1 / 7Ali Fazal’s theatre journey began with A Guy Thing, written and directed by American playwright Michael Puzzo. However, his very first experience on stage was in boarding school in Dehradun, thanks to filmmaker Sudhanshu Saria. 'I remember holding on to the light on the steps of the famous amphitheater of The Doon School and being tasked with the all-important task of uttering this single line of dialogue – ‘You blithering nincompoop!’' Ali recalled with a smile.2 / 7Pankaj Tripathi’s first play was Leela Nandlal Ki, based on a story by Bhisham Sahni and directed by Vijay Kumar, an NSD alumnus. 'The story is about a scooter that gets lost, and the protagonist goes to the police station to file a complaint. I played both a cop and a thief. It was my first play,' he shared. Performing in front of an unfamiliar Patna audience, Pankaj was pleasantly surprised by their positive response despite his lack of training at the time.3 / 7Abhishek Banerjee discovered theatre in his school days but honed his craft at Kirori Mal College (KMC), Delhi, through the prestigious Players Society – the same group that nurtured filmmakers like Kabir Khan and actors like Siddharth, Divyendu and 'Years of avoiding class had resulted in low marks, and I wasn't sure what I'd do in life. But one day, as I anchored an event, an irritated teacher said, ‘You're only good for this.’ Others might get insulted, but to me, it was a sign! I got into Kirori Mal College through an acting audition – the same college as Amitabh Bachchan!' he recalled.4 / 7Richa Chadha fondly recalls her first professional play, Aur Kitne Tukde, which she performed in while she was in the 11th grade. Directed by Kirti Jain, the play featured seasoned actors from the NSD repertory. 'I was cast as an extra, which worked well for me because I got to observe amazing actors from the National School of Drama (NSD) at close quarters and learn from them. Also, I had braces, and it was a period play,' she reminisced.5 / 7Parul Gulati started her acting career at a young age but always felt a deep connection with theatre. She has performed in several plays and continues to train with her mentor Saurabh Sachdeva. Recently, she expressed her desire to produce a play, saying, “Theatre keeps me alive.”6 / 7Shweta Tripathi, who now owns a theatre company, found her love for the stage after watching actor Yashpal Sharma perform in a play. 'There was a scene on top of a train, and I fell in love with it. Another one was Graffiti, a musical choreographed by Shiamak Davar and directed by Roshan Abbas, which I remember vividly,' she shared. Theatre also gave her a lifelong gift – her husband, rapper Chaitnya Sharma (Slow Cheeta), whom she met through her stage journey.7 / 7Akshay Oberoi’s theatre journey started while he was studying at Johns Hopkins University. He later trained at Stella Adler Studio (New York) and Playhouse West (Los Angeles). 'Theatre is the place where I learned what good-quality acting is, despite the genre. Today, whoever I am, it is because of this place. I am grateful to have gotten this opportunity to fulfill my dreams,' he shared.