As funds dry up, theatre suffers creative block

“The city doesn’t have patrons,” began Michael Muthu, a popular name in the theatre circuit. “Sponsorship is hard to come by. The problem is that theatre in the city is still at an amateur stage. Nobody can make a living out of it and there are no dedicated actors. Yes, there is a passion for acting but the lack of money means that the plays are smaller in scale,” said Michael, who founded Boardwalkers, one of the oldest theatre groups in the city. He pointed out that the number of amateur and professional theatre groups has grown over the years. 

“When we started in the 1990, there were two theatre groups. Today, there are close to 40! We are getting there but it is taking time,” added the actor and director. Theatre is perceived more as a ‘time pass’, than an art form, said Freddy Koikaran, Creative Director of Stage Fright Productions. 

“With this perspective, theatre is competing with web series, dance shows, movies and even IPL matches. In addition, the popularity of web series meant that corporates prefer to invest in that than a theatre production. 

Without money, the productions, venues and groups will get smaller. If this situation continues, the Chennai English theatre scene would die a slow death,” said the theatre veteran, who has popularised a concept of ‘Khichdi theatre’, where a ‘lott’ system decides who would get to play which part in a production.   

V. Balakrishnan, Founder and Artistic Director of Theatre Nisha, said that the city’s theatre scene has been hijacked by those with power to fill the auditorium. 

“In the face of a public which has lost its power to reason and make choices, the theatre scene belongs to those who can advertise with the power of a megalomaniac. There are honest plays and there are lots of dishonest plays, nothing spectacularly pushing the limits has been noticed either in acting standards or the play. Hope theatre loses its ‘snob’ appeal so all the craftspeople are left to practice their craft in peace,” he said.

In comparison, the Tamil theatre scene seems to be flourishing, despite the problem of lack of funds. Lalitha Dharini, daughter of noted Tamil theatre personality, said the Tamil theatre scene has improved vastly over the last few years. 

“Those who watch English plays are now coming to watch Tamil shows too, as there is a lot of new content and sources available to be adapted on stage. English plays have limited resources they can borrow from. We have also seen a lot of passion among the youngsters, who want to act and eventually get into films. Historical plays are still top favourites,” said the director. 

However, she pointed out that theatre groups in Chennai are fuelled solely by passion. “My father made a living out of theatre. That’s no longer possible, due to lack of sponsors. Now, theatre is a creative space for people to unwind, after clocking in their weekly shifts,” she concluded.