INTERVIEW WITH MITHRAN DEVANESEN

We have a much younger audience coming to the Theatre today. We also have the regulars who have been with us over the years. I think the reason for this is that the Cable TV generation is fed up with Cable TV. Also, any live entertainment attracts a crowd. Younger people have a lot more money to spend today.

In Chennai, a full-time Theatre career is a dream. Theatre doesn't pay here. The cost of production is so high here, mainly because the theatres are not well equipped. So by the time you add your lights, set costs, storage costs, rehearsal costs, you have a huge amount. I've calculated that for every Rs. 100/- ticket I sell, I have to raise Rs. 300/- in sponsorship. So there's absolutely no money to be made in the Theatre.

Recently, there's been a spurt of activity on the Theatre scene.In the last four to five months, there have been 27 Theatre productions in Chennai, which is a hell of a lot. There are a lot of Theatre groups. There's Masquerade, Theatre Harlenquin, Magic Lantern, Madras Players, M.T.C. Productions and Board Walkers. And there are the colleges - WCC (Women's Christian College) does an annual production, and so does MCC (Madras Christian College). There's the Little Theatre for children and a new one called Curtain Calls. There is a lot of Theatre activity going on. Eight years ago, Theatre used to constitute a very exclusive circle. Now its all opened up. There's a lot more opportunity now.

But the problem I find with Theatre aspirants today, is that they're more interested in going on stage and performing, than involving themselves in the Theatre process. Nobody wants to come to voice training workshops or actor training workshops or set and lighting design workshops. They all just want to be put up on stage and end with that.

When Television first started, it affected Theatre very badly. The "Sabhas", which used to perform every Sunday, closed down because there was no audience. Everybody used to sit at home watching the evening Doordarshan movie. And later, when the soap operas hit the screen, at the 8:00 pm slot, again people wouldn't come out. But now, they're fed up of it. Fed up of the mindless fare that is being churned out.

Not enough. There's very little corporate sponsorship. It takes me 3 months to get a corporate sponsorship before I can put up a show. In 3 months, I can do two productions, if I had corporate sponsorship. We are very grateful to those corporates who come forward, but they are far and few. This could be because most Theatre groups are not registered as trusts or societies, and we're unable to give them 80G Exemptions and stuff like that.

It has been done. English and Vernacular plays have gone on side by side. Recently there was a festival where, on the same day there was a Tamil play immediately followed by an English play. We've also had English plays where people speak in the Vernacular. There was one in which there were three languages spoken - Bhojpuri, Tamil and English. And it gelled perfectly.

Abroad, you see these multi-million dollar productions and you gasp in awe at the theatre and the lights, but given the kind of money that we have, I think Chennai does an excellent job, in terms of sets and lighting. When I've had big budgets, I've done sets and lights that'd stand up to anything on Broadway or West End at London. But thats only when I've had unlimited resources at my disposal. But now, since its become a Theatre of poverty, I have become a minimalist.

Very little. There used to be a time when this sort of a thing was active. That was thanks to the British Council, The United States Information Service, Alliance Francais and Max Muller Bhavan. They brought Theatre groups to perform in Chennai, and that was a very exciting period, especially during the mid 80s.But then again, due to financial constraints, very few groups come from abroad to perform here.

S - Our Theatre is of an extremely high standard, because people who do Theatre, do it for the love and passion of it. Nobody does it for the money.

W - The weaknesses are that we don't have good auditoriums, proper corporate sponsorship, rehearsal places.

O - Opportunities are unlimited in Chennai. Anybody can find a good script. There are umpteen people willing to come forward and take part, whether it is experimental Theatre, farce, comedy, anything.

T - Speaking of threats, all we need is more support from the people. The artistic people are a minority, but anywhere, the artistic community contributes to the fabric, essence and flavour of the city. And if we're not supported by the city, then the artistic community will die away.

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