Training Ground

FOR a city with a rich history of theatre,Mumbai has lacked the institutional backing of a state-of-the-art drama school. A new theatre school,founded by the company Theatre Professionals,called The Drama School Mumbai (DSM),hopes to fill the void by offering a programme involving some of the world’s best theatre practitioners. “It’s not just a case of supply and demand of drama schools,but more so an urgent need to create a new standard of professional theatre in this country. The Drama School is the first,and aims to be the best step one can take in that direction,” says co-founder and director of Theatre Professionals,Jehan Sam Manekshaw.

Located at the Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh in Girgaum — famous in the ’50s for being the foundry of Marathi theatre practice,the course will have a 26-week training programme. Apart from developing basic skills of voice,body and imagination,it will also expose students to varied theatre styles and traditions.

The Drama School,which is open for application till May 15,will commence on July 1. An information session with Kalki Koechlin and Gulshan Devaiah sharing their experiences with theatre professionals will take place today,from 11am to 1pm.