No 1 would person imagined that theatre would merchantability tickets successful Jalandhar. In 2016, for the archetypal time, 10 theatre productions ran to astir packed location and the assemblage paid for tickets. Indeed a landmark infinitesimal successful the past of Punjabi theatre.
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The radical down the move, YUVAA — founded by Prof Ankur Sharma — is holding 5th variation of its Punjabi Rang Utsav this year. Plays staged by Punjab Naatshala and YUVAA astatine Saigal Memorial Hall, Jalandhar, stay the lone 2 ticketed theatre spaces successful the state, barring Chandigarh. Every year, YUVAA organises 2 theatre festivals — YUVAA Rang Utsav (10 chapters held) KL Saigal Punjabi Rang Utsav (fifth variation underway).
In aboriginal 2000s, auditoriums successful Jalandhar had bladed audience. With creaking microphones, falling wigs and characters forgetting their lines the theatre needed a resurrection of sorts. A clump of feisty playwrights livened up the theatre country successful Doaba, but theatre ne'er got wider acclaim.
Starting with humble means, YUVAA theatre group, founded by the English prof and his pb histrion Vikram successful 2008, changed things with ‘disciplined’ outings. Prof Ankur getting a Special Research Fellowship astatine the Yale School of Drama successful 2014-15 and a Shakespeare Acting people astatine RADA, London, successful 2016 enhanced the group’s credibility.
In the meantime, YUVAA dispersed the connection astir theatre with nukkad nataks. The radical members would scope paper stalls astatine 3.30 americium to insert pamphlets. Nearly 4,000 pamphlets were disbursed from doorway to doorway successful 2017, with pleas to radical to amusement up.
Pithy, crisp productions with nary main guests and punctual doorbell systems successful AC halls marked a oversea alteration successful the theatre scene. In 2016, YUVAA went commercial. It has produced 46 plays, directed by Prof Ankur, and performed implicit 500 shows successful 17 years.
What was it astir YUVVA, which made it commercially viable successful a metropolis similar Jalandhar contempt not-so-enthusiastic theatre scene? “It whitethorn beryllium said we person gone ‘commercial’ but we’re inactive priced overmuch little than a burger sold by an MNC firm. The thought isn’t commerce but subject of space. It was important to spell commercialized to get radical superior towards the theatre. To instil subject successful actors for a superior audience. With a paying audience, you can’t beryllium a lousy, casual actor. You can’t fool them. We ensured bully worth for money, an ambiance devoted to art, got escaped of speeches and alleged protocols. Our assemblage is the VIP. There’s nary in-between,” said Prof Ankur.
How does Saigal Memorial Hall comparison with Punjab Naatshala oregon Tagore Theatre successful Chandigarh and however does the authorities oregon Jalandhar theatre comparison with productions and spaces successful Mumbai oregon Delhi? Asked if the theatre has a agelong mode to spell infrastructure wise, Prof Ankur said, “We are obscurity adjacent Naatshala. It’s a decently designed abstraction connected a par with planetary standards, with a revolving signifier and different infrastructure. Yet Saigal Memorial Hall is peculiar and we person been capable to usage it creatively.” With additions successful infrastructure astatine the memorial hall, it has imaginable to beryllium the champion creation abstraction successful Punjab, helium added.
On dearth of mainstream commercialized theatre groups successful the state, helium said, “It’s not a precise agleam scenario. West Bengal, Manipur, Madhya Pradesh and adjacent cities similar Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad person hundreds of theatre groups that are professionally active, getting grants and immunodeficiency done authorities schemes. But successful Punjab, it becomes a immense situation to curate 10 bully plays for a Punjabi theatre festival. Just a fewer names are repeated implicit and implicit again. In the past, the Akademi and the doyens of theatre person failed to promote and enactment organised theatre successful the state. Grants person been utilized up by the apical fewer who person thrived. The rest, including groups similar ours, either effort to past connected meagre backstage sponsorships oregon softly slice distant aft immoderate performances. Serious directors and groups indispensable beryllium encouraged. The authorities is besides making efforts to reboot the theatre scene.”
Silver lining for theatre
“Too overmuch of surface is yet going to beryllium tiresome. These are among astir turbulent times — Covid, planetary conflicts and present commercialized war. Everything is uncertain. Theatre isn’t abstracted from us. We’re each going done ups and downs and crave for sharing a space, to archer our stories and perceive to the stories of others. Theatre provokes our imaginativeness and thought. As agelong arsenic we person feelings and unfastened spaces, we volition perform,” said Prof Ankur.
English (US) ·