Ranga Shankara’s masterclass series to empower Bengaluru’s theatre community

Bengaluru’s theatre community has been flourishing with new talents and unique work each day. Many theatre troupes, artists and performance spaces have been contributing to the growing art form. While professional theatre is growing, the amateur theatre community in Bengaluru is equally growing, but in need of regular workshops and shorter training programmes.

Bengaluru’s theatre community has been flourishing with new talents and unique work each day. Many theatre troupes, artists and performance spaces have been contributing to the growing art form. While professional theatre is growing, the amateur theatre community in Bengaluru is equally growing, but in need of regular workshops and shorter training programmes.

Right in time, Ranga Shankara, in J.P. Nagar, the performance which will turn twenty this year has organised a twenty-day long theatre workshop, for artists from across the city, focusing on all aspects of a production. Curated by theatre maker and a trustee at Ranga Shankara, S. Surendranath, held by masters in their fields, these sessions will help the younger generation of artists hone their craft and connect as a community, and help seasoned professionals pass down teachings from their knowledge and experience.  

Speaking to The Hindu, Arundhati Nag, founder and managing trustee of Ranga Shankara says that through these workshops, the theatre community will be able to learn from senior artists who would otherwise not be easily accessible, “At Ranga Shankara, Surendranath and I wanted to speed up the experience of the community that uses the theatre. As we stepped into our twentieth year, we decided to do a series of masterclasses that are conducted by senior artists, that the community would not be able to easily access“. 

“By ‘Theatre Prepares’, we mean that Ranga Shankara prepares for another 20 years, and that the theatre community invests in their craft and makes better work. The only way for artists to get trained is the National School of Drama in Delhi, or it’s Bengaluru centre, or drama schools like Ninasam, Drama School Mumbai and others, in which only 20 odd lucky students get admitted each year, again, it is a year long commitment. For those who can not make such commitment, workshops like these are the next best“, she adds. Nag says that there are about 110 participants engaging in the workshop, and hopes that the artists will network, form groups, and will work with another in the coming days.  

Happening from July 10 to 29, the workshops range from direction to voice training, acting to lighting, and everything in between. Well known theatre personalities from across the world such as Maya Krishna Rao, Suresh Shetty, Sooraj Nambiar, Dr. Jamil Ahmed, Jonathan Taylor, Nachiket Patwardhan, Toral Shah, Arghya Lahiri, Niranjan Gokhale have been invited to facilitate the workshops, and add value to the craft the theatre community already has. 

On asked why there is a need for theatre practitioners to participate in workshops frequently Nag says that it is the only way an artist can polish their skill, “In the amateur theatre, artists do not get to perform thirty performances in a month. They do not get to perform under multiple directors, multiple productions, and various genres at the same time. In such a situation attending workshops periodically is needed to up their skill“.