CHENNAI: They play with shadows and UV lights to showcase dramatic images on screen. With more than 150 members, this young team of engineering graduates and engineers-to-be from Crescent Engineering College form the variety group Crescent Team Dramatix (CTD). Till 2007, the team focused on mimes and similar acts. But post 2008, they formed a variety team and began developing dramatic concepts with audio tracks.
“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs. For the past three years, we have been productive and participated in several shows,” says Mohammed Ibrahim A. Why UV shows? “We are engineers and wanted to do something out of the box. Variety shows were getting monotonous and we wanted to incorporate technology,” says Ibrahim.
Recollecting their first performance at their intra-college cultural fest ORION, Afzal Faiz says, “We started with a normal act just like any other college team. Now, we are a bigger group working hard to be the best.” Members of the team are from different disciplines of engineering like mechanical, civil, CSE, ECE, EEE, IT and EIE. But going by their slogan ‘Engineers by Profession, Entertainers by Passion’, it’s obvious they share a passion. Says Mohammed Thabrez, a member of the team, “Everyone here has a unique talent. But our passion to entertain brought us together.”
The team rehearses in darkness through the night. “Our rehearsals start at 10 pm and go on till 4 am. Since we are from different departments, it’s difficult to get everyone together. But we use the time we get effectively,” explains Shivanesh.
How do they juggle between their passion and academics? “We never juggle. We work passionately for CTD and manage to scrape through our exams,” quips Abdul Hakim.
The team participated in two reality shows — India’s Got Talent (IGT) in January 2014 and Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega in June 2014. Mohammed Jasim shares, “IGT was the first big break for us. Though we qualified for the first round, we couldn’t progress after that. But we came second in Entertainment Ke Liye and won the Entertainers of the Day and Entertainers of the Week. Though we were eliminated at the quarter finals, it was an incredible experience, and a memory we will cherish forever,” he smiles.
Their performances revolve around trending social issues and day-to-day occurrences in their lives. “Our theme is mother’s love and the life of every mother. It is emotional and very close to our hearts,” shares Ziyaul Huk.
With their bag full of awards and accolades, the team is now working on specialised programmable lights. “We are the first team from South India to do this. And we’re looking to come up with new concepts and technical ideas,” shares Vinoth Babu..
To view their work, visit www.facebook.com/crescentteamdramatix/