the years, having worked in theatre, I understand that the journey to the center of the hook is an individual one. You can only dare to unhook if you want to, it is by choice.

A good theatre teacher helps you understand the existence of these hooks, makes you aware and just lets you choose. what you want to do with it.

When YT began working , our idea was to dwell into these strings, to understand what happens when it is loose and when it tightens. To understand what happens to a body when there are no strings attached.

Are strings only in the mind or are there strings on the body too.  Does a string pass all the way intertwining the two.

We have a philosophy with strings, You are not doing a YT production until you have lost every breath of you, strained every muscle of you, and pushed every vocal cord of you, exhausted every emotion of you and when you are tried, exhausted, lying on the floor with nothing left inside you like a lifeless doll, ” completely unhooked “, then you are beginning to do theatre with Yours Truly Theatre.

So the fundamental question is would you dare to un-hook
Would you ?

Writer: Ranji David

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Chapter 12:  Then, What will

If theatre does not teach you to be morally responsible to a society with your art work then what will

If theatre does not teach you to let go of your ego and have less of “me , myself ” then what will

If theatre does not teach you to travel on a spiritual journey of finding yourself then what will

If theatre does not teach you humility then what will

If theatre does not help you laugh out loudly & jump with joy like a small child then what will

If theatre does not help you break the masks you are wearing then what will

If theatre does not help you let go, let be and just let, then what will

If theatre does not teach you to be true to the art form then what will

If theatre does not teach you that “a spotlight is just momentary” then what will

If theatre does not teach you to let go of your flashy exterior then what will

Writer: Ranji

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Chapter 2: Stages of a Relationship in Theatre

First Stage (love at first sight with theatre)
I got into the relationship not knowing what was ahead.   Lucky, I hadn’t even watched plays before joining theatre else I would have a black board filled with a lot of scribbling (the do’s and don’t’s of theatre, without even doing theatre).    I was lucky that my black board was empty.  Zero knowledge in Theatre.

Several years later,  I remember sitting near a doorstep watching a theatre group do their rehearsals.  I was just watching the entire rehearsals as a complete stranger (didn’t know who they were, all I heard was “they are big names in Bangalore Theatre”).

By now, I had done a bit of theatre , hence understood certain ways of working, but I just watched……….. with a hunger to……… just do….. theatre.

Second Stage (Deeply romantically involved with theatre)
After being part of quite a bit of performances, I began to sincerely like what I was doing.  I kept telling myself that I will not get distracted and that I will focus only on practicing theatre and no other masala that comes with it, if any. 

Few years later, I was playing the lead role in a Moliere play.  I remember sitting on a bed which was the only main prop on the rehearsal stage, I was watching the entire play unfold in-front of me, watching the actors get their lines and movement.  Watching and observing the director blocking.

By now I have done little theatre, and there was a tremendous hunger……… to live……. the moment. 

Third Stage (Married to theatre)
Directing a group of actors.  I remember sitting and watch the actors ( some focused, some absolutely non-focused) go through the play.  I was observing how the actors give life to characters (if they chose to or just being plain actors delivering their lines).  I began to observe how actors get into the skin.

I have begun conducting a series of workshops in between a production work, to create a newer theatre language for the play.  I realize how important it is to have workshops in between a production work

By now I have done some theatre.  There is a great hunger to create from the outside.  I realize that the most important aspect of dramaturgy happens from the outside, if the inside is good as well. J

Finally
The three stages bring you closer to what you really want and each stage has its learning’s associated.

So in which stage of a relationship are you?

Writer: Ranji David

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Chapter Ten : A Sword fighter and Serious Theatre

FOCUS
A sword moving swiftly into the thin air, thrust with tremendous focus.  A real swordsman does not function out of his mind, he cannot because mind takes time.  Mind thinks, mind calculates.

TAKE OFF
When we enter a religious place we take off our shoes,
when we enter a rehearsal space we take off our shoes.

We need to leave all our baggage’s and enter empty.

So important to enter empty into a rehearsal space.

AN ANECDOTE
 “When will you do Serious Theatre” asked a serious face at me after a show.  This was 10 years back, during my initial days with theatre, at that time my stint was with Improv theatre.  I was doing comedy at Improv, I loved it, and it gave me a high apart from the creative flow, which is a high as well.

That question still lingers in my mind .

Now its clear,

Serious theatre has nothing to do with the “content” of your theatre, but it is all about taking theatre seriously.

Serious Theatre is an attitude.

It all begins from the mind, then translates into a behavior, which then translates into a habit, which then transforms into a culture with a team around you.

