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Dinesh Yadav is Assistant Professor of Lighting Design and Technical Director for Theatre and Dance at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, USA. He is a designer and performer at heart. Further positions he holds are head of the OISTAT Lighting Design Sub-Commission and project leader of the Designers on Design webinar. In this interview in two parts, Dinesh speaks about his career and shares his passion for his work with us. This is part 1 of 2.
I was born in the Northwest of India. In a small village of only about 200 houses. Over the generations, mine was a family of farmers. My father was a teacher.
There was no inclination towards the arts in my family besides folk music. Which is a very strong element of our communities and daily lives.
I became a folk singer. And greatly enjoyed performing.
At first, however, my studies didn’t entail the arts. Instead, I did a MSC in chemistry. Followed by a PhD in chemistry as well.
It was during that time of intense studying that I met a couple friends who were in theatre. We started our own small theatre group and just ran with it.
During my MSC in chemistry, I also began to meet with IPTA, the Indian People’s Theatre Association. A deeply inspiring group of artists and writers.
So, you might say, my expansion into the world of theatre happened during my MSC.
I was lucky at the time, because M.P.S. Chandrawat was a teacher in my course of study. He was assigned to me as my chemistry career guide. Luckily, Mr. Chandrawat was an excellent mentor and never forced me to stick with only one subject. Instead, he allowed me to grow as an artist and as a scientist.
Mr. Chandrawat sent me to a national integration camp. There, I met students and artists from all around India. This event opened me up to new possibilities.
During my years at university, my interest shifted more and more. To the point where I decided to become a theatre artist.
However, in India theatre is not a profession. Rather, it is a part of life and culture. People will celebrate theatre and be a part of it. It will all happen, but in a non-commercial way.
Examples of commercial theatre groups are the Mobile Theatre Assam or Gujarati Theatre. But it is generally very difficult to get into these.
For me, it was important to build a strong base from which I could leap into the unknown.
I researched and found out about the NSD, the National School of Drama. Getting in is extremely difficult. They only offer twenty places throughout India. But once you get in, your studies are fully funded.
When I applied the first time, I learned what they were looking for. The basic requirements. And I decided to continue my education in chemistry whilst preparing for applying to NSD a second time.
Meanwhile, I got an appointment at college as a chemistry teacher. My family was very happy that I was getting settled and eligible to get married.
But after one year of teaching, I was accepted into NSD.
It was a moment of extreme turmoil.
My parents were more interested in me remaining on my path as a college professor of science and getting married. I, on the other hand, wanted to go to the National School of Drama. It was a life changing moment.
My interest in theatre was for the kind of performances I had participated in. Community and regional theatre. And their traditional practices.
But coming to the NSD widened my horizon. At the school, we were subjected to broad ideas. Directors from abroad came to teach us. As well as famous Bollywood personalities like Irrfan Khan, etc.
It was a diverse, international group of mentors and teachers. They were icons of acting, design, you name it.
Dr. Peter Cooke, Australian professor and director, became a close friend of mine while he taught at our school.
The NSD is a three-year residential program. It is basically a 24-hour theatre environment in the heart of New Delhi.
Then, as you step out from the school grounds after classes, there are arts events and venues and dance centers all around you. Modern art, traditional art, etc.
Imagine bringing a kid from a remote village in India and putting it into the heart of New Delhi, with all this support structure at his fingertips… The New Delhi cultural world is a place which can spoil you and nourish you all at the same time.
When I arrived there, it was my “do or die” moment. I left a decent life as a college teacher and risked it all. I knew I didn’t have a chance to fail.
For me it was also a time during which I got to know experimental work and contemporary art.
The first year is a general course. Then, you need to decide if you want to go towards design or acting.
I loved acting. But I ended up deciding to go in the direction of design. Because it was an area I hadn’t explored yet. I didn’t know anything about directing and theatre design before coming to NSD.
While at school, I kept getting drawn back on stage for every production we did. I was a good actor thus they couldn’t ignore me during castings. So, I ended up still acting a lot. But I also discovered a whole new world behind the scenes.
Most people at NSD want to become Bollywood actors. I realized I can always act when roles come my way. For my main future profession however, I wanted to be a designer and director. Being at NSD confirmed that more for me with every day.
We were introduced to international directors. Peter Cooke did design work with us. As did Martin Houghton and John Clark. Overall, we got to work with many directors from the UK.
As my studies progressed, I realized that there was something missing: to know even more about the Western style of working in theatre. So, I decided to apply to study and work abroad for a while.
In 2009, I got a fellowship from the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation. This enabled me to go and study at LAMDA, the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art. It was an MFA program, but I was only there for six months.
During that time, I got a very close look at how Western theatre works. In addition to being present for productions at school, I gave myself the challenge that after school I wouldn’t go home but see London. I visited almost every single place in London which holds any importance in arts and culture.
It gave me an incredible amount of exposure.
I was able to see about thirty big musicals. War Horse for example, and others. I went to the national theatre. At 5 am, I would wake up and stand in line for tickets.
After completing my six months at LAMDA, I came back to India. I had made up my mind that I’ll have my own company. That I would stay in India and work in theatre.
Links:
Dinesh Yadav on the OISTAT website
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Theatre & Dance Department
Contemporary Indian Theatre… And How It Developed Over Time
The Things You Should Know About Indian Folk Theatre
Liam Klenk was born in Central Europe and has since lived on four continents. Liam has always been engaged in creative pursuits, ranging from photography and graphic design, to writing short stories and poetry, to working in theatre and shows. In 2016, Liam published his first book and memoir, 'Paralian'.
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