Curtain Raiser
Hi all! I am Vidya and as the name implies, I am an ocean of knowledge where education is concerned. Armed with six degrees in Psychology and Management (I am on my seventh now), I lead an ordinary life till the year 2004 – working in a regular job, with not-so-regular timings (don’t we all!!:)) and taking home a paycheck by the end of month..till one fine day..i got bored with it all and quit. Decided to follow my heart and did all things I always wanted to do, but never had the “time.” So took to hobbies like ceramics arts, dance, cooking, and most importantly, two forms of theatre. I was associated with Diana Tholoor Of Chrysalis and Playback theatre at the Script.

You and YT
December 2004 I got a call from Ranji, asking if I would come in to join the group. Initially, I wasn’t too keen on getting back to playback as I had already been a part of it and was not too taken by it. It has now been
three years since that call and since I have joined YT, and barring for dire emergencies, I happen to be the most regular person there (Next to Ranji and
Nandini of course!!).

Love scene (things you love in Theatre and YT)
The reason for being with YT ? Simple. YT changed my whole perspective of playback, of theatre, of acting, of what a theatre group is all about, what amazingly talented people we have, and still remain without a “star attitude”, what it is like to let go, be yourself..be as crazy as you want and still be respected for it and what…heck!! I could go
on..the list is endless!!!!

Moment of glory MOG on stage
At Ranji’s wedding performance, there was this fluid that I did. Ranji asked the audience what do you look forward at a wedding and someone said it was the food. I enacted whatever was the first thing that came to my head – Pretending to wish Ranji and Nandini a Happy Married life and then ending it by asking “whats on the menu”. To me, it seemed very, very simple enactment, but going by the laughter and the compliments from fellow YT’ians, I learnt that it is the most simple and spontaneous things that count on stage.

A conflict (in YT, in theatre)
Theatre requires a lot of discipline – Both on and off stage. I feel we at YT have a long way to go where that is concerned. Sometimes I feel I should intrude and tell people to follow the certain “theatre” codes that we have or that Ranji has mentioned, but then it is at the risk of being a spoil sport :)) (for eg: No playing the fool just before a show begins, instead conserve energy and be with yourself).

Blocking (things that you don't want changed in YT)
Barring for the little discipline aspect, there isn’t one single thing I would want to change and I wish with all my heart that the magic we share as a group remains.

Your NESS
An all consuming passion and commitment for what I believe in and like to do.

Complete the story: ….and vidya got up from bed and saw……
Another grey hair!!!!!:) seriously…(and in true playback "ishstyle"), the first thing that I envisioned when I read this question is a thunderous applause for YT!! What more can one ask for?:)

Inhibitions (what u have to overcome as an actor/ theatre person)
Flexibility, Focus on strengths and not weaknesses, Fun (to have lots of it), Freedom to let myself go, Fear of stage (I used to have this a
lot), Facing an audience – the thrill of it all!! (All in the “F” series:))

Moment of glory MOG off stage
Being stopped by a total stranger, she was struggling with two very heavy
bags of vegetables when she spotted me and crossed the road on the street, post the show at Guru Nanak and raved about the play “Shanthi Nilaya” and
the character of Durga that I played.

Best play you have ever watched
The Woman in Black – Staged at Chowdiah by a London theatre group,
a horror play. I slept with the lights on for days
after that:))

Your dream role would be
Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady.