On World Theatre Day, TV actors share their experience of doing plays and what they love the most about it

Performing on the stage in front of a live audience has its own charm. Ask any actor with a theatre background and they’ll immediately tell you that what they learnt while acting in plays has always stayed with them. On World Theatre Day today, we spoke to television actors who started their careers doing plays. They reveal how over the years it has helped them improve their acting skills and also speak about their initial days of doing theatre and how much they love that medium of entertainment.

I don't have time to do plays now, but 13 years ago, when I wanted to learn how to perform in front of live audiences and do impromptu acting, I did one English comedy play. I enjoy the fact that when I was doing well on stage and my timing was good, audiences would start clapping. I could see that they were having fun. It's a brilliant experience, but it takes a lot of time to prepare and that's the reason why I didn't do theatre nowadays.

Initially, I had said no to theatre thinking I would never be able to do it. I just wasn’t confident enough. Once, a friend's husband was doing a play and she asked to at least try, so I went ahead and there was no looking back after that. The first play I did was called Meri Life Mein Uski Wife and I was cast opposite Vishal Kotian. It was a difficult role as I played a Bihari in the first half and a modern girl in the second half. The thing I love is how we often fumble or forget our lines sometime on stage and how the other actor has to be alert to help get us out of that situation. Also, the response you get like the laughter or the tears is instant. This encourages one to perform even better.

I've done plays in school, college and professionally in a theatre group as well. What I love about doing a play is the instant response of the audience that serves as an adrenaline rush. The thrill of a live performance, impromptu corrections and changes that happen because of an actor missing a cue or late entry etc is unmatchable. It keeps actors constantly on their toes and you have to be absolutely attentive. That’s the beauty of being a part of theatre.

Theatre will always be special for me and I have learnt a lot from it. I would always like to be part of theatre and whenever I get an opportunity, I would love to do plays.

During my initial acting days, I did theatre for three years and my mentor was Sabir Khan. I love doing theatre because I feel it’s very natural and a single-take performance. As an artist, there is a lot to explore because we used to work on our character six months before performing on stage. We get immediate audience response and that’s good. What used to scare me is that in the front rows, veteran actors used to sit and to perform in front of them was scary for me because they would judge us if we don’t do well and applaud if we do well. I still miss doing theatre and want to do it again when I get time because that medium helps me grow as an actor

I have had some of the best experiences doing theatre when it was my initial step towards acting. Theatre is a world in itself, there are no boundaries and it is limitless. One can perform the way they want and it is a good start for a person wanting to get into acting. I have learnt acting, dancing, hand gestures and voice modulation via theatre. It brings out the best in me.

I started my acting career while doing theatre. People advised me to do plays, so that I could work on my acting skills and learn the nuances of acting. After some time, I started getting TV shows. The best thing about performing on stage is that an artist gets the freedom to perform as per their choice. In films and TV, there’s a director who tells you what to do, but here, one has the freedom to do what they feel is right. Even though one gets less money in theatre, but after the show, when the audience shows that warmth and love for your performance, that is the real earning for an artist.

Theatre is my first love and I started acting in plays at the age of 16. I have always loved performing on stage, which is why I never stopped doing plays. I still do theatre in various languages like English, Hindi and Gujarati. All three mediums – films, TV and theatre – are important. For me, performing on stage is equally important because I like to keep all three mediums alive. By doing theatre, my hobby turned into my profession.