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A journey worth sharing…
Day 1 &2

First two days at MISF!T was one of the most definitive and cathartic experience of my life.

Will I fit in? Will I like the other people? And maybe even, am I good enough? A tingling mix of excitement and nervousness made me lose the way to the studio itself.

Day one was like a doorway; from a very hesitant and shaky to the realm of conviction and confidence of Day 2.

I had a very similar feeling to the one I had on the day of my first boardroom encounter years ago. Probably the biggest thing I learnt AGAIN in my life was that of preparation and commitment. I can achieve almost anything, no matter how complicated it appeared at first. It is all about the prospect of exploration and another new beginning.

It was the most assuring experience at a time when I felt lost in a crowd, a chance for fresh beginnings and fresh beliefs, even about myself!

On Day one Ratan, started with telling us that acting does require courage, from even the “trouble makers”!!! Shedding our inhibitions was the first step towards it .. MUAAAHHHH!!!!

No matter how well we faked confidence, putting on a big bravado!  it’s cliché for sure but being oneself- and finding our core to get our magic in our performance… and there it made the feelings intense.

I made a promise to myself that I’ll practice more & get out my shell a little bit each day! It’s acting, I won’t allow myself to sit there with my lips sealed and then came the guaranteed shocker for some   , the so called Ice breakers/exercises

There’s a line from one of my favorite songs: “be brave & you’re gonna be fine! …just breathe”.. but ‘Breathe RIGHT’ is the Mantra now…

Day Two… Ahhh!!! good to see the familiar faces same excitement same mystery … what unfolds today??? … the Actors magic still lingering in our conversations…

‘Ratan what is this?’, ‘Ratan what is that?’ soon became ‘Baba how do we get the actors magic’ and so on… and Baba in his own way answered all our doubts.. isn’t it a transformation in itself now…

Animated voices .. screaming and whispering fighting and crying … Thoo!!! …. Thoo!!!… good job!!! from Ratan… I hear new selves in the impromptu characters … OHH MY GOD!!! was that me playing the weird character… How in the world did I do that … a revelation to myself that was a world’s apart from the real me… or was it me like that all the while???

Life, actions, discussions all has a purpose now …

Yes it has been only two days and I think I can write a book …. will talk to you about the rest of the five weeks later …on second thoughts … is it only going to be five weeks … time will tell… until then… Keep breathing the OSHO way

Thanks to you R(S)atan once again .. for breaking me free from my fear and instilling the new energy

Day 3 & 4 :

After the barriers being broken the NOT so methodical way in week one there is a bond being built in the class,. The excitement, the attention and the art of unflustered feedback by our Guru enfolded in realms of inspiration OOPS!!! CRITSICM TOO… marked the distinctive learning approach for this LAZY thirties. Unaware of the way we were subtlety cajoled into acting – the transitions started showing on day 4 itself from the too shy to express, to the animated smidgens who went bezerk. Some premature accolades some nasty but sarcasm hidden under our Laoshi’s wide smile. Wonderful artists, naturally and unexpectedly jumped out of the serene and simple camouflage of a student … software engineer.. Mother… the list is long

Perhaps that was Ratan’s way of bringing life to the actor within us making us believe in it and life in and outside the theatre. His reassuring influence, reiteration on empathy, observation and action made us do everything we did.

Day 5&6:

Techniques started pouring in and all we have to do was to use it WISELY. Ratan made us ponder and become bodhisatvas of our own stature and find our own interpretations to the our questions!!!Technicalities flooded us .. Basics of Observation, the measurement of the right pinch Imagination, flamboyant Projection, prompt Improvisation, and steadfast stage movement, assorted Voice Modulation, unembellished Body Language, Creating the characters’ background, Understanding the purpose of every action, he did to explain us all these concepts in his … ‘Paisa vasool’ performance which made everything thing look effortless. I reiterate it is not a simple task to explain Ratan’s method of teaching and I hope I have done justice to his pioneering concepts of teaching the art to us.

I have to say how much I missed not being part of the day six… L but I hope people in the train did not think I am nuts…simply taking to myself in a strange language…Poor souls did not know about what I was up to being part of the Sunday session just catching up on the Breathing exercise.. F……and muttering “Ma-May-Me-May …”

Day 7 & 8

Shouting, screaming, crying and acting err… overacting became a normal thing … all was allowed and Ratan said if needed we will tone it down… more so ever the most repeated line since day two Everything we had to do had to be with a Purpose … became a way of living .. The “How, What, When and Where” about purpose and the character became clearer through the acts and whatever we did…

We had become good in our improvisation by now… the significance of Listening, Eye movements, Mannerism, Gestures, and Projection, Tone, Pitch… came to life … We were now evidently called the intellectual but lazy batch … Knowing the new class mates and bonding with them was a good experience in itself … week 3 showed us sparks of future dramebaaz in the class

Day 9 & 10

Last week It is said that only once every 823 years; Month of August has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays… Believe it or not we did not know how all the five weeks went by so quickly… and best of all we spent all of it at Misf!t… didn’t realize that we had reached the last two days of the workshop before the grading Last Saturday and here we do the trust fall.. honestly I was scared how would I complete the exercise.. I had barely thought of it and there I hear the group chanting my name … and next thing I remember is going round and round with no fear …. It was exhilarating indeed … I pity the guys who had to balance me through the exercise.. Kudos guys You have the strength…

Last exercise …Blind folded I went on the journey with my partner exploring and experiencing by listening the sounds.. sniffing to smell …feeling the touch and daring to taste… dragging my feet out of fear I started reconnoitering however the comforting and reassuring support changed my stance and the walk by the end of the Journey.. the exalted feeling of overcoming the immense insecurity I started the voyage… all thanks to my partner

And the second round was a whole experience of being responsible and protective and leading my partner who was completely dependent on the way I look at the world.

Another out of the world experience. It was wonderful to see the changing perspectives of the people around you … be it the inquisitive lady who was afraid to ask why are so many people with bandages on the their eyes on the roads of Koramangala or the callous drunk fellow on the roadside bringing himself to his senses to help me as soon as he saw my blind folded partner … another novel approach to look at the world differently..

Last class on Sunday before the final performance … the final groups got together to break their heads over the finale … we had the first cut … yet another performance which could have been much better… left us thinking .. pondering .. deliberating… practicing .. to put the best performance on the D- Day

Here I am.. having learnt enough? Is it enough? … or is Level 2 the continuum.?. a journey comes to an end to begin another … at this juncture I can surely say My Interest Stays Firmly In Theatre.

Vidya Mathews