After being highly appreciated for her spectacular performances in three different plays, artist Pooja Lama is now making another theatrical comeback through the play ‘Chiso Bhanjyang’. Based on the English novel ‘Atonement’, the drama reflects the journey of the characters amidst social discriminations, jealousy, anger, and love struggles. It is currently being staged at the Mandala theater in Anamnagar, Kathmandu and will run until January 14, 2018. 

We will be witnessing Lama as the lead character ‘Garima’ in the play. Her character represents the three different phases of a lady, beginning from a child to a girl and finally an adult. In a short conversation with The Week’s Ashma Chhetri, she spoke about her personal preferences, inspirations, and value of theater in her life. 

Excerpts:

What made you want to pursue theater as a career?
As a child, I was always interested in taking part in various on-stage programs like poem recitations and speech competitions. But I never thought of doing something huge as theatre until 2011 when a workshop on drama and theater was conducted by Indian experts in the field. Fortunately, I got to be a part of it. Those sessions of 35 days brought about a lot of change and I became all the more passionate about it. Gradually, I began to practice at Mandala and here I am today. 

How was your first time on stage like?
For my first show, I was a chorus member in a costume of a simple black crow. I spent months preparing for that three-minute part. Even though I was not the main star, it was definitely an exhilarating moment. After all, performing in front of a wonderful audience who cheer for you is something any artist would love to experience. So, I was glad that at least I had made it to the live stage.  

What is the best thing about theater that inspires you to act more?
For me, theatre is a small and a different world created by the people involved in theater themselves. Here we enjoy and expose our feelings through our performances. It is also the platform that directly connects us to our audiences. One might think doing the same thing every day must be pretty boring. But every day is a chance to perform in front of a new set of audience and so it is quite challenging to maintain the same consistency in a particular role. This excites me more and doesn’t let me get bored of my job. It makes me want to hone my craft better and I’m always trying to find ways to improve. 

Which was your best theater experience?
I visited theater houses during my trip to Europe. There I got to see perfectly executed acts with flawless stage setups, outstanding actors, and above all the respect of audience for the theater house and its members. After the completion of every play, the performers were highly appreciated and given standing ovations. Observing the scenario, I was so overwhelmed that tears rolled down my eyes. I wish Nepal also have had more such audiences who would understand that theater is not just a play but a great form of art as well.

What do you love to do besides theater?
Besides theatre, I love exploring new places, experiencing new foods, and learning about new cultures. So, every year, I travel to different new destinations either with my friends or family. This short vacation break manages to relax me and prepares me to work harder in the upcoming days. Other than that, I also enjoy reading books. For all readers out there, the biography of Adolf Hitler and Murakami’s Norwegian Wood are the two books that I highly recommend you read.  

Tell us about your future plans.
I know it’s the New Year and you are supposed to have all these concrete plans about all the things you want to accomplish but I really don’t have fixed ideas about it. I just want to keep learning new things and trying to better myself as an actor. I hope theater flourishes in the years to come and will do my bit to make that happen. 

 
• determination