Staging perfection

From its inauguration in 1994 to date, the auditorium has hosted more than 2,000 events including dramas, one-act plays, religious discourses, dance recitals, orchestras, magic shows, annual functions, felicitation, corporate events. At any given point of time, a 1,200-strong audience can enjoy a performance from the comfort of foam-cushioned chairs. Illuminated indices on the first aisle chair in every row guide late entrants. On a stage whose dimensions are 40 feet by 60 feet, artistes enjoy the freedom of space. The state-of-the-art equipment in the sound and light control rooms are well supplemented by intercoms and stage-to-control-room talking facilities. No place here for communication glitches!

The auditorium provides the artistes a backstage life which is as comfortable and convenient as it is under the arclights. From the glory of the performance-board artistes need not step down to the hard ground of green rooms 8211; the green rooms are carpeted and have ample storage and other facilities. The expenses of the auditorium are met by a reserve fund with a corpus of one crore rupees created by the corporation. Says S.M. Bodhani, manager, 8220;The auditorium is not a commercial venture, its purpose is to encourage cultural activities in the industrial township of Pimpri-Chinchwad.8221; True to its raison d8217;etre, a mural on the facade of the building portrays a wheel symbolising industrialisation from which emanate several hands. These in turn hold up tufts of clouds representing the ethereal quality of the fine arts.