Bhubaneswar, Aug. 1: Young theatre aspirants recently got an opportunity to hone their creative skills at a workshop where Probir Guha and Pradip Kumar Mishra were the mentors.

Around 45 artistes took part in a weeklong workshop, organised by theatre troupe Nandanik in association with the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, on Deomali Hills in the district.

The trainers gave the participants the freedom to explore their creative pursuits at the workshop, which helped sharpen their basic skills. Aspirants from places such as Jeypore, Sunabeda, Semiliguda, Damanjodi, Nabarangpur, Umerkot, Malkangiri, Kalahandi, Rourkela, Jharsuguda and Sambalpur took part in the workshop.

Guha, a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademy award, introduced the students to several acting methods, which included deep breathing as well as voice training.

"To become a theatre artiste, voice modulation is a very important aspect. So, an open-air situation works best to brush up the dialogue delivery skills," said the theatre activist.

Mishra advised the participants not to be complacent and take theatre as a learning process.

"Theatre is an effective teaching tool, and we wanted to make the workshop a self-building process for the artistes," said Mishra.

The workshop focussed on improvising body language, apart from boosting theatre production skills. The aspirants were also taught to overcome inhibitions and open up on stage.

"They have assured us to be a guiding force whenever needed. There are plenty of opportunities to learn about theatre in the urban areas, but very few people here get the chance. The workshop is a platform to give these artistes an exposure to garner and showcase their skills," said Nandanik secretary Saumendra Kumar Swain.

A number of cultural personalities such as literary critic and author Narayan Panda, poet Jaladhar Swain, district cultural officer A.K. Shetty, cultural activist K.C.H. Nisonko and folk art researcher Rajendra Parhi attended the event and interacted with the participants on various cultural issues.

The troupe has plans to conduct more such workshops across the state. They are also planning for a theatre production next month.