Vihaan Samat Instagram – World theatre day was yesterday… so I felt like taking nice trip down memory lane.
In 2014 I showed up to a new country and a new school halfway across the world. At the time I knew simply that I wanted to act. The big red doors of the Lee Strasberg Institute were my greeting into a world of Method acting history I only wondered about years earlier. What followed was a lot of growth, awe, work, confusion, relief and fulfillment.
I learnt from some of the best teachers, most of whom had seen the rise of the American superstars we know of today. I dove head first into texts and plays that seemed intimidating at first. I learnt what the whole fuss over Wililiams, Miller and O’Neill was about. I was surprised by Mamet and Jesse Eisenberg, and delighted to discover Rajiv Joseph and Ayad Akhtar. (I also enjoyed our theatre schools suggestion to wear all black to class a little too much, for 4 years my closet had only 3 solid colors: white, black, and grey). I made friends with people who were my collaborators, who pushed me and tried to figure out this whole acting thing with me.
I learned the value of a live audience. On one performance, (slides 3-7) my character launched into a long, aggressive monologue about ordering food. I thought it was hilarious, and it lasted for a couple of minutes with me pushing each line to another decibel level until everyone was practically deaf, but I wasn’t getting the laughs I thought I would. Eventually the monologue was over, I shut up and sat down to catch my breath. The audience suddenly broke out into a roaring laughter. No one had found that specific moment funny during the rehearsals.
More than anything, as Brian Cox said recently – “Acting is not just about being an actor, it’s about being in touch with yourself, about being a human being” It taught me the power of my own emotions, body and mind. I didn’t have to try to be anyone else. It allowed me to be present and in flow with myself – the greatest gift of all. (And entertain an audience at the same time!) Theatre has influenced the person I am and I’ve been lucky to be able to continue performing in Mumbai and I hope to continue with it for the rest of my life. | Posted on 28/Mar/2023 20:32:07
