My Reel Life

Just wanted to share my adventures on stage

 

I have been enamored by the crystallized showcasing of human emotions, conflicts, relationships and dilemmas on stage from an early age. The ability to recreate situations from life and to depict the human interactions, thoughts and the impact of certain events on human minds, lives and actions is a special forte of a dramatist. He mirrors life on stage with heightened dramatic effect through dialogues, actions, situations and settings, unfolded in the plot of his play. However this creation of the dramatist gets shape on stage and is communicated to the audience by the actors and the show is orchestrated by the director and his crew.

My first initiation to the enormous potential of acting as an art of reaching out and communicating with the audience was as a child, amidst great fun and frolic, while preparing for the home productions starring family members and directed by my father to be staged on ‘Jagadhatri puja’  night, a big occasion for us. In fact I used to do small skits with the kids of the family as well.

 

Then during school and college days there were several intra school drama competitions, annual functions and concerts. In college (St Xavier’s’ College) we did ‘Antigone’ which was my first public stage exposure. It was a resounding success. I have been a part of several theatrical endeavors by cultural and social clubs right through doing both English and Bengali plays. In “Antigone” I played the old nurse who loves Antigone with undying devotion and yet reprimands her for playing truant and not adopting feminine graces.

 

My actual serious association with theatre was after I came in contact with Stagecraft through a friend in 1997. The first production I was involved with was “The night of January 16^th”in which I was one of the witnesses in the court room drama. I had to sport a Scandinavian accent. After that there was no looking back thanks to the encouragement and support I received from my director, my fellow actors and the audience. I have been a part of several small and large productions with Stagecraft.

In Agatha Christie’s "Mouse Trap" I played Mrs. Boyle and it was an experience being the cantankerous woman who gets killed on stage. Dropping dead was not an easy task and my murderer and co actor helped to land without a thud.. We did another Agatha Christie play “Go back for Murder” but it didn’t receive rave reviews like "Mouse Trap". 

“Mangalam” was our first attempt at an English play by an Indian playwright. The play had the innovative concept of a play within a play. I played Thangam in both acts but they were two different women in two different time frames and social scenarios and yet with the same predicament. It was a very powerful role and I cherish the memories and the appreciation. In the first act I played a south Indian widow with a shaven head, a towering presence as a matriarch who discovers the truth behind her dead sister’s predicament buried in the past and has to face a macabre truth. In the 2^nd act Thangam is a sophisticated socialite who has returned home after watching the play which was the first act and while sharing responses finds similar truths unraveled in her life as well.

 

Last year November we staged another big production “Harvey” where I played Veta Louise Simmons who sets out with the intention of getting her brother, Elwood P Dowd, committed in a Sanitarium as she is fed up of the six feet tall imaginary rabbit Harvey who pervades her brother’s life and thoughts and causes her and her daughter social embarrassments. At the end however she decides to discard the harshness of stark reality and live happily ever after in her brother’s illusory world along with her daughter and Harvey. We are scheduled to do more shows of “ Harvey’ which is a big hit.

 

The shorter plays comprise a number of plays by black playwrights such as "Contribution" and "Florence". These were done for the American center during the black history month celebrations. The 80 year old Mrs. Love who I played in "Contribution" certainly established my credentials as an actor. We did several shows of these in several other venues. I had adopted the tone and accent to authenticate Mrs Love and it was long before that flavour went off my speech!This woman wipes out white families using her slow poisoning and to the outside world she is the old lady who bakes and cooks and nurses and bows obediently. She has a strong streak of independence and refuses to go back to her son as a burden. She is amused at the hue and cry her grandson raises about the protest march against the cruel white governor as she has done her bit by sending him the poisoned bread in the morning and knows how he will stagger to his death and won’t be able to harm the black protesters. Her grandson stands speechless when she reveals her contribution and she moves off nonchalantly on her next “task" singing “ where he leads me I shall follow”  

Apart from these I have done one act plays by American playwrights namely "Stops along the way” which was one of an assortment of three short plays Stagecraft presented where each had a powerful interplay of human emotions. I played Donna whose affair with her young English teacher has come to an end and he is taking her back to her husband. She doesn’t want to let go refusing to accept that Larry has grown out of her. What she does at the end is something no one expects and thus manages to salvage her self esteem.

  Another one was “Come next Tuesday” which was one of a quartet of plays or rather slices of life with a twist in the end. In this I was the stubborn wife who refuses to pick up the loud hints that her husband drops to make her realize that he wants her out of his life. This play is almost a monologue by the wife with sparse reluctant responses by the exasperated husband. At the end he gets her killed. These short plays were a resounding success and we have had several shows at the American center and other venues with more coming up. We are scheduled to do play reading with these one act plays and a new addition called “Mam Phyllis” where I shall play the title role. Hopefully this is an ongoing journey with a lot more mile stones to be crossed.

 I value individual liberty and relationships and integrity. I get tremendous satisfaction out of expressing myself with clarity and reaching out to people. I value creativity and fine sensibilities in people, genuine camaraderie, laughter and deep epiphanies in life.

I hope to continue being associated with the stage and acting in the forthcoming years of my life because it will give me a scope to touch people’s lives in my little way

Reviews

[forfila]

You have lead an amazing journey in your life. To be so free as to act out such emotions (though it may be the mimic of reality) It really means you must be so in touch with your inner self, so confident about who you are, you are able to explore your heart, feel and conceive the notion of so much.

It is a wonderful ability and I much admire you for it.
Your such a free spirit, please don't ever change !! =)

Love from,
Me

[Phil Sanders]

Fascinating ... and superbly written .....