 Early Times Report
JAMMU, Dec 19: "Understanding the 'Self'", an extensive theatre workshop concluded here today at Natrang Studio Theatre with a superb performance of the play 'The Man Who Turned into a Dog'. Based on a story by Osvaldo Dragún, the play was brilliantly directed by National School of Drama alumni, Baljeet Singh during the course of the workshop.
It is pertinent to mention here that to provide varied training opportunities to children and youth of Jammu, Natrang has rolled out different workshops by trained professionals for the larger benefit of theatre aspirants. The workshop director, Baljeet Singh is an actor, director, and acting trainer from Sirla-Bhaga, Reasi, Jammu, and Kashmir. He had a deep interest in artistic activities like singing, performing, and painting from childhood. But the decision to make a career in theatre was taken later in his life, after completing his graduation from Maulana Azad Memorial College, Jammu University, and earning a Master's Degree from the Centre for Political Studies Jawaharlal Nehru University (2010-12), New Delhi. Meanwhile, he participated in theatre activities and worked with several Delhi & Jammu-based theatre groups. After that, he joined the National School of Drama and completed his three-year Diploma in Dramatic Arts with Acting Specialization in 2017. Baljeet is trained in Yakshagaana (from Yakshagaana Kendra, Udupi, Karnataka), Peking Opera (from Central Academy of Drama, Beijing, China), Kuttiyatam (by Guru Gopal Venu), Nautanki (by Devender Sharma), Alexander Technique (by Padmini Menon), Meisner Technique (by Niharika Singh), Lecoq Technique (by Niranjani Iyer), Realistic style of Acting (by Tripurari Sharma), Parsi style of Acting (by Hema Singh), Classical Indian Drama (by D.R Ankur and Rita Ganguly). He has also attended various workshops/masterclasses conducted by well-known theatre/film personalities like Khalid Tyyabji, Govind Namdev, Naseeruddin Shah, and Adil Hussain. As of now, he has been doing his research from the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University. At the same time, he is actively engaged in Performance making and experimentation in theatre with like-minded artists under the banner of The Blind Owl Ensemble.
Sunday's performance, 'The Man Who Turned into a Dog' begins as four actors announce that they are going to tell the story of "a man they knew." He needs a job, they explain, but every time he applies for one, he is told that there are no jobs - only if someone dies, retires, or is fired. As it happens, the night watchman's dog dies. ("He was very old," they add.) The man applies for the job and gets it. Since he now has a dog house to sleep in, his wife must move in with friends. Adjusting to this new job has its difficulties. His wife visits him, but she is more and more distraught by his behavior. ("You bit me!" "No, I was only trying to kiss you".) In the end, he completely succumbs to his humiliating situation, and is seen running through town on all fours. Although the play's plot seems simple, in the end, it conjures up deeper questions on work and life. As one writer has put it, "This is not about finding a job in a tough job market. It is about becoming your job."
Natrang artists who participated in the play included Brijesh Avtar Sharma, Shivam Singh, Sagar Gupta, Meenakshi Bhagat, Bhawani Singh Bali, Sushant Singh Charak, Gautam Sharma, and Palshin Dutta. The presentation was coordinated by Neeraj Kant and Mohd. Yaseen. |
