In conversation with Yuki Ellias
Yuki Ellias is an actor, theatre- director and corporate coach. She trained at the Jacques Lecoq School of Theatre in Paris and is a trained pedagogue from the London International School of Performing Arts. As an actress, she has performed in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, Italy and India. Her theatre company Dur Se […]
Pranita Pandurangi in Conversation with Bruce Guthrie
After directing critically acclaimed plays and musicals all over the world, Bruce Guthrie was recently appointed Head of Theatre and Films at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai. Bruce has directed Constellations, a play by Nick Payne. It opened for its second run at NCPA on the 21st of November […]
Aadyant: From the beginning to the end
On the 13th and 14th of June, DSM Batch 2018-19 performed in their school for the very last time as students. This is a short review of the event and their year-long learning. Aadyant. Aadyant and the preparation leading up to it. Photo Credit: Poulomi Dey Each year, the PG Course in Acting & Theatre-making […]
That Theatre Life: Conversations with Theatre-makers who switched careers to make theatre
A couple of months ago, we decided to ask theatre-makers, what they were doing before they started doing theatre. This is a significant question in India. Here, by many standards, theatre is still a developing industry. We don’t know the stories of too many theatre-makers who planned their careers in theatre and pursued them with […]
On Originality: The 10 Commandments of Ethical Practice
This past weekend, the whos who of the performing arts community congregated at Harkat Studios. The point in contention: Whose play is it anyway? A coming together to discuss authorship, copyrights, and concepts of originality and inspiration in theatre and the other arts. This event coalesced out of the recent online furor on issues of […]
On Originality: Insights from Jehan Manekshaw, Founder-Director of Drama School Mumbai
On the recent conversation in our community about originality, adaptation, translation, credit, plagiarism. Moving forward with honesty and integrity A few weeks ago Yuki Ellias posted a question on Facebook. You can read her entire post here. Yuki is a director, actor, pedagogue and one of the most respected theatre-makers in the industry. She spoke […]
Between the Lines: Priyanka Babbar in conversation with Sunil Shanbag
Theatre-maker and story-teller Priyanka Babbar caught up with Sunil Shanbag between rehearsals and shows to talk about directing this year’s DSM Production – Rakt Kalyan, his theatre practice and a few things in between. PB- How was the directing experience at DSM? SS – Interesting, exciting… very rigorous and very demanding. On day one […]
Rakt Kalyan: DSM annual student production
This year’s student production it Rakt Kalyan and has been directed by Sunil Shanbag. It is the Hindi adaptation of Girish Karnad’s Taledanda. And if you just did a backflip to see those two names together, we don’t blame you! Taledanda is a significant piece of Postmodern Indian literature. Though set in 12th Century Karnataka, […]
Modern theatre, Mumbai and Indian aesthetics
By Tanvi Parekh, kathak dancer and travel scribe He shares a love-hate relationship with Mumbai, the city which is at the heart of most of his plays. She has been lighting, directing, and conducting workshops all across Mumbai. The two collaborated for Ambu and Rajalakshmi, officially. But unknown to Ramu, she has lit most […]
Fascinating Transition: A short conversation with DSM's Design Faculty
The new year at DSM always starts with Design. The students experience a fascinating transition from actor-focused training to larger elements of production. This year we had Ishita Doshi and Neeraja Patwardhan come together for the first time as design faculty. They taught costume and set design to the 18 students of Batch 2018-19. Neeraja […]
The Difference in Between: Madhyantar, a DSM student showcase
DSM Batch 2018 -19 Mumbai present an evening of new theatre Every year, students from the Post-Graduate Programme in Acting & Theatre-making at DSM, put together a student showcase. This is their first ever public performance and we call it Madhyantar. A student showcase means the students write, direct, act in and stage-manage everything. They […]
The Stage is Materializing: Material and materiality in theatre
What do tea cups, salt shakers, Dame Judi Dench, and bits of PVC tubes all have in common? They have all played prominent roles in critically acclaimed and thought-provoking theatre around the world. Material has always been part of the general world of theatrical performance, serving as props, sets, costumes, make up, lights and […]
FLYING SOLO: Maya Krishna Rao in conversation with Nimi Ravindran
Loved and respected by theatre-makers across the country and abroad, the indefatigable Maya Krishna Rao continues to be an inspiration for the next generation of artists. Although we know of her as a powerhouse performer, Maya has juggled many hats over the years, including that of teacher, educator and mentor. Having premiered her latest show in Delhi she talks […]
In Discussion: Theatre Festivals of India – Value and Judgement
In Discussion: Theatre Festivals of India – Value and Judgement by Shruti Achesh _______________________________________________________________ Intriguing storylines, palpable performances, distinguishing voices and glimpses of various fascinating forms – a theatre festival is supposed to bring us all of this. And big banner theatre festivals – Kala Ghoda Festival (which has a large theatre strand), Hindu Theatre […]
Finding the Classic in the Contemporary: An interview with Mangai
In conversation with Lavanya Narayanan V. Padma sits in a chair in her cozy home. Surrounding her is her in-home library: a bibliophile’s wonderland, it holds what many theatre students can only dream of. But for Padma, or Mangai – as she is known in the theatre arena – the books represent much more than […]
(A)cross All Boundaries
Written by Lavanya Narayanan Cross-dressing plays multiple roles in theatre all across the world The man, the woman, and the transgender: all portrayals of Maati, the titular character that takes center-stage in Drama School Mumbai’s Hindi adaptation of Federico Garcia Lorca’s Yerma. Director Mahesh Dattani’s reinterpretation, however, is about more than just a woman looking for […]