'Theatre should be a part of policy making'

Mysore Shrinivas Sathyu, better known as MS Sathyu, has worked in theatre for 60 years, and began as a set designer in 1952. A Padma Shri awardee and best known for his directorial venture 'Garam Hawa', 85-year-old Sathyu talks to Preksha Malu about the theatre he knew and now sees.

How has theatre changed according to you?
Mumbai still has an active theatre scene but in cities like Kolkata, it has diminished. Theatre is considered a free service and people should not expect money from it. These days, people are more money minded. People are still queuing up for language based theatre in Mumbai, and Marathi theatre is the more professional one that also travels to places, which is not happening in other languages.

Theatre is not considered commercially viable, your views?
It is not. People are not investing in production and ticket rates at big places have become steep. Publicity and promotion have become expensive. It is difficult to have a show at places like NCPA which cost around Rs2 lakh per show. Even corporates sponsor shows that are beneficial for them.

What can be done to revive theatre as a movement?
Regularity of shows is required to build an audience. Theatre should be able to pay. More repertories are needed in the country and that is where the Sangeet Natak Akademi has failed because its their job to create additional national repertories. Theatre should be a part of policy making. Unless the state or corporates help, the theatre movement cannot be revived; we need more affordable theatre.
Rangshankara in Bangalore which is owned by theatre people is a good example. Rent is cheap and it has good capacity. They do not get grants and their monthly expenditures are paid by corporate offices who garner publicity too. They work for profit, but also for prestige.