Play Lab: A Theatre Intensive Workshop in Bangalore by Dramawala

Play Lab: A Theatre Intensive Workshop in Bangalore by Dramawala & Meeraqi

Meeraqi presents Play Lab: A Theatre Intensive Workshop in Bangalore by Dramawala on 3rd and 4th of March 2018!

After a successful edition of Play Lab in Mumbai, Dramawala comes to Bangalore with its highly acclaimed theatre workshop Play Lab.

This 18 hour workshop will be intense and exploratory.

• Play Lab Theatre Intensive Workshop is designed to initiate performing artists from all backgrounds to come to a room of preparation where they use the medium of theatre making through a structured guidance based on body and mind training in the contemporary time. The idea is to explore different elements of emotions and nature in connection with the performers’ memories and imaginations through body and text.
• Play Lab Theatre Intensive Workshop focuses on preparing the body and the mind jointly through its first session of the day by relaxing the performers mind yet keeping the body warmed up with used of breathing techniques.
• In the second session performers are asked to participate in an open improvisation where they explore their imaginations and learn to connect to the other beings in the room through deep observation and understanding. It ends up with a trust galaxy game as Play Lab Theatre Intensive Workshop takes a break.
• In the third session the performers are directed to sit around a table for reading the selected text as the directorial guidance is given to all so that everyone is able to focus on the form of the performance and tries to understand the basics of the character and the situation building.
• In the fourth session Play Lab Theatre Intensive Workshop finally moves into the improvised performance blocking through explorations in the given space and time. The idea is to initiate the performers in breaking an expected image of memories or imaginations into something unexpected and unexplored within their own expression as they find another truthful moment in the text.

This intensive workshop is open to dancers, musicians, actors, art enthusiasts or anyone who wants to understand intention and emotions through a series of cathartic exercises.

Mia Maelzer is an incredible artist, film/theatre actor, and film acting coach. She lives and works in Mumbai.

Meeraqi is absolutely thrilled to have her as the guest resident for the Month of March.

About The Facilitator: Mia Maelzar’s Theatre & Film Career

Theatre:

Mia Maelzar is an actress who has been working cross-culturally across continents for the past 18 years. She is the leading face of many theatre groups from Bombay and Delhi and has performed in festivals like BRM, Prithvi Festival, Ibsen Festival, Kala Ghoḍa, Tata Lit Fest and Times Fest, Shakespeare Society Kolkata among many more.

Mia has directed, performed and produced 3 of her solos that can be found on YouTube by the name of Mia Maria, Finding Fathima and Black Birthday. The last title is not on YouTube at the moment.

She has worked under theatre legends like Badal Sarkar, Ariane Mnouchkine, Robin Das, Rita Kothari, Tripurari Sharma, Hema Singh, Ila Arun, KK raina and Shantanu Bose just to name a few.

Films:

Her films have travelled to Cannes film festival, Berlin film festival, IFFI Goa, Jaipur film fest, BFI London, Madrid international filmmakers’ festival, nominated as the best actress in the leading role for the film Tick Tock in Nice film festival ’16. She’s worked in films like Shaadi ke side effects, Target Kolkatta, Devi, A night long Nirvana, etc.

In 2018, the films she has finished include an Oscar awarded director Majid Majidi’s first Indian film Beyond the Clouds. Apart from acting in this major film, she has been an acting coach and a casting assistant to Honey Trehan for the same. Her other films for this year include Tikli and Laxmi Bomb and Ek betuke Aadmi ki afra raateiṅ as the lead with Adil Hussain. She is also the leading actress in a French film titled The Field by Sandhya Suri whose script got a mention at the Sundance Script Lab.

Education:

Mia is an ex national level athlete who topped the Calcutta university and also graduated from the National School of Drama as the topper of the actor’s solo ’16.

New Delhi: Mia Maelzer, who is a junior national athlete-turned-actor-cum-theater set designer during a personal interview said, Ila Arun saved me from casting couch.

“Ila Arun who is an amazing actor, a known singer and above all is a woman. She has seen the industry so closely she knows so many people and she knew the things that I can’t even imagine. She didn’t just mentor me and helped build my career but she also saved me for casting couch.” Said Mia about Ila’s utmost contribution to her career.

She further said about her experience with the mentor and how she is an important part of her life. I know her from before my days at National School of Drama (NSD), she was the one who mentored be even before NSD. Whenever I am making any career decisions I always go up to Ila Arun for her opinions, and her mentoring and support is a privilege that I have earned. She listens to the things that I have to say and she guides me with her experience like my mom would have if she were a part of the industry.”