Partha Sarathi Mishra– Feedback on Level 1 Workshop (2025/2)
Email address: mishra.parthasarathi1@gmail.com
How can I not begin the feedback without mentioning that I had little belief but a half-baked interest in the class? I have taken classes, but I always struggled with sustaining any interest.
However, the suggestion came from Shatarupa, which I greatly valued. So, with that, I called Vishal and Ujani, and after a bit of back and forth, I was asked to decide after a round of interviews. I went and never looked back. Somehow, all my scepticism went out of the window. It was how everything was explained, but most importantly, the vibes, as they say.
Then came the first week. I was nervous and excited about how things were going to be. It all went out after the first exercise, where you were supposed to make a fool of yourself. I didn’t know if I could do it.
The bodily shackles that I had were tight. But they loosened up. More importantly, my mind loosened up. It was really something that encouraged people with zero experience to soak in. All the exercises and
lessons after that were just phenomenally excellent.
The diligence and individual attention given to each of us were extremely heartening. It helped me break even more mental barriers and improve at the craft. It wasn’t like boring lessons anymore; it was about loving the craft with fun. As an educator, I realised how important it was.
There were sessions of trust building, which were really intense, and after a really long time, I accepted the strength in vulnerability. It became my safe space, and as Vishal said, a safe space is not a conflict-free space but a space where we give each other chances to resolve the conflict.
As a behaviour researcher, I have seen these in monkeys and know we as humans can do this as well, but I have never experienced these finer details. This helped me channel my emotions, control them, and let them go. Such a superpower to have. It made me fall in love with the craft even further.
Each week, some exercises and performances built bonds among us. I will never forget the values of this school, which insists on being better humans to be better actors. I learned the lessons of respect, camaraderie, and trust, which cannot be taught. But techniques save your life on stage and make you calm on stage.
The things taught were so practical that they became second nature when the final performance arrived. Stage fright, yes, it will be there, but it is mostly before you enter. The techniques helped us have fun in our characters while on stage.
This Level 1 workshop is rooted in the word FUN, which many of us have forgotten, and to be honest, being a MISFIT, I don’t feel guilty about having fun. It was all thanks to Vishal, who took the vision of Ratan Thakore Grant’s.
Although I never met him, it is through Vishal that I could sense the amazing person he would have been and how many lives he must have changed.
To talk about Vishal, I take inspiration from him with his energy. His passion and dedication are infectious and inspiring. And that attracts the best people, and I found so many of them mentoring me just for the love of the craft. All the mentors and Vishal go out of their way to ensure you enjoy your work while having the best possible technical abilities.
If there were a visible before-and-after ad for the workshop, I would have nominated myself to feature in it, as I feel a radical change in myself. I take myself less seriously, to find people I love and be friends with for life.
If you are reading this right now and figuring out your love for acting and having a community you call your own, this is the place for you. No two thoughts needed.
Thank you for everything, MISFIT, for I have begun to believe in myself.