Artistic Space

Theatre is an audience dependent art. No one watching, equals to no theatre happening. But the more 'experimental' (read non-commercial) you are, the less the work is being created for an audience and more out of an artistic impulse. The big challenge for theatre wallahs, is often finding playgrounds where these impulses can be explored.

Over the years there have been many such laboratories, especially in Bombay. The Bulabhai Desai Institute was a place where artists met, exchanged ideas, argued, rehearsed and performed for an audience. And while audiences remember the Napean Sea road space fondly, its greatest contribution wasn't the 'bums on seats', but the development of ideas when an F.N. Souza would meet with an Ebrahim Alkazi.

The Chhabildas Movement was another such initiative. Starved for spaces where ‘rough’ theatre could happen, Satyadev Dubey, Arun Kakade and many others began using the barely functional school hall to mount some of the most breakthrough plays we have ever seen. Vijay Tendulkar, Mahesh Elkunchwar, Sunil Shanbag would not have existed without Chhabildas.

There is a huge benefit to small auditoria such as these. Performers aren't under the pressure to put a thousand people in the audience, freeing them from commercial considerations, thereby allowing for greater artistic exploration and integrity. New ideas can be introduced, some that may not be palatable to a commercial audience as yet.

Sadly both spaces closed down, and the city lost two gems. However, they inspired numerous others across the country. These modern cultural hubs are important not only for their main performance spaces but also their rehearsal rooms and cafes that allow the incubation of ideas; and more importantly accessibility of the artists to the audience. At Prithvi Theatre for example, it is not unusual to find Makrand Deshpande continue Satyadev Dubey's grand tradition of chatting to audience members or budding thespians in the cafe. Unfortunately today many of these spaces are threatened by various forces.

The last few weeks in fact have thrown up palpable threats to three incredible spaces: 1. Akshara Theatre in Delhi has been around for almost four decades. The 100 seater subsidised auditorium has been the starting point for many Delhi theatre groups. Currently it faces its biggest threat yet: lack of funds. The space has resorted to crowd-funding to ensure that its electricity bills can be paid, and that it can continue in this new age of commercialisation.

2. Lamakaan in Hyderabad has been facing issues from the local municipal council. The notice has cited ridiculous reasons like excess traffic, lack of parking, and even 'women smoking on the premises'. For the time being they have averted the 'shut-down order' thanks to huge public pressure, but the next attack might be on its way.

3. Darpana in Ahmedabad faces the toughest challenge. The beautiful open air space on the banks of the Sabarmati is no longer usable because of the newly 'developed' road that has come up right behind the stage. Some level of sound proofing is a must, and a building of a wall seems a necessity. This will rob the country of one of it's most picturesque performance venues.

Other spaces like Adishakti in Pondicherry fought off cyclone damage, through individual donations. But even a space as established as Prithvi Theatre has had to fend off numerous attempts to shut it down. Haute Haveli in Andheri was not so lucky. The new space, which had just begun to take off, got caught in a political turf war and had to shut down after barely a year in operation.

In an era of full-houses and higher ticket prices, these smaller spaces become an oasis for theatrewallahs to challenge each other and themselves.

They are the hearts which pump artistic blood into the rest of the venues — commercial and otherwise. We need to treasure them, and have a lot more of them. Initiatives like the Hive, the Jeff Goldberg Studio and Cuckoo's Club in Bandra are reassuring signs that there is still incredible drive among the artistic community to find and develop incubator performance spaces; spaces that can be accessed by all and are subsided enough that the play doesn't need to put an 'item number' to make the balance sheet work. One can only hope that these and others develop into the next Chhabildas or Bulabhai Desai Institute. It might be a pipe dream, but then isn't that the strength of theatre people - to dream the impossible dream.