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The show must go on

Have plays become a meeting ground for P3Ps? Sangeetha Devi. K finds out...

ALL PLAY? The theatre fraternity is divided on the issue of an `elitist' audience

So, another weekend that was dotted with cultural events has drawn to a close. This time, we've been treated to two exclusive plays. For starters, on World Theatre Day, we aren't going to broach the long-standing debate of whether the audience for theatre in Hyderabad is growing or not. The audience sure is growing, but puritans aren't sure if the growth is in the right direction.

A page 3 affair?

Theatre is said to be driven by passion than by material trappings. But of late, the identity of theatre is witnessing a change with corporate sponsors stepping in. `Designer theatre' as some term this phenomenon, is incomplete without a five-star venue, a guest list comprising the swish set of society, and the choicest food and drinks thrown in for good measure.

"What's wrong with that?" asks actress Suchitra Pillai, who has to her credit a number of plays and a cameo in Madhur Bhandarkar's film Page3.

"It's tough to put bread and butter on your table by being a theatre actor. But when sponsors are involved and you stage a play at a five-star hotel and invite people from the P3 circuit, there is more visibility and we do get paid more. Moreover, such events help in introducing theatre to newer audiences. I've come to Hyderabad for Dance Like a Man and other plays and could sense that."

Theatre artiste Vinay Verma differs. "There is a sizeable audience that is willing to buy tickets and watch a play. The P3 crowd is not a part of this group. Many attend plays to be seen at the right place and the right time and eventually have drawing room discussions on the play. You rarely cultivate new audience by catering to this segment. Our repeat audience has consistently risen over the last few years," he says.

Pose these thoughts to Mohammad Ali Baig, who has brought select plays from across the country to the city in five-star venues, and he says, "You can make the best of plays available to people at affordable prices because of sponsors. And sponsors do target the crème-de-la-crème. Over time, we've had 60 per cent repeat audience." He draws an analogy from the times of yore when cultural activities were patronised by rulers.

"In a way, we've inherited this habit of seeing the upper crust patronise art forms. Theatre is meant for the intelligentsia. If some people watch a play because it's trendy to be seen there, I take it as fringe benefit."

Art Vs. commerce

"It's romantic to differentiate art from commerce but in reality, the two go hand in hand," says playwright Mahesh Dattani. "Even Shakespeare wrote many plays because he was commissioned to do them. Theatre has a huge following in Mumbai, but in Hyderabad it's mostly limited to clubhouses. A play's success depends on how skilled the production. Whether it caters to P3Ps or not is immaterial. I agree that we benefit because of sponsors."

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