In this series, T5E takes a look at the different Cultural Clubs in insti, and offers a peek at what they have planned. You can find the rest of the articles in this series here.
The Thespian Club, besides staging semi-professional plays as part of Stagecoach and Saarang, aims to bring theater to the people. If you think acting, or directing, or writing a play, or even creating a set isn’t your forte, they are here to make you think again. With a range of activities covering all aspects of theater at the beginner’s level and also more intermediate level workshops, it aims to make everyone believe that theater is fun for everyone.
The Thespian club is one of the most well known clubs in IITM and it has amazed us with its various showings in Stagecoach, Saarang and other independent plays. Students who started out at the club have gone on to act in professionally produced shows, and that is no mean feat. Like every year, the Thespian Club has a wide array of activities suited to everybody’s tastes and promises to make this semester even more hectic with their terrific line-up of workshops and events.
Theater Classes
The Thespian Club has a host of plans for the current academic year. Recognizing the increased interest in the club and its activities, the Thespian Club is starting Theater Classes for the first time in the history of IITM. These Classes shall cater to the burgeoning interest of the student body and shall be conducted in collaboration with Crea-Shakthi. These classes shall not only cover acting but also help students capture the nitty gritties of staging a play.
Regional/Vernacular Theater
Noting the interest of many students in Regional/Vernacular theater, the Club is planning on gradually expanding its reach from spoken English Theater to other languages. Such ventures are not easy to execute, and it a brave step forward that the club has taken. This process is being worked upon by the club hierarchy and the possibility of holding a small event in October is also being explored.
Specialized Workshops
The importance of grooming and experience is not lost on the club conveners who plan to hone the skills of students who have already taken part and made drama a part of their lives. The Thespian Club will be conducting specialized advanced workshops which will fine tune the capabilities of our students and provide them with the tools of continuing the tradition of theater in our Institute. Workshops in scriptwriting (November 1st weekend) and set design will also be organized.
The scriptwriting workshop, according to the Conveners is for “those individuals with the spark of storytelling but find it difficult to articulate their ideas”. While not limited to them, the workshop maximizes the benefits for those who seem to find it difficult to express their stories. The Scriptwriting Workshop will help students identify aspects of storytelling, characterization and narratives to ensure that simple ideas can be converted to interesting scripts.
The directing workshop will help give clarity to aspiring directors when it comes to handling and managing a play. This workshop shall be held along with the seniors since they have much to offer.
Script Readings
In addition to the plethora of activities mentioned above, there will be readings of various plays which shall be conducted throughout the semester. It will be a much more informal event and will help prospective actors and directors to get a feel for different genres and aspects of theater.
The Thespian club conveners for the academic year 2014-2015 are Smita Mujumdar (+918939570987) and Pradyot Bharadwaj (+919884308835).
