Jitaditya Chakraborty’s brainchild Shomporko is a theatre group that explores alternative spaces beyond the proscenium

Shomporko has so far performed in alternative spaces like streets, an open rooftop, a café and a moving tram car
Shomporko
Shomporko

Hearing stories about Jatrapala from his mother, Jitaditya developed a knack for theatrical practices early on in life which was further nurtured by his alma mater Patha Bhavan. As a young adult, he gathered friends and acquaintances who share similar interests to establish his own group Shomporko. Today the group has specifically focussed themselves to design acts that explore alternative spaces to the proscenium, and for a smaller audience. Jitaditya believes this helps them establish a humane connection with the observers and permeate the crux of their plays on a more realistic level. Shomporko has so far performed in alternative spaces like streets, an open rooftop, a café and a moving tram car.

Why name your group Shomporko?

Shomporko literally translates to relations, and our group was conceived with people related to each other in more ways than one. When we started this group, there were only two or three people previously acquainted with me while the rest of the people who came forward were related to my friends, classmates and so on. Moreover, any theatrical production is based on human relations be it within the play, or that between the performers and the audience. Hence “shomporko” seemed to be the apt name for our group.

What made you explore alternative spaces to the proscenium stage?

I have grown up reading Badal Sircar’s theatrical theories and speeches, which definitely has its own influence on my vision of theatre. However, what we are exploring at Shomporko isn’t exactly his concept of Third Theatre. From the very moment of Shomporko’s conceptualisation we had decided to go beyond the proscenium stage, which isn’t just because of economic reasons. We have a lot of productions that are specifically designed for certain alternative spaces and are site specific, which can’t be performed in a similar manner anywhere else. I believe every space has its own politics. For instance an individual doesn’t behave in the same manner everywhere, be it the workplace, at home or with friends. If every production is specifically designed for the proscenium, it ignores the natural essence and politics of the space it could’ve been more apt for. Some stories are intimate enough to be performed in smaller spaces that don't require a larger than life setting. The stage comes with its own set of rules that require actors  to behave in a certain manner so as to connect to the hundreds of viewers sitting in front of them.

What are some of the challenges faced by independent theatre groups like Shomporko?

The number of auditoriums open to theatre performances has seen a sharp decline in the post-pandemic years while independent groups like us have popped up massively. In such a scenario, finding an auditorium has become a task especially because of the biases they have towards more popular groups. Weekends are of primary focus for any group so as to gather a greater audience that will help them pay off the production bills, but weekends are almost always booked by bigger theatre groups and the ones available are not always suited for a good performance. This crisis has further made us believe in the power of our storytelling and design productions specifically for alternative sites.

What spaces have you explored so far?

We have performed plays on an open rooftop, café, on the streets and our latest production Uro Chithi was performed inside a tram car earlier this year. Whenever exploring alternative spaces, we try so as to not disturb the natural essence of the space. We are looking forward to exploring a diverse range of spaces in the near near future that will unfold with our upcoming productions.

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