09/12/2011
THE PROBLEM:
Another problem is the lack of rehearsal and performance space.The traditional spaces of Mandi House,like Kamani,Shri Ram Centre and LTG have spiraling rents running into thousands of rupees per day that are way beyond the budget of an amateur or student theatre group.The Habitat Centre,which started off laudably enough to encourage student theatre,still charges the minimum,but is usually booked eight months in advance.Also,the greatest disadvantage is that one gets the auditorium just about an hour before the show opens,because the social events / conferences held in the auditorium end late.Since an hour is not enough time for a group to put up sets or hold a technical rehearsal,all the preparation is done the evening before,after that day's event has ended.This means the team has to work well into the night,sometimes without the help of the auditorium's technicians,who don't stay till late.The new Epicenter,Gurgaon's Habitat Centre,is a wonderful,state-of-the-art auditorium and comparatively reasonable (though more expensive than Habitat),but it is difficult for Delhi-ites to perform there regularly because of the distance and the cost of transporting the sets and props to the auditorium.
The Shri Ram Centre has rehearsal space,but usually for its own repertory company.They had an excellent basement theatre which was very affordable and had the support of the institution's infrastructure,but it closed down some years ago,because it could not meet municipal standards.The open-air Triveni theatre in Mandi House,near Bengali Market,which once hosted high-quality musicals by Sheila Bhatia,is now used for exhibitions and the grass around its unique stone seats is overgrown.There was Sapru House that held plays and dance performances several years ago,which subsequently shut down.It has re-opened but not for plays.The NSD has rehearsal space and three beautiful auditoria,but only for its alumni.So where does this leave amateurs? Either in their own homes or in schools and colleges,which,though initially free,have now started charging rent.
- This Theatre of the absurd, Sohaila Kapur, TOI
