Indian theatre is one of the most ancient forms of theatre and it features a music and dance style. After a phase of suppression of artistic expression in India during Islamic conquests, it revived as village theatre, developed in large number of regional languages, with an attempt to re-assert indigenous values and ideas.
Drama, in India, gradually developed as a literary genre in several languages. Expression starved youth, finally, found a release. As time passed, what our generation witnessed was, the urban theatre, geared to entertain educated classes, with critical messaging. The delivery was made effective with local language, western influence, and modern touch!
Colourful backdrops and attention to details in theatre, have always been exciting! Variations in lighting and music are theatre’s lifelines.
We spoke to a few artists about what it takes to make an effective stage actor. Both learned and developed skills carve a person in an artiste with honed intellectual and emotional state.
Many theatre actors are also great singers. A person’s vocal quality and flexibility provides an edge. The confidence and energy through modulation of voice, thus, unbolts the talent, making people less self-conscious. A theatre artiste thrives on his/her ease with music, giving way to their intuition and expressiveness.
“Rhythm and music…background music, sounds are the key to a person’s performance”
“The actors who read poetry, read scripts who are aware of themselves and the things around them, do so much better”
Dance or ‘physicalization’ requires agile bodies with immense sense of control, to do justice to the character played.
“Theatre is where you use your body for expressions…it needs to be fit”
“If the body is not fit, if you haven’t been working on your body, not learning an art form, the performance will lack magic”
Most theatre artistes have wild and vivid imaginations. We basically are trained to grow out of our imaginations as we grow up, but stage compels a person to retrieve their childhood capabilities where creativity had no boundaries, but possibilities were infinite. It seems when artistes step on the stage, they shed their reservations and confines, they become one with the character. They are then, solely accountable to the character.
Chemistry between the artistes is paramount. The respect, patience, appreciation, and the ease, the comfort level among the artistes, define the energy on the stage. The best of preparedness in terms of rehearsing, memorizing the lines, and the make-up will get flipped if the minds and emotions are not in sync.
“In theatre, it’s important that each individual supports the others involved”
The reverse is also true where the directors invested time and effort in training, guiding, comforting, mentoring, and tending to the basic needs and comforts of their crew, experienced far better results.
“The performance was electric as the artists gave more than their 100%”
Some artistes may restrict their scope through their choices, but the best ones are completely free. They trust their instincts and enjoy challenges. Although art and artistes flourish in the environment smeared with ease (effortlessness), harmony, humility, and balance, the rare ones test their grit and life’s challenges through perseverance. They are known to have demolished all impressions!
Monica (Managing Editor) is the quintessential researcher - she thrives on showcasing overlooked aspects that form the foundation blocks of people, places and issues. She is a social scientist by profession with masters in Economics and loves to travel.