There was complete silence and darkness in front of him, the air conditioning was a bit chilly, focus lights were being directed towards him. There was a small wooden stage in the center of the auditorium, and his co-actor, Julia, was sitting a few feet away looking at him. John was facing the audience, a small group of people deeply engaged in the presentation. It was one of the practice performances at his acting institute.

“Wow! Just look at the beautiful shimmering waters of the ocean,” he said pointing his fingers right towards the audience, “and the evening Sun’s slow and mesmeric disappearance in to the horizon, it is simply awe-inspiring, isn’t it?” he said, moving closer to Julia. 

As he moved close to her, Julia said, “The celestial conspiracy to unite us, this cosmic play is most evident when I am with you, John, and everything seems to merge in to just two, you and me!” 

“And you know, when it turns dark, we will be there on the other side of the horizon, with the Sun, and keep being continue to be a part of the eternal show,” John said, looking at the sky. 

The scene ends there, the lights are turned on, the instructor comes close up to them, and they get in to a discussion to improvise the act. The instructor has a script in his hand, and he is seen interpreting the lines from it.

******

It is amazing how in our imagination we create a world as tactile and effervescent as the real one. The actor carries  takes us with him in to the scene, he makes us believe in the possibility of a setting sun and creates the emotions, even if though we are sitting in the ambience of a theatre. 

Talking Speaking of drama, one of the types of performing art, it elevates you through many human experiences and stories. What makes it so different from other forms of art is the immediacy of the live performance, which is at the core heart of theatre. The interaction between actors and the audience creates a dynamic energy.

The roots of theatre can be traced back to ancient Greece, where it emerged as a communal and religious experience. In the 5th century BCE, the city of Athens witnessed the birth of Greek tragedy and comedy, crafting timeless works that explored the complexities of human existence. The history of theatre is a journey through time, mirroring the evolution of societies and the human spirit. 

It is because of the countless actors through hundreds of years, who have put in their hearts and souls in to this art that it lives on to this day. Many actors have influenced us, because ofthrough their passion and craft, and their undying efforts, they continue to give hope, inspiration, and meaning to people. The present-day actors, walk an incredible journey of exploration and experimentation, of re-inventing themselves. 

Even though their act looks effortless and easy to our eyes, but in reality, they put in rigorous efforts to get in to their ‘character’. They do a lot of research, put themselves through rehearsals and meticulously study the script. The script carries a lot of valuable information for them, as because for them there can be nothing outside of the script. The script is all about the story that needs to be told, the realization that needs to be brought forward.

Thinking of which, sometimes I wonder what would it would be like if we wrote and lived according to a ‘script’ of our life! A script that is all about what we want, our dreams and aspirations, a life of our choice. Where we work hard on finding and building our ‘character’, putting all our efforts into being true to it. What if we added humor at in certain places and put meaning and essence at in others, to make life interesting and likable. Elevate ourselves to a higher and better co-existence, after all, as William Shakespeare puts it, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players”.

MFN Trainer and Head of Operations of Daksha: rishabh.shah@daksha.net