Chhapra, June 12: If present-day drama is neglected, the age-old colonial policy is to be blamed, which has made us feel our art is inferior.

This was the view of theatre artiste and director Vandana Vashishta.

Vandana said: “Western drama has journeyed from the modern to post-modern to the new wave. Its growth is multi-dimensional but drama in India is stuck in the modern stage. Colonial policies made us feel guilty and conspired in putting our art where it is today.”

Vandana, a postgraduate from National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi, is here to attend the 15-day-long workshop organised by the district unit of Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA).

She said her passion for drama made her choose theatre and not venture into films. Theatre not only gives her the utmost satisfaction but also a sense of creativity and involvement, Vandana said.

The NSD alumnus, who is also a visiting faculty member at Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, said: “Today is the era of modern drama. This is the world of corporate culture where regional cultures have little impact. Here, each and every person wants to have a separate identity and existence. Time and space are all mixed up, as a person is engaged in various things at the same time. The advanced communication system and Internet has also provided the people with many options. So, we must experiment with the very structure of drama and we must bring about changes. The story of ‘self’ and ‘others’ has to be checked for the betterment of drama.”

Vandana, who runs a theatre group — Rang Virasat — has acted in more than 30 plays in different languages, including Spanish, French, German and Portuguese.

She told The Telegraph: “We have been moving in only one direction. But as the cosmopolitan culture is invading even the smaller cities, regional values will stand a threat. Everything will be enveloped in the cosmopolitan culture and everybody will vie for his/her own identity by preserving some regional practices, be it religion, festival or others.”

She also said the art of acting can only be perfected through training. “Some join theatre out of passion, some by compulsion and some by chance. But training is a must for all categories. Passion can lead to fine acting but if a person is not trained, he will falter at some point on the stage. Training does not allow to err,” Vandana said

At the IPTA workshop, Vandana is teaching participants the nuances and subtleties of acting. She said: “Theatre is a team work.”