Passion drives young professionals to stage

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Play begins at work’s end. Many young professionals in the city, with full-time jobs and kids to manage, swear by their love for theatre and refuse to let practical hiccups ruin their passion. Their solution — they are part of an organisation consisting only of full-time jobbers, and they rehearse at odd hours late in the night. This club of copywriters, company managers, mediapersons, multinational employees is gaining strength, and they are all set to perform at least three plays a year.
Preet Dhupar, who works with the BBC World News and is a mother of an 11-year-old, started an organisation for amateur theatre artistes with full-time jobs, two years ago. Performing Arts Theatre and Natak Group (PATANG) came into existence when she, along with two other like-minded professionals decided it was time to give in to their long-lived dream. “Despite time restrictions, we try and perform at least three plays in a year. Since all members of the group have full-time jobs, the timings are flexible with even issues like kids exams are taken into consideration,” she says.
Some believe that it is important to indulge in one’s passion to break the monotony of a regular job and have a sense of fulfilment. Riyazat Ullah Khan, a copywriter with Ogilvy feels that priorities need to be set straight to do things one likes. “We try practising on weekends or late nights when a show is under production and even bosses understand that theatre is an important part of our lives. So, with a little effort, things somehow work out,” he says. Saurabh Chauhan, owner of an interior design firm thinks working in his own set-up gives him greater mobility to attend rehearsals. “I am not just involved in acting on stage, but also in backstage activities like managing lights and sound for plays, which does not require me to attend practise everyday. So, I manage my business and still I am close to doing what I love,” he says.