‘Theatre is the art of looking at ourselves,’ said Augusto Boal, a Brazilian theatre practitioner, and drama theorist.
Theatre has been a significant influence in many people's lives, allowing their creativity to thrive and, more importantly, allowing them to nurture their self-expression.
To celebrate the transformative power of this art form, The International Theatre Institute (ITI) instituted March 27 as World Theatre Day in the year 1961. The ITI Centers and the global theatrical community observe this day every year.
To commemorate World Theatre Day 2023, The Telegraph Online Edugraph connected with Ramanjit Kaur, an award-winning actor & director in both theatre & cinema as well as founder and head of Kolkata's The Creative Arts Academy, a school for the arts. Ramanjit has performed at festivals all over the globe and has been a torchbearer for the potential that drama and theatre have to bring about change. She has directed innumerable plays at The Creative Arts, which she founded in 2002 in Kolkata, to train children and adults in different genres of Theatre - proscenium, site-specific, studio theatre et al. She created an all-women Theatre Group in 2011, a unique project that received the LAADLI National Award for gender sensitisation.
Today she talks to us about her journey, the healing power of theatre, as well as the scope for pursuing theatre as more than just a hobby.
Ramanjit's grandmother was a painter, and her aunt was a poet and music professor. It is unsurprising, then, that she chose a creative career as well. Ramanjit began performing at the age of 6 and while in school, she was introduced to Padmashree Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry.
Neelam noticed her incredibly remarkable skills, and Ramanjit's professional career with her began there. Ramanjit went on to be the lead actress in Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry's theatre group for more than three decades.
Ramanjit holds multiple degrees in Music, Dance, Fine Arts, and Literature, as well as a Masters in Music (Instrumental) Gold Medal.
While in college, she travelled globally with Neelam’s theatre group and came to realise that she could keep contributing to theatre all her life. In her words, ‘I had more to give to theatre than music.’
Ramanjit’s first theatre performance was at the age of 16 in an adaptation of Clytemnestra, the Greek legend, by Neelam Mansigh Chowdhry. She played two important characters in Act 1 & Act 2 of the play. After the very first performance, Ramanjit remembers Neelam Ji offering her the role of the protagonist in Girish Karnad’s Nagamandala which toured all over the nation. She has also delivered exceptional performances in other plays directed by Neelam, notable among them being Yerma, a play by Federico García Lorca, globally renowned for its exceptional performance.
The art of theatre encompasses all art forms, be it music, dance, design or visual art. For Ramanjit this has a special significance since she holds multiple degrees in the creative art field.
‘Being an actor and a performer, working with maestros has been exceptionally remarkable. Whenever I am on stage, I feel alive & mostly excited. Theatre has been cathartic and most compelling. It is more than just acting,’ says Ramanjit on her experience as a theatre actor.
Not just her journey, but also her experiences and her efforts as a theatre director have gone a long way in inspiring children and young adults to pursue acting as a career. Speaking about direction, Ramanjit adds, ‘Acting to me is equivalent to breathing, and directing is just an extension of that. I have learned so much from my gurus as an actor and I feel it’s my time to pass on my learnings to my students. Direction, for me, is to give back to the arts community because I use theatre for development, empowerment, and healing process. I teach students from the age of 5 to 73. I seek to make the community understand that Arts should be an integral part of life. It helps one in self-expression & understanding the emotions of others, which is a recipe for leading a wonderful life.’
Ramanjit believes that to stay relevant in theatre, it is immensely important to train one’s mind, body & heart. Her top tips for doing that are to read lots of literature, keep your body fit and embrace all the other art forms, in addition to theatre. In her words, ‘Learning is a constant process & staying updated with the latest trends & development in theatre will only make one understand the contemporary language of theatre’.
We, of course, asked Ramanjit for her insights on those who want to build a career in theatre and are not merely content with pursuing it as a hobby - read on for what she had to say.
Building a career in theatre is a passionate effort that one must start at the foundational level. Ramanjit advises aspiring theatre artists to start participating in plays at school. She says, ‘After school, get a degree in Fine Arts and then join a drama school. Before enrolling in any drama school, one must check out the faculty, because a good mentor can pave the way for artists to make it big in their careers. One should keep training themselves in all art forms, even if the theatre course doesn’t include [those] in the curriculum.’
When it comes to theatre, often people have the misconception that there’s just one profession involved - which is acting. But let Ramanjit tell you otherwise.
‘A theatre artist has myriad options, apart from being an actor. They can be a director, a producer, a scriptwriter, a facilitator, a stage set designer, a costume designer, a technical director, a scenic designer, a stage manager, a production manager or a backstage coordinator. The options are unlimited. One must be open to learning, engaging with varied facets of theatre and creating more opportunities for oneself within the umbrella of theatre.’
One can also take a leaf out of Ramanjit’s own story when she talks about the healing and transformative powers of theatre, which also opens up other opportunities like drama therapy for children or adults.
Theatre is a live entertaining artform where performers & audiences connect & understand emotions intricately. Through the dramatisation of emotions and events, both the performer and the audience are given an opportunity to live the feeling and be moved by it. It is an experience that has a lasting impact on one and all.
If there's any kind of magic in this world it must be in the attempt of understanding someone. When one is involved and engaged in theatre, they nurture their self-expression and hone their communication skills to the best.
As we celebrate World Theatre Day 2023, let this immensely powerful tool–theatre–be used for revolution, development of thought, bringing change in society, creating long-lasting bonds & most of all, shaping a more kind and compassionate society.
