Where’s my stage?

The first scene at a play on an evening at Nehru Memorial Hall at Camp.

The first scene at a play on an evening at Nehru Memorial Hall at Camp. The lights dim and a group of actors dressed in white cautiously step on to the stage. The tension builds,it seems like a storm is approaching. Then suddenly,the entire group of actors runs amok on the stage,screaming,flailing hands waving in the air and the scene announces the start of a chaotic period in a South Indian town of the 11th century. The audience,meanwhile,is suitably engaged in the loud goings-on,when something hair-raising happens. As the chaotic scene had begun and pitch was raised high,the mic,seemingly overwhelmed with the task at hand,gave in. Result an ultrasonic stream of distortion passed through,leaving the audience as well the actors shaken.

Pune city has an old tradition of Marathi theatre,one that’s today evolving into bolder territory of story-telling and narrative styles. English theatre scene,albeit stuck in a struggle to tear out of nascence,is trying to find a firm footing amongst the theatre-lovers. Sudarshan Rangamanch in Shaniwar Peth,Bal Gandharva Rangmanch on JM road,Nehru Memorial Hall (NMH),Yashwantrao Chavan auditorium in Kothrud and Bharat Natya Mandir have sustained the creative scene through the years. But most of them are multipurpose halls with sometimes inadequate green rooms,technical back-up to support the troupes and acoustics,as in the case of NMH,that are below par. So,is Pune missing that essential link in this picture a well-equipped,centralised play-house which can become the fostering point of all theatre talk?

Jitendra R Pawar of Niche Stagekraft,whose adaptation of Girish Karnad’s Taale Danda was playing that night at NMH,agrees. People would definitely want a good theatre space. There is only an elite section that is willing to pay a big price to watch plays in up-market locations, he says. Plays in the city are often fused with other events and are hosted in top hotels,which keeps a large section of theatre watchers out. It seems a bit scattered,how the whole scene functions here, says Sharanya,a writer and a regular theatre visitor. Sometimes,the same play would have weekly showcases in different,but not far-away places within the city. It would help matters if there was one hot-spot of sorts,where you could just go and be ensured of some play being on or meeting theatre personalities. Like how Rangashankara functions in Bengaluru, he adds.

Media professional Harsh Patil too feels that more centralisation will help plug the disconnect between audience expectation and theatres’ capabilities. Patil quotes Yashwantrao Chavan as being one place where watching plays is more enjoyable than anywhere else in the city. It has always been a joy for me. The ticketing is professional,plays usually begin bang on time,and infrastructural facilities are conducive to ensure a smooth act. Also,such a provision would help plays that have very specific needs in terms of props,lighting,and so on.

But Mohit Takalkar of Aasakta theatre group isn’t convinced of the premise of one theatre hub fully. Aasakta has showcased its plays in multiple locations throughout the city for years,and have taken them to Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai as well. I feel that the audience decides these things, he offers an explanation. The people are often lazy,unlike in a place like Mumbai; the ones in Kothrud will wait for a play to come to Yashwantrao instead of traveling upto,say,Bal Gandharva. It is a sad tendency in a place whose cultural calendar is more loaded than any other city in the country. But he concedes that building a theatrical culture around dedicated hubs helps in developing an audience. One needs to shape such a place,build the warmth,so that the audience is drawn in. Sudarshan is a wonderful place to be in,but I understand that people would mind sitting on the floor while watching a play there.

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories

Loading Taboola...