World Theatre Day: Checking the relevance of theatre in Bangalore

All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.”

Everybody connects to these lines by poet and playwright William Shakespeare. As theatre enthusiasts across the world celebrate World Theatre Day today, Bangalore is no exception. Just look up the events lined up for today and you will find a plethora of plays to be staged at almost every hall.

Says Arundhati Nag, the brain behind the theatre hub Ranga Shankara, “We are celebrating World Theatre Day for the sixth consecutive year at Ranga Shankara and we’re really happy about it. We have a special play Neenaanaadre Naaneenena? (Comedy of Errors), that speaks volumes about Shakespeare being alive in theatre. Though there is a day dedicated for avid theatre enthusiasts, we celebrate theatre almost every day.”

Ask her where Bangalore stands when it comes to theatre and she says. “I am very happy with the way the city has responded to theatre. I can see several acting schools, theatre houses like Jagriti and Kala Soudha coming up in the city which is a great boost. However, if we want to be the best, we need to work harder.”

One also finds numerous theatre groups by youngsters that are making waves in the city. Probe her about it, she says, “It’s a good sign, however, on the flipside, I want youngsters to learn the craft well before they get into theatre. One doesn’t become an actor by just delivering lines, he needs vigorous training before he starts off.”

An apt example here would be the theatre group Evam, which was started by two youngsters — Sunil Vishnu and Karthik Kumar. Be it hilarious accounts of things we encounter in life, or the serious side, they give the audience a taste of everything. Says Karthik Kumar, “When we started theatre few years back, there was an audience of 14 to 15 people who watched our plays. Today, metros like Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad have about eight to nine houses that are dedicated to theatre. With many people writing off theatre as passe, this proves that theatre can never die.”

Talking about the city, he says, “I think Bangalore is one of those metros from the south that has encouraged theatre in a big way. Personalities like Jagadish Raja and Arundhati Nag, who are literally married to the movement, have become an inspiration for us.”

Though the city is flourishing in theatre, Jagadish Raja of Jagriti Theatre points out that the city doesn’t have anything unique. “We had production houses from Mumbai who did several comic acts, while our city doesn’t seem to have anything unique.

Nevertheless, I am proud of playwrights like Ram Ganesh, Anushka Ravishankar and Gautam Raja who come up with excellent scripts. They are more of the ‘modern Indian boys of theatre’ today,” he says, adding, “Voices are being heard and theatre is definitely flourishing in our country.”