Play a Part

Author,playwright,actor and director of Department of Youth Welfare,Satish Verma,describes it as a step to develop the cultural consciousness of students and give them a chance to take up theatre professionally. “Theatre is not just about presenting a play. It is also about collaborations,workshops and interactions,” says Verma. Performance at the festival are followed by seminars.

Like “Rang Pratibha”,theatre is being explored on campus in varied ways,with veterans stepping in to give the acts a professional touch. “Only when you step out of your cocoon and view the work outside,will you be able to hone your art,” says thespian Neelam Man Singh. The director regularly invites teachers from the National School of Drama and directors from all over the country to work closely with students at Department of Theatre,Panjab University. Maya Krishna Rao,Anuradha Kapur,Mohan Maharishi,Abhilash Pillai,Kumar Das and various martial art experts have already held workshops here.

Other departments at Panjab University are also adding value to their courses by using theatre as a medium. Recently,actor-director Ranjit Kapur had students and teachers at the Department of English absorbed in an informal talk on company theatre,in which he talked about his experiences and journey,peppered with anecdotes and a question-answer session. “Theatre is an amalgamation of many arts,and students from all streams must be exposed to it,” says director Asif Ali of Rang Viraasat,who will soon introduce discourses on essential aspects of theatre on campus.

Last week,playwright and director Atamjit Singh,did a play reading of Gadhar Express at the Department of History. “Abroad,theatre is an essential tool of learning on campus. In India,it must be encouraged without being mundane,’’ said Atamjit.

Theatre director Chandrashekhar and his actors had a seminar at Vivekananda Study Centre recently. The seminar’s subject was development in Indian tradition and the group presented a play on the same theme in the lunch hall. Moving from table to table,the actors created space,as they took the performance further. “The actors stepped out from among the audience and played their parts with live music,keeping the act direct,” he says. Chandrashekhar also works closely with teachers of Department of Philosophy to create new idioms. Aghaaz,DAV College’s dramatics club,is also looking forward to a new chapter in its theatre journey with 32 new aspirants stepping on stage for a new production.