By Saneel Patil
Imagine a scene filled with distinguished people, fighting for lost love, for greed, for friendship, for survival. They say, “life is a game,” but this is a game for life. Or picture a room reeking ghoulishly of released disdain and angst, a sense of dominance, but still of might and survival. Where redemption is but a pit-stop towards self-preservation, which would make you break a sweat even in the dead of winter.
Even if the thought feels uncomfortable, many such scenes have come to life on stage, crafted with great skill and boldness by visionary directors. Creation is imagination and direction is bringing it to life. Making it breathe, letting it move, making it stand, teaching it to walk, then flap and finally fly. All comes together cohesively through the eyes of the director. My first call to direction was when I joined on board as an assistant director for The Inheritance Game. My experience during this production has taught me that directing is more than just controlling the narrative: It means building it.
It is said that cultural enrichment begins at home. Coming from a well-rooted and a culturally rich background, eclectic literature and music were part of my upbringing. My first directors were my school teachers in Mumbai, who staged patriotic plays, often focusing on freedom fighters. These plays made us aware of values like freedom of speech, religious harmony, and sacrifice, while also maturing us emotionally. These productions not only helped us cultivate our talents but also develop a refined perspective toward theater. Ever since, I have considered every director a teacher.
Roles that needed valor had to be portrayed as masculine while flamboyance was reserved for the studs.
Theater is an essential part of culture in Maharashtra, where I hail from. Not just adaptations of western plays like Hamlet, but classic local plays have achieved a cult status. Though a part of me wanted to dawdle through this tinsel town, it all seemed to be ill-fitting in terms of acting. Roles that needed valor had to be portrayed as masculine while flamboyance was reserved for the studs. Adding to that, being effeminate as a child and not being comfortable in my own skin didn’t help. At a time when women who performed were called “loose” due to Victorian standards, Indian theater flourished with men doing female roles with equal sensitivity. An inevitable change is still underway. Women have courageous hearts, men’s hands can be expressive too. So why can’t I break free from this puritanical dogma and get to define my narrative in my own voice?
Every person is an actor and the world is their stage. By extension, their own director. The character you play is your own perception about yourself, that might bring out the best or the worst of the idea of you. As an actor in the recent production Trifles, I was challenged to render some of these stereotypical portrayals of men that have been held for ages. Trying to confront these demands, I was suddenly eye-to-eye with something that I had long been trying to find in me. Something very inherent to me yet unknown. Something that could only be captured through a director’s lens.
I was challenged to render some of these stereotypical portrayals of men that have been held for ages.
Hamburg and Mumbai aren’t very dissimilar. Both being port cities, they are boiling pots of mixed cultures. Hamburg’s flair for theatrics oozes from every event it hosts. And yet, Hamburg changes you. Makes you its own. Brings with it a breath of fresh air. Sometimes of Fischbrötchen and Döner. This is where I found my recluse just like many other thespians. The University Players and their vast history of plays for the international audience puts it at an advantageous position to bring in many people like me with diverse backgrounds to add to this magical grimoire. Hamburg’s musical winds, welcoming waters, inviting pop of green, fervent lifestyle and liberal mindset is personified in my current team.
An actor can be a convincing character only if he is true to his own self. If you can’t be yourself outside, you can’t be someone else on stage. That’s when exploring sets in to portray a convincing lie on stage.
Photo (c) Cindy Nguyen / Irina Starkova
Schreibe einen Kommentar