India’s prestigious theatre event META looks ahead at post-pandemic storytelling

How did META support artists during the pandemic, when theatre artists needed financial and organisational support?

As a corporate that supports this art form, we were aware of the realities and our solution was to keep doing what we’ve been doing. In the last couple of years, when we were not able to hold the traditional META — because there was not a lot of production happening and no way a producer could present a theatre in the normal format — we made sure that we had a digital format. We presented plays and gave the honorariums that we would have under normal circumstances. Just by the act of presenting the plays, we were saying that the META platform was supporting the art form.

Has the budget for META been impacted because corporates are trying to make up for losses of the COVID years?

The management at Mahindra has been very kind and not impacted the budget at all. The money and the commitment remains the same. For 18 years, we have been unwaveringly stood by theatre. More than the financial commitment, it is a psychological commitment of META that has been significant.

One of the present difficulties has been the lack of staff, especially carpenters and tailors, among other supporting staff, as they returned to villages during the pandemic and took up other employment. How is META handling this gap?

The people we are working with are all happy to come back to work and do something that is productive and gives them joy. We have to acknowledge that the cultural calendars in most cities is overflowing. I was in Bengaluru for the Mahindra Percussion Festival 2023, and there were five different cultural events that were happening simultaneously.

How has the quality or storytelling changes in this META as the plays were created or revived after the upheaval of the pandemic?

It is a cliched statement that art is reflective of society but artists work with the situations around them. The 10 final productions have very topical content. There are stories of trials and tribulations as well as joy and the feeling of triumph. The stories give out hope and positivity as well as a feeling of resilience.

The plays that have made it to the final round of META are:

• Burn Out: An Assamese production, directed by Barnali Medhi and produced by Pardam Trust
• Chaai Garam: The play is by Nagaon, Assam-based Sahidul Haque and produced by Orchid Theatre. It is in Assamese, Baganiya and Gibberish
• Daklakatha Devikavya: The Kanna play is directed by Lakshmana K P and produced by Jangama Collective of Bengaluru.)
• Hunkaro: Pune-based Mohit Takalkar has worked with Jaipur-based Ujaagar Dramatic Association to create a play in Marwadi, Hindi, Awadhi and Haryanvi.
• Namak: Directed by Srinivas Beesetty and produced by Rangashankara, the play is in Hindi
• Lavani ke Rang: Bhushan Korgaonkar looks into the traditional form of Lavani in this HIndi-Marathi production
• Notion(s): In Between You & Me: This Delhi play in the English language is directed by Savita Rani and produced by Serendipity Arts Foundation and Rani.
• Nooramma: Biriyani Durbar: A Tamil play, it is directed by Srijith Sundaram and produced by Kattiyakkari and Srijith Sundaram from Chennai
• The Departed Dawn: A non-verbal play directed by Imphal-based Victor Thoudam and Bimal Subedi and produced by Ashoka Theatre and Serendipity Arts
• Via Savargaon Khurd: A Marathi production directed by Suyog Deshpande and produced by Aasakta Kalamanch from Pune

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