The pandemic-struck live art performances seem to have found new lease of life on digital mediaA fight for survival

Neha Saini

The year 2020 has been devastating for many reasons, a worldwide pandemic being on the top of the list. But this year has had a devastating impact on art forms that survive on live acts, especially theatre. So, a few in the fraternity have come together to support and sustain the continuity of theatre and those whose livelihood has been affected due to the pandemic-driven lull.

Stalwarts of theatre from the region, including Kewal Dhaliwal, Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry and Dolly Ahluwalia, have joined their peers from across the country in providing theatre a common platform online. Joining hands with Coconut Theatre’s ambitious initiative called Chai-Wai & Rangmanch – 2020, these eminent theatre personalities from the country are engaging a global audience and the interactions not only include theatre artistes but also people behind the scenes.

“Indian theatre has the minimal support from the audience, corporates and other bodies compared to Bollywood, sports, music and other digital entertainment platforms but our efforts to reach out to a wider audience has showcased phenomenal results during this pandemic. Indian and international theatre fraternity appreciated the initiative and series of sessions. The objective is to connect the entire theatre fraternity locally and globally, to emphasise avenues of learning and career building. Our vision is to achieve 100 sessions before July 31,” says Rashmin Majithia, MD, Coconut Media Box.

The Chai-Wai and Rangmanch sessions on Coconut Theatre’s Facebook platform have presented nationally acclaimed artistes, including Makarand Deshpande, Kewal Dhaliwal, Mahesh Dattani, KK Raina, Lillete Dubey, Rakesh Bedi, Saif Hyder Hasan, Asif Ali Beg, Suchitra Pillai, Rita Ganguly, Bansi Kaul, Manoj Joshi, Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry, Satish Alekar, Dolly Ahluwalia, Rohini Hattangady and Nadira Babbar.

It has also held sessions with global theatre and performing artistes from Australia, South Africa and the US. Its July sessions include a line-up with Balwant Thakur, theatre and Bollywood actors Sonali Kulkarni, Rajpal Yadav, Rajat Kapoor and Adil Hussain and writer Ranjit Kapoor.

One for the folk

In a similar attempt to support local theatre and folk forms, Kewal Dhaliwal too has come up with an online platform, supported by theatre and culture bodies, to feature folk artistes, who need visibility to survive. His initiative recently presented an engaging session with folklorist Noorzora, who is among the few Nachar artistes in Punjab.

Nachar is a form of folk dance that is performed by men dressed as women. Noorzora, whose real name is Zoravar Singh, is a post-graduate scholar, who also has been training aspiring Nachar artistes.

Going Live

Prabha Khaitan Foundation and Majha House have joined hands to help artistes through this difficult time. Lockdown Live is an initiative wherein local artistes are not only given a platform to showcase their talent but also provided some financial support.

After a round of successful shows in Rajasthan and Gujarat, the initiative has come to Punjab through Majha House where the musical chapters are being curated by Gurpartap Khairah, associate professor in English at Hindu College, Amritsar, and member, Majha House. In this series artistes are invited to perform live on the Majha House Facebook page from where they perform live.

“The programme is aimed at promoting regional talent in the fields of singing, dancing and recitation. This series has given performing space to local singers,” says Gurpratap.