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 comes to an end with Aadyant. Aadyant (literally, from beginning to end) is a showcase of the students’ learning journey. In a lot of ways, Aadyant is what the whole course leads up to. It pulls together skills accrued across weekly theatre-making labs, various scene studies, a design module, and the annual production.
Kathryn Doshi is one of the Core Faculty at DSM. She observed that ‘the pieces were very different. They reflected the interests and passions of the ensemble.’ The pieces ranged in variety from a kitty party to a fairytale to a zombie political drama. Aadyant was mentored by DSM faculty members Sheena Khalid, Iravati Karnik and Kalliroi Tziafeta.
Kalliroi Tziafeta mentored three of the final pieces. The first was Checking in. It was a story of 3 people experiencing loss. The students treated the piece almost like a film with a very realistic setup and convincing characters. But the direction played with techniques, allowing the audience to see the passage of time in a non-realistic fashion. The use of parallel action and intertwined conversations created pathos and kept the audience engaged through the piece.
