Drama School Mumbai

  A new play opens in the city. There’s a buzz of excitement among the young audience eagerly waiting to enter. The bell rings, the last bites of samosas disappear, and cold coffee is finished as children and their guardians settle into the best seats in the theatre. The audience, filled with anticipation, sits on the edge of their seats as the house lights dim. But this isn’t your typical theatre crowd. This is theatre for children , and its serious business. Theatre for children comes in many forms, whether it's acting workshops , theatre performances made by adults for children, or drama courses in schools. From acting training to drama schools, the field is diverse, offering countless opportunities for young minds to engage with the arts. Whether it's a theatre workshop or a formal program at an acting academy , children are exposed to the magic of theatre, allowing them to grow both as an audience and as future performers. But with so many different forms of childre...

  On 11 May 1997, the world of chess witnessed a groundbreaking event. Russian grandmaster and world champion Gary Kasparov lost a historic match, leading him to cry foul play and accuse his opponent of cheating—a not uncommon reaction. However, what was extraordinary about this match was the victor: IBM’s supercomputer Deep Blue. A few months later, in the same year, a musical version of this match played out in an acting workshop at the University of Oregon. Dr. Steve Larson, a musician, competed with a computer program called EMI (Experiments in Musical Intelligence) to compose in the style of Johann Sebastian Bach. The competition featured three entries: one by Bach, one by Dr. Larson, and one by EMI. To Dr. Larson’s dismay, he lost, and the audience believed that EMI’s composition was genuine Bach. Twenty-five years later, complex algorithms are an inseparable part of our lives. They guide our choices in music, partners, and investments, and navigate data with greater precis...

The days at Ninasam were packed with enriching activities, from morning martial arts and movement sessions led by Manju sir, who also led us on a scenic forest exploration. The theatre resonated with the vibrant harmonies of 35 voices during Arun sir’s engaging joint music classes, focusing on rhythm and singing Kannada songs, illustrating the diverse aspects of acting classes and how they contribute to becoming an actor. After a quick and satisfying lunch together, everyone regained their energy for the next sessions of the day—whether it was a devising and improvisation session or an intriguing workshop on creating a human puppet using only newspaper and tape. These activities showcased the practical aspects of acting training and provided insights into how to become an actor through creative exploration in acting classes. The students were also enriched by interactions with renowned theatre practitioners and performance instructors. Prasanna, the famed theatre practitioner, directo...

  In 2021, the Niloufer Sagar Alumni Grant Programme (NSAPG) was established at the Drama Schools Foundation Mumbai (DSFM) in memory of Lt. Niloufer Sagar, a respected theatre and live arts producer and consultant. This initiative, instituted by Sagar’s family and friends, has been funding and nurturing talent through one of the best drama colleges in the city. Managed by DSFM, this program has successfully produced twelve outstanding productions to date. Entering its third year, DSFM proudly introduces the annual Niloufer Sagar Festival of New Theatrical Work , featuring some of the finest alumni productions created under the grant. This festival is generously supported by Ms. Sangita Jindal, a long-time arts patron and chairperson of the JSW Foundation. Ms. Jindal, one of India’s foremost philanthropists, is renowned for establishing the Jindal Arts Creative Interaction Centre at the NCPA and publishing Art India Magazine. Scheduled for May 22-23, this two-day festival will...

Drama School Mumbai  was founded in 2013 to forge a new generation of theatre-makers; actor-creator-entrepreneurs professionally trained to perform and create work to a higher global standard of storytelling. Our alumni are all highly active, founding theatre groups, acting in award-winning plays, working in films as well as applying their craft in education and corporate-training. Drama School Mumbai also works to promote the awareness of theatre and its processes to a wider audience interested in exploring and understanding the medium for themselves through shorter workshops, lectures, and regular presentations of work created by the students and faculty.

  Entrepreneurship in Theatre For young theatre-makers who are starting out in the field wanting to create their own work and theatre companies, a question that stumps them is: How does one start a theatre company with no money?   In an ecosystem that is starving for financial injections, it becomes a task for young theatre-makers to find their way to sustain a living through theatre and allied fields. Starting a theatre company, movement, collective, or a group is not an easy feat. It is a decision riddled with obstacles in any developing economy, with limited funds, infrastructural disadvantages and the ever-changing opinion about the arts.    As we celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi, which in Hindu belief marks new beginnings followed by the removal of obstacles, we take this opportunity to explore stories of young theatre-makers who have started entrepreneurial ventures in theatre in India and ask them the challenges they faced and advice they have for anyone starting o...