Theatre is live and immediate

Mukul Ahmed started his theatre career with The Half Moon Theatre, London. In 2007 he completed the Birkbeck MFA Theatre Directing programme. He has since gone onto direct a series of classics, new writing and play readings (nominated for the Amnesty Award). Mukul has participated in the Step Change programme successfully and Staff Directed at the National Theatre, England. 

Internationally Mukul Ahmed has directed Faust, Devdas and Three Girls from Shakespeare by Farrukh Dhondy; night, Mother by Marsha Norman; Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare; Black Moon; Sonata by Mahesh Elkuncwar and Oscar and the lady in Pink by Eric - Emmanuel Schmitt. Future plans include Olga's Room by Dea Loher and Roberto Zucco by Bernard-Marie Koltes in India.  Mukul Ahmed is the Artistic director of Mukul and Ghetto Tigers. 

How did you get interested in theatre? 

The madness that is theatre took hold of me as I went to the United Kingdom (in 1990) where I plunged into a career in theatre at the Half Moon Theatre.  Later on I completed the University of London MFA Theatre Directing programme in 2007.  
  

How would you describe your work to somebody- Do you have a style or a defining characteristic that runs throughout your plays?

I should state that my first and foremost obligation is to build a strong team even before I embark on the body of the work. I work from the premise that I know nothing!  The cast and the crew are the ones who bring their experience and talent with them to me. And slowly I handover the ownership of the play to the cast and the crew.  I consider myself to be the person who brings them together to create the magic on stage. Music (mostly live) plays a defining role in all my plays.

A big number of theatre and performance artists are producing new works and new modes of expression in order to dramatize the more current and urgent sociopolitical developments. 

Do you think local political theatre has any impact on what is going on in society?

Of course it does. Any form of art is deeply political. Hence political theatre agitates, provokes and reflects the sociopolitical developments of a given society.

Do you think in this world of hyper-digitalization, face to face interaction of art with audience has lost out to internet and its mode of communication?

Not at all. Theatre is live and immediate. It creates an unique human experience that no other form of art can do. The magic of theatre makes us realise the truth. People come to see live acting in order to be provoked, challenged and entertained.

                                                                                -  Mukul Ahmed

In your opinion, what are the most exciting developments in contemporary theatre today? 

Interactive performance, creating non-proscenium theatre, minimalism in expression and live streaming.

What advice would you give to people interested in pursuing a career i in theatre?

I don't consider myself to be an authority and I am not very comfortable in this regard. However, my humble suggestion should be - Dedication, Devotion and Discipline.