The maturing of Ranga Shankara

Among the many significant theatre movements in the country is the establishment of Ranga Shankara Theatre in Bangalore. Its creation created a thriving theatre centre in the south of the city, away from the ‘posh’ Alliance and Chowdiahs. There is no question that the place has done magical things for the locality and theatre fraternity; providing a home for non-commercial work in English, Kannada and even Hindi, which has resurged in Bangalore thanks to the venue’s regular programming.

The building of Ranga Shankara, as it is commonly known, also heralded an era of ‘theatre building’. Everyone watched from afar as Arundhati Nag strived and struggled to make her dream a reality. By and large they watched supportively but also with a certain pessimism. But once it was built, it woke the fraternity up to the fact that building venues is a possibility. Since Ranga Shankara, there have been numerous spaces that have come up across the country. These are small spaces dedicated to non-commercial work. Akshara and Studio Safdar in Delhi, Jagriti in Bangalore, G5A in Bombay are all directly or indirectly inspired by the naiveté, stubbornness and blind ambition of Arundhati Nag.

This is not to say that Ranga Shankara is a perfect space. It has its own share of problems. In the building there is the silliness of the dysfunctional trap door and revolve stage. The foyer is huge, but for some reason has always retained a slightly impersonal atmosphere. The main space is not as cosy as its fellow small venues. If the house is not full, there is a faint echo that comes from the sound bouncing off the flat surfaces. The rake of the seats is very pronounced and to reach the last row, performers have to tilt their heads up to an unnatural angle. While it was built as a thrust, it is more a proscenium.

Yet strangely, the venue is slowly emerging as one of the most ‘modern’ venues in the world. In the west many old buildings, such as churches are being repurposed as theatres; and almost always they are converted to small prosceniums with a raked audience. So in a way, the Ranga Shankara was well ahead of its time. In India, in its role as a small proscenium, it is unique. Its grid allows for aerial work and scenery bars. The multiple lighting positions allow for excellent angles. And the large stage allows for grand sets.

Ranga Shankara has always been a well-intentioned building. It was built with the right idea, and the programming was aimed at providing audience interesting, arresting and a high quality of theatre. But any idea, no matter how well-intentioned, takes time to develop. Now, 11 years after it opened, the venue is finally finding its real place in India’s theatre environment. The programming is now incredibly discerning and not restricted to just the performances it hosts. Arts appreciation programmes, well-curated festivals for adults and children, and excellent commissioned projects like Boy with Suitcase have all lent it credibility.

This year’s festival focussed and showcased the work of directors under forty. As part of the ancillary programme, there was a round table discussion with these directors about their processes and where theatre was heading. The turnout was surprisingly large. Over fifty people sat in rapt attention for three hours as Anmol Vellani expertly guided the discussions. As a concept this was revolutionary. There are very few opportunities where directors from across the country get a chance to engage with other directors. We all ‘sell’ our plays to one another, and more often indulge in rant sessions about the common problems, but rarely do we actually engage in what excites us about the theatre and how we go about making it. This was fascinating, energising and informative.

The discussion was closed with RS’s commitment to continue this tradition as an annual feature. The festival culminated in the presentation of another Ranga Shankara initiative, the Shankar Nag Young Theatre Award, to a director/creator under frty. The first one was held last year and went to Abhishek Majumdar. This year, India’s greatest living playwright, Girish Karnad, flanked by the tour-de-force Arundhati Nag and India’s greatest social commentator Ramchandra Guha handed the award to the brilliant Mohit Takalkar. In that one snapshot, it summed up all that Ranga Shankara has achieved.