During our short conversation, Prajit Dhara—coordinator for the Department of Theatre—explained the working of the department before and during the fest.

The department organizes seven events across four genres — fashion, music, dance and drama. Five of these events are kernel or core events that form an integral part of the cultural fest and draw the largest attention. FashP is the premier fashion show event of Oasis. Street Play and Stage Play cover the two categories of drama events. Dance events are represented by two competitions—Street Dance (Hip-Hop) and Choreo (Contemporary dance). On the music front, the department organizes two non-kernel events, Pitch Perfect and Taarang.

The pre-fest work largely involves the selection of judges for all the events. This has proven to be a tedious task as it involves the running of complete background checks on potential judges to verify their credibility, experience and skill. In this period, DoT is also involved in shortlisting teams from the registration pool for the events based on video submissions of their performances. These performances are analyzed in depth and the top teams are selected for participation in the finals. 

During the fest, the members of DoT are busy with event management duties. Timely execution of the kernel events is especially crucial because of the cascading effect delays may have on subsequent major events. Management of these event involves team passport vetting, team registration, backstage duty, transportation and hospitality of judges, and impartial dispute management. Given the extensive work put in for each of the seven events, Prajit claims that the major challenge DoT faces in its work is members’ exhaustion over the five-day period and delay management. If the fest schedule is altered due to prior delays, the brunt of work in delay management is borne by organizers of events. 

This year, DoT worked with Sponz to rope in a new collaboration with Hip-Hop International, an international dance competition. Oasis’ arguably most celebrated event Street Dance will serve as the North Indian elimination, as participating teams seek to reach the finals of this international competition. The deal has served as a major incentive for top college teams across India, and is expected to improve the quality of competition. Additionally, Prajit mentioned that the department is continually working on improving the quality of events based on past experience and the implementation of new ideas. 

When asked to comment on the Oasis theme Neon Noir, Prajit stated that it was a ‘pretty cool’ theme and a ‘palate cleanser’ given the rather extravagant nature of the previous themes. He mentioned that the integration of the theme into their events was difficult because of the fixed nature of national circuit standards for kernel events. However, for Street Dance, the department is discussing the possibility of setting up a neon and dark battleground, with neon jerseys for participants.

Prajit said that his work as a coordinator has taught him how to be a better administrator and how to get a team to work in cohesion. He feels that the work environment is similar to that of a corporate setup, and it provides valuable insight into developing a  professional working attitude. In conclusion, Prajit said, “I wish the fest all the best, and I hope that all the participants and the people who come to the fest have a great time.”