Programmers wanted

It’s an exciting time in Bombay theatre. The fraternity’s one long-term complaint has been the paucity of performance spaces. However, in the past few months, there has been a sudden harvest of new venues. These are little places that cater to small audiences of approximately 40 or so people, thereby creating intimate experiences for performances.

This weekend I visited two such venues, Harkat Studio in Aaram Nagar and Barking Deer in Lower Parel. Both are remarkably different, and yet serve the same aim. Harkat is a truly alternative venue that programmes off-the-beaten track kind of work. It is managed by the two owners who are careful about what work is showcased at their space each Saturday. Barking Deer, on the other hand, is a pub/restaurant. It has an empty space where shows are hosted every few weeks. The programming of these performances is left to a new outfit, Theatre On The Rocks (TOTR). TOTR have been incredibly successful in a short span of time. They have tied up with numerous bars that have an empty party room or multipurpose space, and once a month or so stage plays there. Except, they don’t create any plays. They bring plays to be performed there. Their work has been quite a strange mix. From QTP’s experimental ‘White Rabbit Red Rabbit’ to Arpana’s poetic ‘Blank Page’ to the naughty ‘I Do, I don’t’.

Earlier, many artists would grumble that spaces were being managed by suits rather than by artists. However, the TOTR way is a new model of working the arts scene. Owners of spaces are too busy running their venues and worrying about mundane things like fused bulbs. Therefore, they hand over the programming to people who are more in touch with the arts. Similarly, these ‘programmers’ manage the expectations of the owners, and get them to understand the realities and soft benefits of hosting a performance. Making them understand it’s not about the bottom line, but rather the footfalls that come to a place like Barking Deer on an otherwise dead Sunday night. The 45 theatre audience members then in turn cause the bar’s cash registers to ring, as they each order a drink.

Yuki Ellias performing ‘White Rabbit Red Rabbit’ at Barking Deer.

Even spaces like Cuckoo Club, which were set up for performances, have felt the need to outsource the programming. So Akarsh Khurana of Akvarious has taken on that mantle. What he has brought to the table is a sense of long-term programming. By scheduling regular and particular work that fits well in the space, he is making it Bandra’s cultural hub; something that the suburb has desperately needed.

Clap in Malad has recruited the team from Mumbai Theatre Guide (MTG) to handle its programming. The owners of the space feel they don’t have the skills or the connections to attract performers to the place. The MTG team have done an admirable job popularising the city’s northern-most alternative venue. Clap is becoming a regular venue for new groups, who premiere their work in the relative informality and safety of an offbeat venue, before bursting on to the main stage.

With the advent of so many new spaces, there is also a dearth of programmers. This seems like the need of the hour. Some owners like Nikhil of Sitara Studio have gone and attended courses so that they learn the nuances. Others like Anuradha Benegal of G5A have cast the net far and wide to rope in the appropriate people for each of the programming verticals.

Good programmers need to be multi-faceted. They must understand the needs of a particular show, or how to provide a particular context for the show so that it can be best appreciated. And how to curate a space over the long term, while attracting an audience without compromising on quality, and most importantly, properly develop cultural hubs.

It’s a tall ask. It’s an unusual ask. It’s often an unglamorous task. But by Bacchus, we need them.

Quasar Thakore Padamsee is a Bombay based theatre-holic. He works for arts management company QTP, and is also associated with youth theatre movement Thespo.