Vypeen, which once boasted a rich cultural and theatre history, has seen a lot of its sheen fade these past decades. However, thanks to Lokadharmi Nadakaveedu, a love for theatre is being sown back into the region.
Established in 1991, Lokadharmi, the brainchild of thespian Prof. Chandradasan, is a collective of theatre enthusiasts from across the state. Since its first days, one of the things its founder deemed most important was to have a space of their own to focus solely on drama.
In 2017, this was realised when Nadakaveedu began operations in Nayarambalam, a scenic village in the heartland of Vypeen. “We wanted a permanent space which was both accessible and provided a good environment. Besides, there is a very vibrant theatre culture in the region. It was once famous for amateur theatre. Each corner or village here constitutes various small theatre groups and great productions. So this is a perfect place for a theatre artist,” Chandradasan says.
Lokadharmi moved to Nayarambalam in March 2017 and since then, there’s been a new impetus to its activities, facilitating performances, research, and training. In fact, it is the only building in Kochi solely dedicated to drama and the nuances of acting and directing.
In addition to this, Nadakaveedu also functions as a meeting point for different performance forms, artists, connoisseurs, and experts. It houses rehearsal spaces, a performance library, accommodation facilities, and a cafeteria for artists.
As have the space, the collective, too, has grown manifold and now counts Vinay Fort, Muthumani, Manikandan Achari, Nandan Unni, Pooja Mohan Raj, and director Rosshan Andrrews among its esteemed alumni and community of over 500 artists. It has also established a strong presence in the theatre scene in India with 39 productions.
Chandradasan’s journey
“I was into theatre right from my student days. Between 1987 and 1989, I was part of a theatre group called Gramavedi Vallarpadam. I did two major productions with them – Theruvujadha, an adaptation of the play The Procession by Badal Sircar, and another adapted play Rajavinte Chenda. The two plays helped me become known as a director in Kerala,” he explains.
Though famous in the world of plays, Chandrdasan says he was a science student in college and even taught Chemistry at St Albert’s College in Kochi. He left his job and sold his home to realise his dream - to set up Nadakaveedu, a home for theatre.
“I wanted to be part of the School of Drama and Fine Arts in Thrissur under the University of Calicut. However, I wasn’t able to join. Later, I realised that, like me, there are many artists who couldn’t study in theatre centres and hence, lack the training. This prompted me to set up a centre for training,” he says.
Nadakaveedu ensures that anyone who is interested in theatre performances gets the opportunity to train. “Every Sunday, from 10 am to 4 pm, we have acting training programmes for people between 16 and 35 years of age,” he adds.
Now, Lokadharmi has also opened its doors to children. “We have started weekly workshops for children on Sunday evenings. Our programme for children, Mazhavillu Children’s Theatre, now admits students aged between 7 and 16 years,” says Chandradasan, who also helms the role of artistic director at the centre. Earlier, the starting age was 16.
Theatre, a part of life
According to Chandradasan, the theatre can never be classified as an ‘extracurricular’ activity. “It is not just something that you do along with a lot of other activities. You cannot start it just because you have some time to spare. Our entire lives should be dedicated to performing a play. Only those who have a passion to sustain,” Chandradasan asserts.
Also, he adds that the drama world is constantly changing. “The way we dealt with the time and space of the theatre has changed. The narrative modes are breaking conventions. This includes how we look at and tell stories on topics such as gender, economic dynamics, marginalised and deprived communities, social understanding, and power relations. Now movements, lighting, music, the formation of digital images, sound usage, and such narrative techniques are all becoming important. That means every day we have something to learn or unlearn,” Chandradasan explains.