Life Lessons From Theatre

(Image: via Pragya Chaturvedi's Instagram handle)

As I sat down to write about my experiences, (or should I call them my ‘Shenanigans with Sabha’?), my mind went blank. It went as blank as the paper before writers write a script on it, as empty as the stage before actors go up on it, as black as the College Hall before the lights light it up. On further brainstorming, I realised that theatre is nothing but a reflection or ‘Pratibimb’ of our life. The following lessons that I learned from theatre helped me tremendously in my day-to-day life.

1. Nothing will go as you plan, and theatre teaches us exactly what to do in situations that go out of hand; improvise.

2. There will be times when you feel unheard in this bitter world; what to do then? Project. Project your voice as loud as you can.

3. The most crucial skill that you need to survive is teamwork . Theatre taught me that you need to believe in your team; you’ll rise because of your team, and if you fall, they’ll always be there to bring you back up.

4. Theatre taught me how to be ‘Pragmatic’. Since Theatre is a live art, we thespians quickly learn a lot about solving problems practically and in real time.

5. Rubber Chicken is the ultimate energy booster; Gatorade is shit.

6. Learning to be open-minded towards feedback in your life is important. As theatre artists , there is always feedback coming your way, just as happens in other avenues of life.. Being receptive to criticism helps you in enhancing your capabilities.

There are abundant lessons to take from your journey as part of a theatre troupe . Trust me when I say this, life only gets tougher after college but the experiences that you gain will always work as guiding lights. Theatre made me a better, more evolved person and I’ll forever be grateful for that.

Pragya Chaturvedi

B.Sc. Programme with Chemistry

Batch of 2021

President ’21