Divya Bhatia, artistic director of Aadyam Theatre Festival, tells Shrabasti Mallik in the past few years there has been an increase in the number of amateur theatre groups and a proliferation of subjects and themes attempted by them
Tell us about this year’s line-up for the Aadyam Festival.
We have a diverse offering for Aadyam’s second season: an excitable and witty ensemble of clowns get together to attempt a play in I Don’t like It As You like It. Inspired by a traditional theatre form Tiatr,loretta is a lyrical and romantic musical set in Goa. ladies Sangeet has some lovely music and is a bitter-sweet tale of women in a family coming to terms with their situations, with things coming to a head at the bride’s sangeet. 12 Angry Jurors is a remarkable courtroom situation — intriguing and highly dramatic. Confusion and hilarious mayhem reign supreme in Chakkar Chalaye Ghanchakkar.
Was there any selection processIJ
We invited some theatre groups to come to us with their ideas and the plays that they wanted to do. There were also a few groups who approached us with texts. Some groups suggested more than one idea and after considerable dialogue and discussion with them, we zeroed down on the five plays you see in the programme. Two of the plays were scripted specifically to premiere for Aadyam.
Aadyam has always presented the best of theatre productions from all over the country. How has the theatre scenario developed and advanced over the years in terms of content, performance and outreachIJ
Generally speaking, there has been an increase in the number of amateur theatre groups and a proliferation of subjects and themes attempted by theatre groups. Pune, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Bhopal, Bangalore and many other cities have seen an increase in the number of theatre festivals as well. Theatres in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata even see full houses. But the quality of the work leaves a lot to be desired and there is little effort made to build new audiences for theatre... which essentially means that overall quality and ticket sales for theatre haven’t increased exponentially.
Aadyam is a recent initiative by the Aditya Birla Group begun precisely to address these challenges. This is just our second season and while we have been very successful, it would be premature to reference our effort with the theatre scene in the country.
Also, tell us about the activities that will precede every show. Where did that idea come fromIJ
Our effort attracts patrons who are often first-time theatre goers. The activities preceding every show are inviting and fun. At the same time, they are completely in consonance with the play that evening and set the tone for the experience. They charge the atmosphere with anticipation and excitement and gently prepare the mood of the audience... enriching the overall experience of the play for the theatre-goer. We also have post-theatre dinner deals under our Spotlight programme. For those interested, this means that they have a complete evening to look forward to. We were looking for ways to have the audience engage with the play before they even entered the auditorium.
Do you feel that the young generation is taking to theatreIJ What else can be done to generate interest in themIJ
Young people are certainly taking to the theatre, infusing the theatre scene with a fresh energy. But this energy needs to be channelised better for their benefit and for theatre. There are very few competent youth theatre groups who can absorb their enthusiasm. Apart from a “workshop” culture for young people (usually during vacations from school), we have few youth theatre company activities or schemes. Colleges seem to be the strongest centres for young people to engage with theatre... but the unspoken assumption is that once they graduate, young people cease to be “youth”... and then they have to make their way in the real world.
There are fledgling theatre schools coming up across the country who can take in young people — they struggle to survive and very few of them can afford good staff. These schools need to be supported. There can easily be youth schemes for the development and support for youth theatre groups. This will come aboutonce we realise how beneficial this could be for all young people, including the disenfranchised and marginalised.