Act II: Payback time

Neha Sahai

Theatre, an art form more than 2,000 years old... The most challenging, the most effective, the most fulfilling, the most riveting… Yet, those who love theatre and have given everything to it find it difficult to sustain basis just this.

When we see brilliant performances go without an audience, when 10-15 people come into an auditorium with a seating capacity of more than 200, it feels bad, very bad. The biggest names in Bollywood come from the world of theatre, but everyone has turned a blind eye to the stage. Because there is no money, there are no names. And because there are no names, there is no money. A vicious and never-ending circle. To try and understand the underlying thought to this, we dig deep, try to do a little dipstick and bring to the forefront certain basics as to what can be done to cut out a more feasible solution to the problem.

With myriad theatre groups flourishing in the urban spaces in India, and especially with corporate culture becoming more civilised lately, the opportunity to grow and follow your passion has come to the forefront like never before. We catch up with a few budding and some old theatre groups that started off as companies to push the art form to the forefront of society, what they have done to market it and sustain themselves and how best has it affected the art form.

Let me start with our own group, The Great Indian Storytellers that came together in 2010. Tired with the dull drudgery of life, we got together to stage our first production, with collections made across the campus and friends to fund the new production. With more than 10 productions and now an acting school and work before the camera as well, we have come a long way. The toughest job on this journey, however, has been to market the shows and let the audience immerse in live performances. This continues to remain the biggest roadblock, and this sentiment is echoed by other theatre groups across India as well as the lack of an audience leads to constraint of funds and sponsors.

However, all is not lost. In the past 10 years or so, theatrepersons have been showing innovative marketing. Apart from the regular posters and pamphlets distribution, new initiatives have been taken so as to be able to penetrate deeper into the audience set. Social media has played a big role in this. Theatre groups now screen digital trailers of their shows before other shows begin. Digital trailers of shows such as Mughal-e-Azam and Zangoora were promoted online. With Disney’s theatricals such as Aladdin hitting the floors in Mumbai and Delhi, the game is changing on an even bigger scale.

To top this, companies are now coming up with fests and bringing to the fore fresher talent. In 2017, Mukesh Chabbra, in association with TVF, came up with an unusual concept of a commercial theatre fest, Khidkiyaan, a four-day theatrical extravaganza showcasing talent from across the country. It had big names such as Imtiaz Ali, Kabir Khan, Rajkummar Rao, Richa Chaddha and the likes supporting the cause. All of this has also led to a lot of corporate support and initiatives being driven to market these events.

Disney’s entry into the Broadway theatre space has brought a lot of confidence to theatre actors that this can actually be a full-time career option. And tie ups with Book My Show and Paytm have actually started to pump the monies into this space. Promotions and regular updates have become a norm and with specialised apps/portals like Playmyplay and Hotstar’s Cineplay, which are pushing recorded plays across the audience set on television and social media, the game is seeing an ever-increasing base of content consumption and theatrical universe being expanded… And thanks to these initiatives, newer art forms of live entertainment such as Storytelling are coming onto the anvil. The best example would be Roshan Abbas’s Kommune, a community of storytellers.

When I started doing theatre in school, it was for nothing more but fame, lights and recognition for my acting. Little did I know that it would become my calling. With so much happening in this space, I am sure this decision to stay on the stage is just beginning to pay back. Look forward to more and more audience walking in very soon, and giving us more and more full houses!