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Photo: V.V. Krishnan

Full Force Theatre director Arvind Gaur readies for the coming summer festival

With the lack of infrastructure and few funds, theatre continues to be an uphill task. But Gaur has succeeded in producing a generation of actors, staging spectacular shows and making a social impact. With theatre running dry after the winter festivals, Asmita has been filling that space with an annual Summer Theatre Festival, starting next week.

Anton Chekov, Mahesh Dattani, Dario Fo, all have a place in Asmita’s repertoire. Does the director have a favourite playwright? It would be an injustice to name one, he says with a laugh. But he adds, “Mahesh Dattani is extraordinary. He’s written in English. But his content is very Indian. He writes in a familiar language and not British English.” Girish Karnad he likes for being a classical playwright.

The group has also balanced staging iconic plays in the proscenium with conjuring acts in a street space. Sipping limejuice at Sri Ram Centre, Gaur explains that there is little difference between the two. “In street plays we go to the audience. In the proscenium, the audience comes to us. The difference is in the craft and not the content.” He clarifies however that a 15 to 20 minute nukad natak creates a far greater impact and requires more work.

Stroking his beard and memories, he recalls that “Hamari Kahaniya” and “Zara Hat ke Bach ke” have been his most powerful plays. The first was performed around 10 years ago when the factories of Delhi were forced to shut. It dealt with the labour movement and the fight for minimum wages. Gaur recounts that the play was staged at the gates of factories and in the bastis of labourers. The play helped to create a platform for other human rights organisations to take up the cause of labourers. Gaur similarly feels that “Zara Hat ke Bach ke” on road safety is an important play for our insensitive times.

This teacher-director has worked largely to increase levels of sensitivity. He recently staged Anton Chekov’s “The Sneeze” with visually impaired children. Gaur has worked with such children, since he was a student, first as a reader and then as an exam writer. “I’ve never felt that we must give them sympathy,” he says, adding, “We are all so illiterate. We don’t realise that they might have light perception, or might be aware of distances.” He feels that while society has not given them a space, they can create that space on their own.

ASMITA SUMMER THEATRE FESTIVAL

17th and 18th May: “Operation Three Star”

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