JOIN USTheatre has been one of the oldest artforms in history, taking the audience through a magical ride of suspense, romance and comedy. They say that theatre is best performed by the most experienced artistes, be it actors, directors or set designers.
Today, a number of production houses are breaking this stereotype and giving an opportunity to budding artistes who want to make their way into the wonderful world of theatre.
Shradha Raj, a student of Christ University, explains that it’s important for production houses to give them opportunities because “it is something you learn practically and not one that can be learnt through textbooks”. So one really needs to see how it works and try it out themselves. She explains that it’s a surreal feeling to be on stage and entertain audiences with your talent. “The adrenaline rush that you feel when you’re on stage is something that’s very hard to describe!” she exclaims.
A number of times parents are very sceptical to let their children take up theatre as a career. Paresh P explains what it’s like to be a parent of a young theatre artiste.
“My daughter loves theatre. She enjoys being involved in any aspect of the production, be it acting, directing or even lights and sound. I myself enjoy watching theatre, it is a great experience. When my daughter showed her interest in theatre, I was very happy but also a bit worried as theatre is not a stable career option. But the greatest moment for me was when I saw her first perform. I realised that she is a very good actor and it reassured me of her choice.”
Shradha says that her parents too were sceptical of her choice, but once they saw her passion for it, they were very supportive.
Vikram Hemanathan, CEO of Barking Dog Productions, started ‘The Greenroom Project’ as a way to open up the stage to amateurs.
The last ‘Greenroom Project’ had the youngest actor aged 15-years-old. She played a cute unicorn and the audience loved her. Sometimes, some characters are better suited to young artistes as they have a spark that is required to play a particular character.
Q Theatre Productions, another production house, started a crew recruitment campaign called ‘Thespo’ which employs only youngsters below 25 years of age.
Saniya Saxena, a 25-year-old is one of the oldest members of this campaign.
She says, “‘Thespo’ is a movement towards new theatre where theatre groups from all over India are given an opportunity to showcase their talent to experienced panelists. The young groups are also given feedback regarding their plays to help them improve.”
She explains that out of a minimum of 100 to150 registrations, only a few are selected which are further helped to improve by providing them with a mentor experienced in the field. “We help the young artistes form a network in the theatre industry,” says Saniya. “There is no bias in the selections,” she explains.
With the youth entering the industry, the stage seems brighter now.