Journalism of Courage
Mumbais first exclusive drama school aims to connect its students,after a year-long course,with practitioners
When Jehan Manekshaw returned to Mumbai in 2006 after completing Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Direction from the University of London,he found a number of new productions being staged in the city. While that was reassuring,the quality of most of these plays was not. He did notice a lot of hunger among theatre artistes to learn about other practices. Travelling across India made him aware of several theatre practices that exist in other parts of the country and Manekshaw wanted to expose others from the fraternity to them as well.
There is an urgent need to create a new standard of professional theatre in this country. Keeping that in mind,we need longer engagements with aspiring theatre professionals, says Manekshaw. He adds that during the course,the school will bring faculty members trained from across the world as well as masters from the deepest traditions of Indian theatre. This will also be an alternative for those who want to pursue a career in theatre but dont have access to formal training. Till now,the best option for them has been the National School of Drama in Delhi,or expensive programmes abroad.
According to Manekshaw,whats most interesting about this school is its location. The idea is to have a drama school in an urban space. Some of the best drama schools of the world are in urban areas and this gives the students access to theatre practitioners, he says. The school wants to put the students in touch with the practitioners and help them forge a working relationship. We plan to condition students to pick up skills and put them to use almost immediately. The course will demand a constant application of their skills, he adds.
