Theater Workshop

William Shakespeare is a name we are all familiar with. He is considered to be a phenomenal poet, actor and playwright. This year is the 400th birth anniversary of Shakespeare so Springdales, Pusa Road conducted a workshop on 9th September 2016 in honour of the great bard where they discussed his life, works and their relevance in modern times.

The workshop was conducted by Mr. Parnab Mukherjee and Ms. Ameeta Mulla Wattal. Mr Mukherjee is a well-known figure in the field of theatre and debate.

Mr. Mukherjee began the workshop by talking about Shakespeare's life and works. During his span of 52 years Shakespeare wrote 39 plays, 7 poems and 155 sonnets. Mr. Mukherjee pointed out that one of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets is missing from the records. He even told us that the first work in print was available only after 7 years of his death! Shakespeare was born in the town of Stratford. His birth is unregistered but legend pins the date as April 23, 1564. He is assumed to have attended the local grammar school, King's New School, staffed by Oxford educated faculty. Shakespeare rattled London's theatrical hierarchy from the beginning of his career.

The discussion then turned to the 8 problem plays of Shakespeare namely Tempest, Measure for Measure, Timon of Athens, Macbeth, Coriolanus, Two Noble Kinsman, Troilus and Cressida and Comedy of Errors. The audience comprising teachers and students expressed their views on the characters, themes and highlights of the different plays. His techniques and strategy regarding the same were discussed extensively. We were shown various clips from different movies which were based either on Shakespeare's plays or bore reference to his plays. The movie clips were both from Hollywood and Bollywood.

Talking about Shakespeare's relevance we can say that one of the reasons why Shakespeare is said to be a writer of timeless literature, is because his topics and essentially his characters speak to a modern audience just as forcefully as they did when the bard wrote. Shakespeare's characters and the themes that drive the plots are rife with examples of the evil of some, the follies of others, and those lucky enough to recognise their mistakes before it got too late. We can identify with Shakespeare because the people he described in the late 1400s, are much like those we see in the news and in our neighbourhoods. The beauty of his writing allows us to further see the genius of the man, and his plays are still performed to appreciative audiences today.

The workshop was a delightful insight into the mesmerising world of Shakespeare. It was made lively with inputs and performances by both the resource persons. There was an unfettered performance by the students of the school which was applauded by everyone. To sum it up, it was a great experience.

Ms. Suhina Roshangar.