Often we hear people saying “Walk into someone else’s shoes, and then check out, do you fit in??” This holds true aptly, when it comes to Theater! Thinking of the term ‘Theater’, what does it actually mean??? We see various characters around us each day, on screen as well as off screen! Many a times, an absurd display of behavior by a friend raises a question, is he alright?? Then simply imagine, what kind of an experience it would be, to play something that is externally fed to your brain to memorize, heart to feel and gestures to express!
Oh, it isn’t really that complicated. Theater is a bare, naked form of expression. Possibly a very strong one, if used efficiently. Theater gets you into a world of its own. It’s very similar to daydreaming, with a slight difference that in here, you have to express those dreams using your body language, gestures, expressions, voice, tonation etc. Theater is a form of art that ignites a struggle within yourself. There is an immense force of the character you perform which over powers your entire self. The force demands so much from you to be someone fictitious! It might seem paradoxical in nature, but after one goes through the entire churning process, you realize the learning has so much to do with your everyday life. There is this mountain of self confidence that you feel and the stage fear seems a blurred image of the past. Your perspectives widen towards each new bend as after hours of rehearsing the scenes from every possible angle, and finally zeroing down on the one chosen by the director, is hard to follow because that’s where ‘the ME’ factor in you peeps in! This brings about an immense self control, as on stage, you are going to be held responsible even for others, and now comes into picture the Responsibility! Unknowingly, learning begins to develop- you become more observant. You begin to notice those slightest of the gestures, that flicker of expressions and that change in one’s tonation! Be it real or reel life, you realize how crucial a significance it carries in your routine!
Exploring this form of Expression, may not necessarily drive you for an actual performance on stage, but the fun you will experience in grooming yourself about tales, narration, history, lights, make up, nine rasa’s of expression, voice modulation, teaming up with others in the group, yearning for a better performance, indulging yourself in your character till the limits of bipolarism, and rehearsing till you can’t take it anymore!
