Young professionals: A lasting passion for theatre

“All the world’s a stage” Shakespeare said. Performing theatrical plays is an art and a mode of expression. Not everyone can be at ease on stage. Despite their tight schedules, many young professionals dedicate time to their passion for theatre. Let’s meet these performers.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"8152","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-15185 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"218","height":"258","alt":"young pro chimene"}}]]My Dream… Chimène Dacruz-Valery: “My dream is to travel all over the world”

Senior Purchasing Agent at the MCB, and recently nominated as the 2016 Local President of JCI City Plus, Chimène Dacruz-Valery dreams of travelling the world. “My dream is to travel all over the world with my husband to discover new cultures, taste new cuisines, learn new languages and to discover the landmarks of other countries.

“Experiencing the spiritual life of Buddhism, visiting the Anne Franck Museum in Amsterdam, the pyramids in Egypt, Christo Redemptor in Rio de Janeiro, Machu Picchu in Peru, visiting the White House in Washington DC, working as a volunteer in Cambodge for a month, most dear to my heart are visit to the country of origin of my grandfather, Portugal, and meet my favourite writer Paulo Coelho and so many more.

For the time being, I travel the world through the writing of my authors and hope that my dreams will come true one of these days,” she shares.As the 2016 Local President of JCI City Plus, her dream is to see her Local Organisation sustain the work done so far by her predecessors and to bring JCI City Plus to new heights by achieving the objectives set for the year. “I do hope that by the end of 2016, I will have successfully lived the motto “Impact to Inspire” through the continuous sharing of the JCI Story, the use of JCI Active Citizen Framework to run projects, running of ACF workshop, and provide trainings that will enable people to create sustainable impact, through collaboration which is the driving force to expand our impact and inspire others,” she adds.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"8153","attributes":{"class":"media-image size-medium wp-image-15186 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"264","height":"300","alt":"young pro prema 2"}}]] [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"8154","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-15187 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"136","height":"155","alt":"young pro prema"}}]]Prema Ramdharry: “Has been enthralled by drama” 25-year old Prema Ramdharry works in the education sector and has always been enthralled about drama. For her drama is a creative and adventurous world and she always enjoys watching drama performances. “I learnt about a drama group recruiting new members on Facebook. So, I decided to try my luck and this is how I embarked on my journey. Being on stage is an exceptional and extraordinary experience. We are someone else, to be more precise, we become the character we are playing, and we feel each and every emotion of the character,” she shares. To date, Prema has performed for the National Drama Festival in English, Hindi, Bhojpuri and Creole Language. “In 2014, I won the Best Actress Award for a play in English. Moreover, our drama group, ‘Trinetra Arts’ won the Best Play Award in Hindi Language and Bhojpuri Language last year,” she reveals. She believes that the National Drama Festival organised by the Ministry of Arts and Culture. Drama should encourage more talents to come forward. It can be done by giving artists the opportunity to perform plays professionally in different regions of Mauritius on a regular basis. This will give Mauritians a new source of entertainment, thus promoting drama. Favourite writer: Danielle Steel.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"8155","attributes":{"class":"media-image size-medium wp-image-15189 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"293","height":"300","alt":"young pro bella"}}]][[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"8156","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-15188 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"136","height":"181","alt":"young pro bella 2"}}]]Bella Ramdharry: “Theatre is a representation of life” Bella Ramdharry, an educator, is a born artist. She became acquainted with drama during her university days, where plays were organized as a competition. “Though it was not serious at that time, nevertheless I began loving it. Real stage performances started after my university studies and now it has been five years since I have been participating in drama competitions and shows. I have always loved arts, be it dance or painting and drama was just as a co incidence. Theatre is a representation of life and it gives me inner happiness and self-confidence,” she avers. Her inspiration comes by observing people in her daily life. She likes challenging roles. If we have been committed to something, we must to fulfil it. Thus we usually rehearse during weekends and after work. I participate on a regular basis in national drama festivals, mainly English, Hindi, Bhojpuri, Creole language,” she adds. Favourite writer: Premchand.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"8157","attributes":{"class":"media-image size-medium wp-image-15192 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"253","height":"300","alt":"young pro ryan 2"}}]] [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"8158","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-15193 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"150","height":"182","alt":"young pro ryan"}}]]Ryan Krishna Appadoo: “I always want to play different roles” 29-year old Ryan works in the field of e-marketing but he is so passionate about the art field that he founded the Dream Art Academy in 2010. “At first, I started theatre as a hobby during my college years. Then I met Mr Raj K Bumma, one of the pioneers of Mauritian theatre, and I was lucky enough to benefit from professional courses in the field. Since then I have been passing on this knowledge to the DAA artists, to children of Mauritius and to all theatre lovers, but I never stopped learning the trade,” he says. He highlights that through his plays he is able to convey strong social messages. “I have been slowly stepping into the cinema world since 2013, with the conception of short movies. Unfortunately, among all performing arts in Mauritius, theatre’s not the star in the eyes of the general public. There are many groups and organisations which are doing their best to promote theatre in the island, but as long as there won’t be an adequate structural support for the field, Mauritian theatre will remain stagnant,” he confides. When quizzed about from where he gets his inspiration, he replies: “My inspiration comes from life lessons and stories! Meeting people, working with children, travelling, and learning from inspirational people. I have tried various kinds of roles - princes and kings, oracles and gods, beasts and clowns but I don’t have a distinct character type. I always want to play different roles as far as possible, he adds. The young man always finds time for his passion. “Unfortunately, seven days a week don’t seem to be enough for me to do what I love and how I would love to.” Ryan has participated in the National Drama Festival four times, National Youth Excellence Award twice (2011 and 2013), National Storytelling and Theatre Competition 2011 and MFDC Short Film Challenge 2015-16. Favourite Playwrights: Sartre, Molière, Beckett, Chekhov, Shakespeare, Wilde.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"8159","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-15194 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"259","height":"259","alt":"young pro christopher"}}]]Christopher Monneron: “I consider drama both fascinating and amusing” A legal advisor, Christopher Monneron has always wanted to be an actor in a play since childhood, when for the first time he watched a Shakespeare play on television. “It has been now one year since I have had the chance to meet the director of DAA who encouraged me to join the team. And I am happy to have made this choice. I consider drama both fascinating and amusing. Each time I play a role, I immerse myself completely in it and this never ceases to surprise me that I am able to become someone else. I still remember the first well known Mauritian drama, “Komiko”, that I have watched. It is a humorous drama played by many actors around Mauritius and it has contributed a lot to the Mauritian culture,” he reveals. In addition of being a fan of Shakespeare, he enjoys the watching one-man shows such as Kev-Adams and Jamel Debbouz. “Since I like being in the spotlight, leading roles are meant for me. For those types of roles, I however have to go the extra miles in order to excel in them. Since it is one of my favourite hobbies, it is natural for me to allocate some of my free time for it,” he adds. Favourite writer: Dan Brown.

