A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the way Delhi converts any area into a performance space. And almost as if in answer to that piece, I received a call from Temperance, a Dance and Martial Arts studio in Bombay’s hip suburb of Bandra. The call was about trying to do a performance on the terrace of Temperance. Performance spaces have always been at a premium in Bombay. In the 1950s and 60s, theatre-makers solved this issue by using terraces of buildings. Theatre Group Bombay, one of India’s oldest theatre companies, regularly performed at their head quarters Kulsum Terrace. That seemed to serve as a drug for the members of the group, and many of them went about setting up their own terrace theatre spaces, quite literally in their own homes. Alyque and Pearl Padamsee’s home on top of Bella Terrace building in Colaba was built keeping performances in mind. The audience would sit on the terrace facing the drawing room, which served as a drawing room set for many plays. The apartment was constructed such that the bedrooms were connected to allow for actors to exit into one bedroom stage right, and make their way outside into the passage (via the other bedroom and kitchen), to re-enter the house from the main door stage left for the next scene. Deryck and Bee Jeffereis did something similar with their own place at Chotu Terrace. They managed to regularly use the space for performances for about a hundred people. Ebrahim Alkazi went a step further. His apartment in Napean Sea Road was built with no walls, so that it could be easily converted to a rehearsal space. And the terrace of the building had seating for small performances of the work he was devising with his Theatre Unit. Terrace theatres and rehearsal spaces seem to be quite an obvious solution in a megapolis where honking cars are the running soundtrack. Terraces seem to be the last refuge where the theatre-wallah can work in relative quiet. These dark knights of the arts world ply their craft above the sleeping city. This trend, once lost to the ages, is making a strong revival. As always this movement is also led by youngsters. Thespo troupes, who are often scrounging for innovative solutions, often use the terraces of housing societies. A play called Spiral Bound rehearsed on a terrace in Parel for many months in the evenings. The surrounding building would watch, peering through their windows, while they ate their dinner. A powerful youth version of Equus rehearsed on a terrace in a by-lane of Bandra. Stalwarts too have been moving rehearsals to the top floor. AKvarious have built many productions on another Bandra terrace. And most recently Death of a Salesman was rehearsed on top of a building in Breach Candy. Slowly performances too are returning to building summits. Over Act, a new rehearsal space on the sixth floor of a building in Andheri just hosted a performance of the play Recharge 99 on the terrace. And now with Temperance following suit, hopefully the trend should catch on quite quickly. For any of you in and around Bandra on Saturday night, come and experience it for yourself.
