Editorial: Theatre’s technicolor dreams

“Life's but a walking shadow; a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” For those of us, who half-heartedly managed to pay some attention in the English literature classes, the lines from Macbeth might be a throwback to memories of a professor, attempting to bring the Bard’s vision to life in a sparsely-occupied classroom. It’s also the dictum seared into the consciousness of every individual destined to make a living, through the precarious pathways of the creative arts.

World Theatre Day was observed this week, and it followed closely on the heels of World Puppetry Day and World Poetry Day.

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The irony is not lost on us, who are compelled to wade through life, the strings of our marionettes being pulled by everyone from omniscient bosses to leaders who we pretend to elect every few years, democratically of course. However, such observances dedicated to fine arts are grim reminders of the hardships involved in keeping such phenomena alive.

Last year, India’s Culture Ministry, with a heavy heart, reminded its citizens that it might not be ‘tenable’ for a developing nation like India to allocate a considerable proportion of its public fund to the promotion of art and culture. The underlying reasoning was the high disparity India witnesses in elementary rural infrastructure like health, education and transportation. The Ministry was responding to observations made by a parliamentary committee which highlighted that the allocation of the Ministry of Culture was just 0.075% of the total Budget in 2023. This was in stark contrast to countries like China, the UK, US, Singapore and Australia which spend roughly 2%-5% of their Budget on the promotion of art and culture.

It’s a tale as old as time itself, something we got to see pan out in disastrous ways during the pandemic. When COVID-19 broke out across the globe, many first world nations were quick to announce relief packages, and increased budgetary allocation for the arts and artistes, who had to grapple with the notion of empty seats in the aftermath of lockdowns. Here in India, a nation rushing to be the third largest economy, the Centre slashed its budget for art and culture across ministries by 21 per cent in its mid-year revision in 2020. Allocations for the Ministry of Culture (MoC) as a proportion of the Centre’s budget have remained marginal for close to a decade, averaging at 0.11 percent. Over the last few years, they have plummeted to a miniscule 0.07 percent in FY22, which was the lowest in the last 10 years.

As we have seen, the absence of government patronage has led to the status quo prevailing — industrialists and major business houses remain the custodians and caretakers of dramatic spaces, both in Tamil Nadu and beyond. Things seem to be looking up — last year, Chief Minister MK Stalin said an allocation of Rs 9.84 crore was made to conduct the Namma Ooru Thiruvizha in various districts. An allocation of Rs 48 crore was made to help artistes improve their livelihood, provide facilities at training schools, and enhance the quality of teaching. There's a major opportunity here, to pitch India as the cultural hub of Asia, with theatre playing a major part. If only, the administrations in charge took the lead. Until then, our Broadway must make do with monochrome dreams.