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Theater always fascinated me. It was a world beyond my world where I could completely lose myself. I was happy being the audience but somewhere deep within had silently carried a dream of maybe one day being on the other side. All I wanted to do was be a part of one ticketed “famous” play and then cross the item right off my Bucket List. Little did I know that I would meet a bunch of wonderful people in my pursuit for this.

I remember looking up for theater workshops in Bangalore and stumbling upon this site on the internet of a studio for acting I had heard earlier about – MISFIT. A deep baritone voice had answered the call and I recall shivering in my pants – I was talking to Ratan Thakore Grant! Soon an interview date was fixed for the Level 1 workshop. On the appointed day, I walked into the studio unsure of what to expect – would I see a lot of people with starry attitudes,models, was I even good enough? I doubted my decision to join a full fledged acting workshop. But one man put all my apprehensions to rest. The man himself, Ratan Thakore Grant. His humility touched me and surprisingly I felt at home..on the very first day! Thanks Baba 

I am proud to say that I have now completed both the level of acting workshops at MISFIT and I can see the tremendous growth in me, not only as an actor but as a human being as well. I strongly recommend the acting workshops at MISFIT for all those who are passionate about acting and theater and also to those who want to take this up just as a hobby or for personality development.

The workshops are so beautifully designed that they ensure you get out of your shell, get comfortable in your own skin and then slowly but surely get into the skin of the character that you are trying to portray on stage.

If Level 1 workshop was all about the basics of acting and the stage dynamics, Level 2 dwelled deeper. There were a variety of well planned exercises that we were led through which helped us understand the nitty-gritties of good acting. Acting is believing and these sessions showed us how to develop the mannerisms and think like the character that we were portraying. We were shown how to genuinely feel and then “trigger” the different emotions through our body language and facial expressions. It was interesting to know that a thought process had to be in place to make the characters believable. We were guided through a variety of breathing and facial exercises that helped us loosen up and clear the mind. A vocal training was also on the cards and I was surprised to knowhow easily I could change the pitch/tone of my voice even though I sucked at singing.

I always thought comedy was not for me but had to rethink this after we were shown that there was a very subtle difference between drama and humor. MISFIT prides on the fact that it has produced actors who are good at both and I can see why. The pointers and the tips provided were very practical and could easily be put into use.

We were given an opportunity almost everyday to go up on the stage and perform. There were improvisations planned everyday that helped us implement the lessons learnt during the day.

More importantly, we were taught the importance of being able to empathize to bring out the honesty in our acting. The Level 2 grading was a proof of the transformation we all had gone through. I can go on and on but all this would not have been possible without the help of some amazing actors from MISFIT – Vishal, Venky, Amit, Deepthi, Akshay and Krishi. Thanks for all the guidance and support.

Needless to say, thank you Baba!

The only regret I have is of not having discovered MISFIT earlier. Well, as they say, better late than never! 

– Archana