The Drama School Mumbai has been very fortunate to bring together quality faculty, rigorous acting & theatre training, and a strong level of design thinking to its curriculum. This has resulted in many successful alumni, and a strong word of mouth, all based on the transformative experience students have had during the courses, which has built our reputation.

Organically alone, last year, 3000 students from 43 cities across the country expressed a strong interest in joining our flagship program.

But the barriers to entry are steep, and Ekalavya was conceived to remove the gates to quality and best acting training that Drama School Mumbai provides.

To illustrate this, from the 3000 expressions of interest, only 132 applied, out of whom only 100 came to auditions. Out of these 100 individuals,  50 did not make it to the second round due to a lack of exposure. From the 20 who were finally selected, 5 were unable to join, despite getting part scholarships, because of a combination of lack of funds, parents’ concerns about a career in acting, and the cost of living in Mumbai.

These drop-offs are not purely financial, they are also psychological and social.

How can I become an actor? Am I talented? Do I have it in me? Can I afford it? 

Imagine, if all of those 3000 people could be touched by the experiences of participating in theatre if all 3000 could get one step closer to being better human beings. If 3000 people could be put on a journey which starts at their doorstep and ends at the Drama School Mumbai?

Our dream for Ekalavya is to discover, not just 3,000, but 30,000 new voices each year – new talents – and gives them the means to develop both personal transformations, and build the fundamental skills and understandings for theatre, with which to pursue a career.

The importance of reaching these participants has a fundamental belief that drives it.

We believe that theatre makes you a better human being.

People who are interested in it, have discovered their creativity, their humanity, their understanding of the world around them, their interest in storytelling, and in creating the joy of a shared experience. People who participate in theatre discover teamwork, listening, and empathy and in every way become better members of a community.

Imagine helping create 1,000s upon 1,000s of people like this!
This is why we created Ekalavya.

Ekalavya: Act, Create, Communicate

India’s best online acting and theatre training platform, an initiative of Drama School Mumbai (DSM). DSM is one of the best acting and theatre schools in India. At Ekalavya, all the courses are designed and delivered by highly trained DSM faculty and industry professionals. Currently available courses are Breaking Open Characters, Mastering Monologues, Expressive Voice and Speech, and Expressive Body.