Play for a cause

With the popularity of theatre waxing in Delhi, the causerati have taken to it with gusto. From creating opinions to raising funds, the stage is where the action is heating up. While WWF-India approached the theatre group Kalasmriti to create a musical, The Day Unville Found the S, CanSupport went for the star power of Naseeruddin Shah’s play Antigone. The Greek tragedy did not have much to do with tumorous cells, but as Geetha Raghavan of CanSupport vouches, “Tickets just flew off our desk.”

Prabodh, meanwhile, tied up with Five Elementz to present the wackily titled Gabbar Singh Files RTI at NSIT College, Dwarka, and landed a runaway hit. The story of the Sholay villain exposing bureaucratic corruption was peppered with oneliners and witticisms that had the young audience rollicking even as they learnt a lesson or two about the nitty-gritty of the RTI Act. “We now plan to hold a theatre competition on good governance before the general elections next year,” says Narang.

Coming up next month is Snap, a play jointly produced by the Poddar and Nanda foundations for an aid fund for cancer patients. The play is being directed by Vivek Mansukhani of Scene Stealers, who for the past three years has also been involved in making plays for the organisation Kids for Kids. Taab Siddiqi of Kids For Kids has been happy with her association with stagecraft: “Where does one get to see a good play? When an NGO supports quality theatre, it is guaranteed to be a hit.”

For theatrewallahs, the support of an organisation means they don’t have to scour for funds, permit, place or PR. “It also helps as a branding exercise. Working for a cause like the RTI Act is special,” says Rakhi Mehta of Five Elementz.

For the NGOs, it means a relatively cheaper but powerful medium to get the message across. “Theatre means a captive audience,” says Narang. “In a rock show, the cause is drowned in the din.” Kamla Bhasin of the NGO Sangat, which produced the period play Traitors, is forceful: “It is a more vibrant medium than an art exhibition.” Explains Monica Bhasin, co-founder of Hungry Heart, “In Traitors, written by Tripurari Sharma, the Revolt of 1857 forms the backdrop of a relationship between a British woman and an Indian man. It fit in with Sangat’s own stress on peace.” A single show, staged on August 8, Nagasaki Day, generated around Rs 4 lakh. Sangat now plans to take Traitors to Pakistan.

Talk about stage-managing issues.