When I joined the class, I did not know what to expect. As with all unknowns there was enthusiasm, curiosity – and skepticism. Regarding the quality of the material, students and that of the teacher. The very first class drove all my skepticism out, by sheer creativity and its structure. I was and remain till date, impressed by the unique contents of each day. Its neither a hollow set of directives to “fill the hours”, nor intellectual rants to “fill the minds”. It is a logical, simple yet crucial exploratory expanse of acting techniques and all pertaining to theater and beyond. Theory interlaced with short self-implementations to drive the point home, it is, in essence, an imperceptible exercise in psychology.

The scientific way barriers are being broken: with each other in the class, the out-world and those within, is remarkable. The extreme individual attention and the art of dispassionate feedback wrapped in realms of encouragement mark the typical learning process of this class. There is a subtlety with which students are almost tricked into acting – the too shy cajoled to express, the too expressive taught modicums of control. One might think my accolades to be premature given the few classes I’ve attended, and perhaps they are. But I would say it all over again, if for the mere thought process that has gone into the design of this class, and the absolute charisma with which it is executed.

As an aside, I would like to share one observation. My co-students are delightful actors, most of them being naturals and surprisingly very talented. This at times abounds a tendency to be stretch artists. I personally feel that being mindful of this is important to maintain a disciplined non-deviation from the pulse of an act. I feel it is crucial to inculcate a sense of time one has at their disposal to portray a character. This too is dealt with in the class, albeit with delicate non-discouraging interjections.