5 Tips to Help Young Professionals Impress the Boss

• Be a Leader Within the Office The most liked and respected leaders are individuals who empowered those around them, a concept that you can start implementing even as an intern. Is the person in the next cubicle over struggling to grasp a task that comes easily to you? Instead of letting him or her flounder in order to make yourself look good by comparison, offer tips to your colleague so you can both succeed and the company can benefit (though don’t let your own goals be jeopardized by your readiness to assist others).

• Be a Problem-solver In most workplaces, the one commodity that is equal to money is time. That being said, every time you ask your boss a question, understand that you’re requesting a slither of his or her already overbooked workday. Most of the time, your superiors should be happy to help you navigate a new set of circumstances if it will lead to you increasing your capabilities and productivity. That being said do not use this as justification to request assistance every time you encounter a minor roadblock.

• Don’t Approach the Office Like School In school, if you do a good job on a report or test, you get a large, happy “A” on the top. In the workplace, if you do a good job, the reward is that you get to keep your job. While some bosses will implement positive reinforcement, the reality is that many office environments don’t regularly doll out pats-on-the-backs on a daily basis. It is expected that you will do your best day-in-day out, and for you to do anything less is a reason for concern.

• Handle Pressure and Mistakes with Grace No matter how talented you are, sooner or later you are going to make mistakes and miss deadlines. The real test is how you manoeuvre such situations. Always be honest with your superiors, do not blame others and do not try to justify the circumstances. Come prepared with a proposed plan of action on how you can remedy the situation and, more importantly, what safeguards you’re putting in place to ensure that the blunder does not happen twice. While you do not want to act nonchalant about the occurrence, it’s important to not let the error affect your professionalism or productivity; do not dwell on the gaffe and, as much as you can, try to let it roll off your back.

• Be Responsible for Your Own Growth The Internet is an amazing place that provides endless educational articles, listings of industry lecturers and networking forums. Don’t let your professional growth occur solely between the hours of 9 and 5; instead of waiting for your boss to orchestrate new training sessions or give you exciting new projects, take your own career development into your own hands by learning or strengthening a new skill and offering your services to your superiors.

Source: youtern.com