Today there are numerous career options within contemporary theatre — whether you want to act, direct, start your own acting school, teach in drama institutes or even as preparatory to entry into television and/or cinema Cynics who predicted that theatre’s time had passed, have been proved wrong. Following the advent of cinema and popular acceptance of television, numerous obituaries were written of theatre and the stage. But the demand for on-stage live performances, as also for actors, playwrights, directors and producers, hasn’t abated. Two decades ago, theatre as a full-time vocation was not possible. Today there are numerous career options within contemporary theatre — whether you want to act, direct, start your own acting school or teach in drama institutes, and even as preparatory to entry into television and/or cinema. The stage being an excellent medium for artistic expression, humour and talent, most progressive schools have also integrated drama and theatre into their curriculums. “Theatre is alive and kicking and here to stay! Almost all colleges stage inter-collegiate theatre festivals where theatre groups from across the country participate in a big way. Prospects of full-time careers in theatre have certainly improved with so many wonderful groups emerging from myriad theatre festivals countrywide,” says actor, director, and producer Raell Padamsee, one of the brightest stars of the English theatre and founder of Ace Productions and Ace Academy, which trains children in the theatrical arts. The premier institutes which offer formal training in theatre and related disciplines are the National School of Drama, New Delhi and the Film & Television Institute of India, Pune. Moreover, several universities in the country offer acting and dramatic arts study programmes. Among them: Bangalore University; Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata; M.S. University, Baroda; the Academy of Theatre Arts of Mumbai University (which offers a two-year full-time postgraduate course in acting, direction, stagecraft etc) and Natya Academy, Lucknow. Institutes offering short-term acting courses have also mushroomed countrywide. For aspiring television and cinema artists, theatre training is useful. ‘‘Film and television producers routinely recruit trained stage actors for television serials, cinema etc. This ensures a wider audience for stage productions and a number of theatre actors now run workshops and other programmes for aspiring actors. Some of them also run programmes for corporates. All this has enabled theatre and drama companies and the medium itself to survive and prosper. While acting is the most preferred career option in theatre, my personal passion is direction. I find it more holistic and creative,” says Padamsee, a veteran of theatre for over 20 years. The thespian’s art apart, there are other career opportunities in theatre, says Padamsee. “There’s a huge influx of talent coming into Bombay, especially from smaller towns and abroad as well. Everyday I get at least three resumés of people wanting to showcase their talent as directors, script writers, production executives and stage-hands. However, Indian theatre still lacks a pool of high quality technicians and designers,” she laments. With theatre icons Alyque and Pearl for parents, Padamsee was exposed to…
