The Workspace @ Kamshet

I would like to begin by thanking people who share beautiful photos of green mountains. Law of Attraction saw to it that I reach there within a month of noticing some nice pictures on facebook.

It is called The Workspace, in a village called Uksan, at Kamshet a hill station in district Pune, Maharashtra… This dedicated space for theatre rehearsals and workshops is dream of every theatre practitioner… They refuse point-blank at even the suggestion of giving the place for shoots.

Pic. by Gaurav Kunwar Singh

Anyway, a place and hard work such as this is worth applauding. I got the pleasure of being there by registering for this two day workshop by Tram Arts’ Trainers. Seven of us participants, had the good fortune to travel together and discover that it takes 4 hrs to reach, not 2 as advertised everywhere on the internet.

Clicked by Prasad Dhend

You have to see the focus of the founders… Seen here, are the children of the school nearby who performed for us what they learned at the workshop organized especially for them under expert guidance.

Afterwards, we had lunch, some people swam also and then began our workshop. We walked outside to collect materials that caught our eye with their distinct colours. In the next session, it was about texture and pattern and observing with our paper lens. It was fascinating! 

The third session was mainly about collecting rocks; and keeping an eye out for any touching image…

Then finally the installation- A group activity, categorizing the different materials and setting them according to their sizes and ages…

The next day, brought more of theatrical exercises- speed walking, playing/imagining/creating narratives out of our favourite rocks and responding when new pieces of rocks were added to the first piece and then again when another participant and their pieces were grouped together.

Picture Courtesy: Manisha Korde

Lastly, it was a partner exercise of ‘play with sand’. After a while of reacting, responding and getting involved we were asked to remember five acts that interested us and string them together for a performance for everyone else to see. Later, we were asked to objectively describe only the striking images created by all other performers.

When describing about the immediate feelings or observations during each of the above sessions, the findings were very personal. A training of observing our own response to surroundings- it was more like meditation than anything else. Kudos to the team! We need to remind ourselves to seek out the child in us by reconnecting with nature and playing.