SERIOUS THEATRE
During Rehersals
Coming to rehearsals, on time
Doing your homework on your character and your play before you walked into rehearsals
Focusing completely on the rehearsals and nothing else
Being there for every rehearsals till the show is over
Being there when the director needs you during scenes
Before a show
Coming on time before the show begins
Focusing on getting things in place before the show begins
Placing your mind in one place
After a show
Getting immediately back to the backstage, removing all the illusions, piece by piece
Moving on with life and not getting attached (to characters or story).

THE CONNECTIONS

The movement of sword, the removal of shoes, the begining of an attitude in theatre.  The similarities and connections make newer implications.  Any activity done with serious intentions becomes serious.

So, are your activities serious OR are you serious, in life?

Writer: Ranji David

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Chapter Four: Yours Truly Theatre and Bruce Lee

Begin with nothing…….. One of Yours Truly’s mantras in Improv and in Jeet Kune Do too.

In this chapter let me take you through the amazing similarities between YT’s way of working on Improv and Bruce Lee’s JKD (Jeet Kune Do).

In JKD, a fighter is free to choose any principle he wants and so does an Improv actor at YT, who are free to choose any principle during performance.

Jeet Kune Do (JKD) is the name Bruce Lee gave to his combat system and philosophy in 1967.

Bruce Lee stated that his concept is not an “adding to” of more and more things on top of each other to form a system, but rather, a winnowing out. The metaphor Lee borrowed from Chan Buddhism was of constantly filling a cup with water, and then emptying it, used for describing Lee’s philosophy of “casting off what is useless”. He also used the sculptor’s mentality of beginning with a lump of clay and hacking away at the “unessentials”; the end result was what he considered to be the bare combat essentials, or JKD.

PRINCIPILES OF JKD and YT IMPROV

One of the theories of JKD is that a fighter should do whatever is necessary to defend himself, regardless of where the techniques come from.
So is an Improv actor at YT, who is free to choose any principle. An actor when on stage needs to create regardless of where the techniques come from.  What is important for an Improv actor is creation.

Be like water: Lee often used water as an analogy for describing why mental flexibility is a desired trait in martial arts
So true when you look at Improv, where an actor needs to be taking as many forms and shapes through perspectives, patterns, thoughts, imagination, composition work, even when using multiple formats in Improv.  Being agile and letting the mind and body take shape of wherever it moves.

Using no way as way. – Don’t have preconceived notions about anything. This statement is embedded in the Jeet Kune Do logo. It was also used by Bruce Lee often to describe JKD.
In Improv, how often have we as actors used no way as a way, where we begin to start putting things into place with pure nothing-ness. When we create patterns, it has no pre-defined state in our mind we create it out of nothing in mind, it’s the purest form of spontaneity, where patterns emerges out of nothing-ness from us.

Be in the moment: This is actually a Zen or Chán maxim which means to “be in the moment” and not be distracted by your own thought process.
Very often, what often hinders an actor is, actor themselves.  Being in the moment is meditative.  Being in the moment also helps an actor have a clean and empty before and after.  In-fact playback theatre in totality is about “being in the moment”

The 3 principle are also closer to the meditative states.

Fighting, acting, and meditating – Are the 3 different from each other or are they similar?

So the next time you are acting, could it be that you are also meditating ?

Writer: Ranji David

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Chapter 20: Part One:- The Difference

There are artists who are followers, they just follow (they follow a script, they follow movements, they follow how to act, they follow how to direct, they are following what their teachers taught them with great perfection; they even follow theatre forms and formats; in fact there are a few who even follow what other theatre groups exactly do)

There are very very few artists who are creators, they create (they create scripts, they create movements, and create “newer acts and newer directions”, they even create newer theatre forms and formats.

Yours Truly Theatre is a creator.

The soil for creation is a conscious choice and effort.  The challenges for creators are new and unheard of; its an exciting unchartered territory.

To Critique:  Creators are often criticized by followers, because they are not following.  If the size of followers are high then maybe creators would slowly perish; unless they are in an island, protected and creating more creators OR if creators creations’ create creators.

A novice compares a follower and a creator; without understanding this very fundamental difference.

To Change: For long-time creators to become followers it is a psychological change.  For a follower to become a creator one day is change at every level, they would find it really difficult as it is traditional and more importantly they are  conditioned; unless they have a powerful creator internally.

If everybody is a follower then we would have something that was created 500 years back and millions of people blinding following it, the world will be filled with followers who blindly follow rules .   But creators enjoy changing rules, they thrive on it.

So what are you in life, a follower or a creator….

Writer: Ranji