Trends Bangalore’s theatre scene is seeing a vibrant revival, but enthusiasts crave better quality says RESHMA KRISHNAMURTHY SHARMA

Stage is set Theatre in Bangalore is good but has enough room for improvisation; this comes out as the general consensus amongst theatre lovers

Watching a good play is akin to a rejuvenating experience for many an avid theatre lover. Over the years, theatre has successfully evolved itself and today Bangalore’s theatre scene finds a sizeable audience including the young crowd, who are a s comfortable watching a play, as they are spending time in a café or at the movies. Has theatre become the latest entertainment option?

Acknowledging it to an extent, well known theatre personality and film–maker, M.S. Sathyu says: “Theatre has started witnessing new sects of audience in the form of youngsters who would prefer watching a good play to a boring movie in a cinema hall. A play, according to many, is anytime better than television soaps.”

Today, however the dynamics of theatre in Bangalore works slightly differently from what it was a few decades ago. Kannada theatre groups lament that English theatre gets corporate sponsorships more easily than a Kannada play. Yet they are not dejected as long as the theatre scenario promises to perk up.

Well known stage actress and playwright, B. Jayashree says: “One thing that distinguishes Kannada from English theatre is that on an average it is very difficult to find English plays putting up consistent shows, whereas Kannada plays run for a number of days, with the objective of reaching a wider audience. And ultimately we do find there are people to watch them. Even now if we were to stage the old play ‘Sattavara Neralu’ we know there are people to watch it.”

Pointing out the willingness of youngsters to enter the world of theatre, she adds: “Whether it is backstage or acting, I am glad young people are entering the field. In fact whenever one tells artistes outside the State that you are a stage actor, they jokingly say we are involved with plays all the time — ‘Kar Natak’.”

Is Bangalore’s theatre scene vibrant, compared to other cities? M.S. Sathyu says: “While theatre here may not have evolved as much as in Mumbai, where the number of plays is much higher, the Bangalore theatre scene is any day better than Delhi, where theatre is a seasonal activity.”

Akhila. H, an architect and a keen lover of theatre says: “One thing that is welcome when it comes to Bangalore’s theatre scene is that there are production houses from various cities like Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi that come here and showcase their plays, adding much needed variety. However I do feel there should be a lot more Kannada plays. More people should write good plays and showcase them to boost quality.”

Theatre in Bangalore is good but has enough room for improvisation; this comes out as the general consensus amongst theatre lovers. As Hirianniah Haranahalli, a stage and television actor observes: “There is a lot of experimentation in production. However one thing I do notice is that earlier a play would get publicised and would have run for seasons together. Today directors and theatre groups are taking to different kinds of publicity to get audiences, yet very few manage it on a continuous basis.”

One can sense the keen interest in Ajit Hande, who’s been in theatre for a decade, in having qualitative plays in Bangalore. He remembers one of his favourite plays.

“I happened to watch ‘Palangal’ some time ago though I must admit, I do not understand a single word of Malayalam. Yet, the play was amazing. It proved yet again that good plays could be staged without loud sets or costumes, and with strong scripts. For me theatre in Bangalore is in the reformation stage. More plays that really connect with the audience should be staged and meaningful theatre should happen,” says Ajit.

Most theatre lovers — those working in the medium and those who are lovers of good plays — stress on having more number of quality theatre spaces in the city.

Here’s hoping that we soon have the tag of ‘Theatre Capital’ for Bangalore.