Reason to Rage

Ask Shernaz Patel if she ever thought the theatre group she formed with Rajit Kapur and Rahul DaCunha would make it this far, and pat comes the answer, “Yes, I did! You may not count the years, but you never think it’s going to end.” 

2017 is Rage’s 25th year and the talented trio that helms it, say that the need to raise the standard of production and to explore new stories, were the reasons they got together. And the story behind the name? “It was actually given by Rahul Bose, who was one of the founding members and also acted in our first production Are There Tigers in the Congo?,” recalls Rahul, “We were out for dinner and we had been trying to think of a name for the company. He just said, ‘C’mon Ducksy (his nickname for me), let’s get moving, let’s rage!’ And the name just stuck.” And who are they raging against? “Well, after 25 years, the joke is that we have gone from rage to age!” he chuckles.

Friendship overrules

When three creative people manage to be together for so many years without any major squabbles, it’s noteworthy. “We’ve had our share of healthy arguments, but at the end of the day we are very close friends,” says Rahul, adding that when friends come together to work, they must establish that friendship overrides everything. For Shernaz, the very idea of working alone is depressing and has the last word on the subject when she declares, “We have our disagreements, but it’s like having one with a sibling. You know you’re not going anywhere!”

Being original

Over the years, it’s become inreasingly important for Rage to encourage original writing. “In the 90s, there was hardly any new writing in theatre and we realised that it is important to keep it alive,” Rajit states. India’s first festival of original Indian playwriting, Writer’s Bloc, was born out of the need to bring original writing to the fore. For Rahul, that is extremely important. “Because I’m a writer, I would much rather actors speak the lines that come out of this country,” he says. 

At the same time, Shernaz is open to trying out everything, because she believes there is some fantastic international writing out there. “Yes, our focus is to encourage new writing but I don’t think one should have this rigidity.

The main thing is to tackle good writing, whether it’s Indian or international,” she says. Rajit agrees, “We did Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie. We have been doing AR Gurney’s Love Letters for the past 25 years.

We might do a Shakespeare play two years from now, but it is important to keep the flag flying high as far as new writing is concerned,” he explains.

Play on!

Think of plays such as Class of 84, I’m Not Bajirao, Me, Kash & Cruise, Flowers or Pune Highway and it’s obvious that most of Rage’s plays have been quite memorable. To pick one or two plays which they truly cherish is difficult but given a choice, Pune Highway and I’m Not Bajirao are Rahul’s picks. “I achieved something with Pune Highway, a certain amount of technique and learning and I would love to revive it. I’m Not Bajirao broke a language barrier, but I don’t want to necessarily revive it,” he says. 

Love Letters is Shernaz’s personal favourite. “For selfish reasons,” she smiles, “I played one of the two main roles. It’s a beautiful play. Three-four generations have seen it,” she says. Rajit also picks Love Letters, for different reasons though. “It was the staging of this play that encouraged us to form our company. I give it credit to be the catalyst for Rage,” he shares, also picking I’m Not Bajirao and Flowers as landmark productions. “I will be revisiting the latter at the end of this year,” he reveals.

So, what’s next for Rage? “We are travelling a lot, so it’s wonderful to be taking our theatre to other places. But however much we move forward, we’re not leaping forward as an art form. There is so much to do. One step at a time,” Shernaz signs off on an optimistic note. Here’s to many more years of raging!

It’s a date! 

While the company was formed in 1992, Rage’s first production Are There Tigers in the Congo? opened on January 15 the next year. The date has since then proved to be a favourite with the trio as some of their biggest hits including Jesus Christ Superstar, I’m Not Bajirao and Class of 84 opened on January 15 as well. This year, they have a production of Siddhus of Upper Juhu on January 15 at Tata Theatre, NCPA.