When I decided to pursue my Masters in Business Analytics in the US, I bid goodbye to all of my Bollywood dreams. I feared it was the end of my creative side. However, I kept hoping that if I could find a theatre group wherever I went, I might just be able to keep the actor in me alive. So, one of the first things I did after coming to Dallas was that I wrote to the Arts and Humanities department at the University of Texas at Dallas. My joy knew no bounds when Prof. Shelby Hibbs wrote back to me and invited me to audition for their upcoming production of Julius Caesar.
I started preparing for the audition with a lot of anxiety and nervousness. I spoke with my friend Deshik Vansadia, who is the most passionate Shakespeare artist I knew. He suggested that I work with Hortensio’s speech from the Taming of the Shrew. My personal favourite though was Romeo’s balcony monologue from Romeo and Juliet. I prepared for both and started waiting for the day of the audition with bated breath.
The day of the audition came sooner than I thought. While in the same university, the rehearsal hall which was in the basement was a bit tricky to find. Fortunately, I made it on time and saw some actors waiting outside a closed door. A couple of them were sitting on the carpeted floor reading through their lines, while others were chatting with the assistant stage manager who greeted me with a smile. Auditions were held in groups of four actors. I didn’t talk much except mentioning something about our voices to a beautiful girl who was awaiting her turn to audition too.
I was part of the last four actors to audition. From the moment I stepped inside the rehearsal hall to the moment I stepped out, I was taken back to the countless number of times I had been to auditions in India. This is when I met Shelby Hibbs, a person I shall forever be grateful to. Her pleasant persona and sweet smile made me feel at ease right away and I took a seat, awaiting my turn.
Two actors performed their pieces before me. I was feeling elated just to be part of the process again. When it was my turn, I walked up with little nervousness and a lot of excitement. I decided to go with Hortensio’s piece. Despite rehearsing the lines several times, I made some goof-ups. Shelby gave me some feedback and asked me to try again, which I did. I was able to achieve around 50% of what I had in mind. My impression of the audition was that it didn’t go well but honestly, I didn’t care about the result much at that point. I was just glad that even this far away from Mumbai, I was able to give an audition. In a way, it made me feel more alive.
The beautiful girl was the next to audition and just killed it with a monologue from Romeo and Juliet. We then said our goodbyes and goodlucks. I had a wonderful conversation with one of the actors who auditioned in my group, as we shared a bus ride. I got home satisfied with the evening, hoping to make it to the cast. A few days later, I got an email from Shelby with the list of cast members. My name was on it as the actor playing Trebonius.
We have now started rehearsals and the play opens on November 8, 2018. Thus, begins a new phase of Dilip, the actor.
Stay updated with activities of the play through the UTD Theare Facebook Page