William Shakespeare. Pic Courtesy/Wikimedia Commons

There is a reason why many, students and adults included, fear Shakespeare’s language, he shares. The bard’s language is more than just a means of conveying the story. There is also a shift in the way the modern reader approaches it. “The Elizabethan world was a world of the spoken word. Ours is a world of the written word. Our tools of articulation have reduced with the rise of technology. The troubles of not being able to read in front of audience, and of not being able to make eye contact, are modern-day limitations,” Vansadia observes.

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The solution, unsurprisingly, comes from Shakespeare himself. “If you want an insight into good acting or stage presence and communication, read Hamlet’s advice to the Player King. Hamlet clearly tells the players to suit the words to the action, and play the intention. That’s Adler!” Vansadia points out.

Deshik Vansadia 

It is these simple methods that he intends to put to use over the three-day workshop this weekend. The first step though is to expel the fear of Shakespearean texts, he warns. “The key is introducing Shakespeare and removing the prejudice against the text being something posh or complex. When you speak the language, especially because you are not used to expressing yourself freely, your vocal range and articulation do not match up. it goes beyond acting,” he says. An example, he reveals, was the experience of his sessions of sonnet readings during the COVID-19 pandemic. “People would break down while reading them. It was cathartic,” he shares.

Over the years, the theatre maker has collaborated with schools, educating students. Sadly, the staging of Shakespearean plays has gone down — a result of reduced production budgets, he says, “Shakespeare cannot be performed in small spaces.”

Why not translate it for popular appeal, we ask? “I am in love with his language,” Vansadia declares, “There were Hamlets before Shakespeare wrote it. There were other Romeo and Juliets. If you take out his language, you are simply performing a classic folk tale. You need a writer or a translator to create an equivalent sense of magic. That is near impossible.”

From June 14 to June 16; 3 pm onwards
At Turtle Studio, Aram Nagar Part 2, Andheri West. 
Call 9167287889 for more registration details