From childhood I loved the stage, be it dancing, singing, plays or public speaking.
In school days, there were so many opportunities and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Life later on was more about studying engineering and then later on working that I loved every day of it. During my Wipro days I started the Wipro Toastmasters Club being the founder President there.
In 2008, I embarked on my entrepreneurial journey , certainly not easy in the beginning but eventually extremely rewarding with profits, experiences and networking.
In 2019, I decided to move to technology and arts. While learning different emerging technologies and bagging projects with success shining again. I also took out considerable time for fitness and the arts. In the arts I was able to do acrylic and digital painting. My desire to act got me searching online for acting schools and voila one fine day I found Ranji David’s organisational theatre
My excitement was at the zenith, with no worries of travelling half of Bangalore to learn and enjoy theatre. Ranji’s theatre was more of devised, playback and improv theatre. I attended all his workshops and was extremely happy with the experience and exposure.
November 2022, Ranji announced scripted theatre to be taught by Omkar Kibe. Most of us who were with Ranji for the past few months jumped to this opportunity.
The workshop was conducted with lot of exercises and activities while we got introduced scenes, analysing the scripts and then enacting scenes. We were told that none of these are auditions and all will get a fair chance to enact and be part of the Anton Chekov play “The Good Doctor “ with 9 scenes.
After 2 months of activity and delving in the scenes, Omkar announces the first 5 scenes. I got a few writer lines and a 5 lines for one scene. When I went to rehearse I was done swiftly while I saw other actors spending time in so many other scenes.
The following week when the remaining 4 scenes were announced I assumed that the ones who were not assigned characters in the first set will get a chance but shockingly the same actors got assigned in the second set too.
I comprehended that either these were done randomly or with care and thought and complete bias. When I raised this with Omkar: he had points like
too many women in the workshop,
Age and gender that fit into characters
Im the Director, the decision is made and final
My argument to this was:
This is a workshop and not an audition to a play. The play should be selected based on the people attending the workshop and not the other way wherein people are selected based on the play.
Everyone in the workshop should get a fair chance for experience and exposure on stage
Omkar Kibe was extremely stubborn and didn’t budge, even though scenes 6 to 9 were just decided and could be easily reassigned. He continued his arrogant self and told no characters will be changed, everything is fixed now.
Ranji David also listened to me and his understanding was that this is scripted theatre vs devised theatre. In scripted theatre these problems always happen. Further he went on to say that he had missed auditions earlier in life and it’s okay to get small roles its a learning process.
I told him its a workshop and not a play. If it was a professional play yes I would totally accept the verdict of the director. He would pretend not understand what Im saying.
We are paying 5000 per month for 4 months in which I have paid 15000 already and if I have only 5 minutes of stage exposure versus others getting 20 mins this is outright cheating and not the expected outcome of the workshop.
If they felt that the play needed more males, Ranji and Omkar shouldn’t have allowed us women in the workshop and taking huge sums from each of us. Im planning to put these points in consumer complaint too.
Well well, what started with so much positivity ended with me dropping out of the workshop as I wasn’t ready to spend more money and time, driving for 2 hours to rehearse for less than 5 mins. Further attitudinally the Trainer Omkar Kibe at the workshop was arrogant and nasty, tough to really work with someone like that. While Ranji not providing any support to the woes of his long time customer and instead portraying me in a bad light that Im not being sportive enough.
Drama in real life indeed…..
Some offline and online comments:
Feeling of hurt and betrayal
This was not what I signed up for
Unprofessional and Incompetent
Im no longer available for things that make me feel like shit
