Vaishali Bisht

All the world?s a stage, and God directs a mean Hindi pot-boiler. Nothing but divine intervention could explain the continued and unfettered existence of the cinematic medium in its present form. But for those who still use "theater" without a "cinema" preceding it, there is hope yet.

Preparing the next generation of actors for theater ? exposing them to the wonderful world of unshackled self expression ? is Vaishali Bisht. A "theater person", having undergone training at the University of Kent at Canterbury - Bisht conducts workshops for children aged 6?12 years, in the rudiments of dramatics and other theatrical forms. Movement, voice modulation, improvisation, character definition and story-building ? all form part of these classes.

The workshops work wonders on the young kids, inculcating everything from confidence to creativity in a brief span of a few weeks. With Shakespeare, Chekov, Rushdie and half a dozen other immensely complex writers on their itinerary, these tiny thespians are on an immersive and fulfilling journey.

Apart from conducting the workshops, Bisht also writes and directs plays in English, notably Lights Out and A Midsummer Night's Dream. She also freelances for various schools in the city, conducting classes and workshops for Nasr, Gitanjali, HPS, Pranava and St. Francis among others. With her extremely infectious energy and enthusiasm, Bisht exists symbiotically with her theater ? at once breathing life into it and living off it. A breath of fresh air in this city starved of good theater.