Shanaya Rafaat is luminous as a feisty Helena in Tim Supple’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream which has catapulted her to the limelight. She remains largely unfazed by the buzz, “I think we aren’t directly impacted by the success except more people hear of us and we get a longer run.” When touring the UK, the spirited thespian was appalled by the number of people who told her she spoke English well. “After a while, I just started saying, ‘thanks, you speak it well too!’ The look on their faces was priceless!” Shanaya’s oeuvre includes Beyond Therapy with Thespo for which she was judged best actress and most notably Rehaan Engineer and Pushan Kirpalani’s adaptation of Hayavadana, among others. She’s open to acting in any medium as long as the work is challenging. What draws her to a project? Rehaan Engineer, she giggles, half-serious. The lady, who says her performances have been great learning experiences, will be out of commission for the next three years. Why? Drama school beckons.