The world is always a stage, but can the stage be our world. Here’s looking at theatre in 2020 which will be as real as our daily lives and concerns, where every actor and his audience will be a part of a grand script
Change has been a permanent quality of Marathi and Konkanitheatre here in Goa. Since the ‘Sangeet Nataks’ that have taken a centre stageduring most of the village festivities for about 100 years or so, theatre hasbeen an undying passion of Goans. With the introduction of state level dramacompetitions, yet another change occurred in this field after the 70’s with thenew wave of play productions. A major transformation could be attributed to the‘School of Drama’ that was introduced at the Kala Academy in 1987. Goa thus haswitnessed a slow change in its theatrical expression through various styles ofproduction, introduced, tried and tested by various genres of theatre artistsboth in Marathi and Konkani plays. Now in 2012, Goan Marathi and Konkani playsare at par with those from Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Kolkata or elsewhere in India.
As we look forward to 2020, I see a change occurring in thefield of theatre in its architecture, literature and technique. In future, GoanMarathi and Konkani theatre will need to be practiced differently from what itis being now. The major change will be in the architecture of the auditoriumitself where the performer-spectator relation will need to be more intimate.
It has been observed that almost 70 percent of the audiencethat we enjoy now is over 45 years of age. This perhaps implies that the newgeneration is not inclined towards being a good audience. The decline in thenumber of people who write and appreciate poetry, music and art is alsoevident. It is imperative that more young people take up the profession ofwriting, directing and designing. The need to express should consume our youthto the extent that they dedicate almost 23 hours of the day to their passion.On priority, we need to build up a generation of committed artists and artlovers for, if young minds – which are the audience of the future –cannot beignited, the efforts of keeping these art forms alive will be futile.
In terms of infrastructure, auditoriums with a seatingcapacity of 1000- 1200 will not survive in 2020. The fast changing lifestyle ofthe youth and their busy schedules make it impossible for 900 odd spectators todevote their evening or morning at the same time. Auditoriums should have amaximum seating capacity of 200-250 and be similar to a multiplex which willhelp viewers with different tastes to enjoy different plays at timings that areconvenient to them.
Secondly, a deliberate change needs to be brought in dramaliterature and the style of play writing. The youth cannot solely be blamed fortheir lack of interest in the performances of the present. We are not speakingtheir language nor are expressing ‘their’ world of existence through ‘our’plays. We shall need to produce quality work that will appeal to the youngminds. The young audience enjoys Hollywood films in the luxury of their homes.If they are accustomed to watching a brilliant performance on screen, they willnot settle for an inferior performance on stage. Perhaps this situation hasresulted due to a strong influence of reality in our proscenium kind of theatreafter we began competing with films. If theatre needs to maintain its identity,it has to stop comparing itself to films and maintain its liveliness byadapting to the times and the palette of the youngsters. If it doesn’t, itsrich literature and theatrical traditions like the Jagor or the Sangeet Natakface the danger of being reduced to mere reference material.
Many are of the opinion that theatre is a part of‘literature’ which is partly true. Instead of being just an example of a goodliterary work, theatre will need to reflect the life of our youth. The problemsand issues prevailing at a given time should necessarily be moulded into plays.Writers, in their plays, should address issues faced by various sections ofsociety. Theatre workers hailing from all corners of the state will need tostart contributing through themes and issues relevant to their lives. Theseplays will be seen as one-acts, solo performances, Improvised dramas etc. In2020, such small plays will find a stronger voice & response.
The theatre of the future will necessarily be less dependenton allied designing elements like large settings, loud costumes, heavy make-up,music and light designing. Currently, the actor and his spoken script seem tobe getting lost in the grandeur of technical jugglery. Our audience of 2020will want to see a reflection of his life through ‘theatre’ rather than a makebelieve world of illusionistic produce.
By 2020, interactive plays will be more popular where at theend of a performance, the audience will participate in discussion sessions orwhere the spectator may even present his questions while the performance is on.We also will need to have differently constructed auditoriums where the playcould be presented in the centre surrounded by the audience or even with thearena style of seating. Artists may also ask for the views of the audiencewhile they perform. We can also expect the concept of ‘terrace plays’ to takeshape amongst the growing housing complexes where the problems of the housingcolony will be highlighted.
By 2020, entertainment surely will not be the sole purposeof theatre. The emergence of a new technique where writers and directors alongwith artistes from all allied forms discuss on a previously selected issueholds a promise. We need to have such sessions where theatre activists cometogether regularly to seek different interpretations of issues faced by them.This then could be presented through different groups. As a result, everyartist will be presenting his views without being bothered about the technicaldemands of a performance. The Department of Art and Culture, Government of Goaalong with like-minded theatre groups is already working towards making thisidea a reality.
In 2020, Small corporate houses and NGOs will also have arole to play. They could sponsor the theatre movement of tomorrow. Issue-basedtheatre will go on to become one of the finest forms of experimental theatreand will certainly appeal to the audience. Each show then could be sponsored bydifferent agencies. Revenue may not be generated through tickets sales alone,but also from post show donations. This will result in the artists presentingissues close to their hearts & thus giving their best. Also, since thenumber of mute spectators is going to be less, the performers could expectconstructive criticism from the audience.
I look at theatre in 2020 as a strong means ofcommunication, where plays of around 60-70 minutes shall be more regionalcentric, speaking the language of the audience and highlighting issues that theyouth shall be facing then.
I strongly believe that theatre will survive in spite of changesin our priorities & in spite of a highly developed video industry... but itshall only be altered to keep in pace with the prevailing time.
Saish Deshpande is a theatre artist and musician with fieldexperience in directing, acting and technical departments of more than 75 fulllength plays since 1986, comprising professional, semi-professional andexperimental productions in Konkani, Marathi, Hindi, English and Sanskrit. Hehas also won numerous state and national awards for his contribution totheatre, one of them being for Programme and Technical Excellence by PrasarBharati, Government of India in 2006. He is presently employed at All IndiaRadio, Panaji as an announcer with independent charge as ‘Drama Producer’
