In a pioneering move, a housing complex in New Town organised a three-day theatre festival on its premises last week, inviting professional theatre groups from the city and its fringes. The festival, at Greenwood Park Housing Complex, in AG Block, staged seven productions between last Friday and Sunday.
“We wanted to give the opportunity not only to our own residents but also to the people of New Town to enjoy quality theatre right here in New Town. I see so many residents with little entertainment available in the evening except chatting in a group. This would be a welcome recreation for them," said Bireswar Ghosal, secretary, Greenwood Park Cultural Association.
A scene from Koley Boshe
The idea was mooted on Navami when an acquaintance of his involved with theatre attended the complex's Durga puja which is held at an open air complex inside, with a permanent stage and a concrete gallery. “He suggested that a theatre festival be held at the venue. I immediately called our committee vice-president Biman Dasgupta and other members. Everyone liked the idea,” Ghosal added.
There were logistical challenges by way of providing quality sound system and lights. “An associate of Debshankar Halder, who was to perform here in the concluding production Typist, visited the venue and gave us valuable technical advice,” he said.
The festival was inaugurated on Friday evening by NKDA chairman Debasish Sen, who lauded the unique cultural initiative taken by a housing complex. Such festivals would allow residents of the township to see good plays, he said. “I have had this vision for a long time to start a block-wise theatre competition which has still not materialised. There are great cultural programmes happening in every locality during Puja. We call those staging song and dance shows to record their performances at Radio New Town and upload them on YouTube. But there is no such option for theatre. Bengal has a glorious stage legacy, along with Maharashtra, with luminaries like Badal Sircar and Utpal Dutt, and groups like Nandikar… The tradition continues. The live interaction that theatre provides with the audience has no parallel in cinema, which made screen stalwarts like Soumitra Chatterjee continue to make stage appearances. Even now the thirst for good theatre is there among the people of Bengal,” Sen said.
NKDA chairman Debashis Sen being welcomed at the festival
All three evenings saw a packed house. About 200 chairs were placed on the gallery steps. The open-air stage was covered with a pandal. Many of the spectators contributed towards the effort by way of donations.
The first evening had Kole Boshe by Chakdaha Natyojon, Hridaytali Bylane by Tiljala Kolpon and a one-act play, Aparajita Ajo, by Anushka. The second evening opened with Astitawa, based on a Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay work, by Panihati Abhijatri, and was followed by the silent plays, Robot and Chair, directed by Swapan Sengupta, and Sabhyota Egochchhe by Garia Ultoshrot.
On Sunday evening, the play Typist, written by the late Soumitra Chatterjee, was staged by Mukhomukhi, with Halder and Poulami Chatterjee in the lead roles.
Chatterjee was effusive in her praise for the initiative. “Theatre today is a neglected art form. This was a novel and extremely welcome move for a housing complex to host a theatre festival, in place of the usual musical soirees. The audience was extremely involved and their reaction left me overwhelmed. The organisation too was efficient. The facilities for the artistes were better than in many auditoriums,” said Poulami, who had also directed the play. Typist, she said, was launched on the first death anniversary of her father and has been staged over 30 times through the year.
“We want to reach everywhere with our plays. If big housing complexes start holding such festivals it is a welcome boost for the theatre movement,” she said.