Theatre was among the worst-hit art forms during the pandemic. While painters, dancers and singers could go online and perform, theatre had its restrictions. Padatik, one of the premier institutes in the field of theatre and dance, founded by Shyamanand Jalan in 1972, found itself in a tight spot in 2020. “It was a disheartening, hopeless time to begin with. Months of planning shows in Kolkata and other cities were wasted. Tours were cancelled in Delhi and Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai. Then, attempts to resume rehearsals for a few plays over February-April this year were cut short by the second wave,” recalls Vinay Sharma, the artistic director at Padatik, with a heaviness in his voice. “But on the positive side, the long intervals helped us introspect and think anew about theatre,” he adds.
Digital track
Realising that digital is the way forward, Padatik began to put out their recorded performances online, including Shyamanand Jalan’s landmark productions Sakharam Binder and Lahron ke Rajhans. From July last year, they started exploring live online performances with Sharma’s plays like Kathik — The Storytellers, Baatein and Yawah Goi. The same year saw Sharma helming an audiobook project Chhupe Saaye — Haivaniyat on Audible India; directing the classic texts Dracula, Frankenstein, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde and The Picture Of Dorian Gray. “This was meaningful because it employed many of the city’s theatre actors during such a lean period,” recalls the veteran actor and theatre director. Talking about the challenges he faced while working in a new medium, Vinay shares, “Live theatre thrives on the energy and immediate feedback of the audience.
Going live on the digital medium required actors to deal with a vacuum on the other side — to recalibrate the intensity of the performance. Uneven internet connectivity and erratic speed across different zones in the city leads to delays in cues. At times, it even led to actors disappearing from the screen right in between their lines. That’s frustrating and unintentionally hilarious at the same time and performers had to improvise on spot.” Till now, Padatik has done four productions specifically for the digital audience.
Back on track
With stage shows resuming, Padatik revived Sharma’s directorial venture Atmakatha starring Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Chetna Jalan, Anubha Fatehpuria and Kalpana Jha. The coming year will see them staging Ho Sakta Hai, Do Aadmi Do Kursiyaan and Mark Twain: Live in Bombay. Among the new productions, there will be Tukde — a one-woman show based on Hungarian playwright Frigyes Karinthy’s writings; Avik Chanda’s Dara Shukoh: The Man Who Would be King; and a political satire, Just Joking.