There is heavy drama in the air this month. The bittersweet kind.
After the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi’s regional amateur theatre competitions held in the south, north, and central regions conclude on Tuesday, the state-level contest will take place in Thrissur.
Six performances selected from the three regional competitions will compete for the prestigious award from February 16. Shortly after, from February 23, the state will witness the International Theatre Festival of Kerala (ITFoK).
Eighteen plays from across the world — three from Kerala, five from other parts of the country, and ten from abroad — will come alive on stage before the Malayali audience.
Alongside, actors Roshan Mathew and Darshana Rajendran have teamed up with other budding cine artists for a play to be held in Kochi on February 28.
All in all, it appears to be a revival season for Kerala’s theatre scene. Actor and humorist K S Prasad, who is a council member of the Akademi, is especially astonished by the packed audiences attending the plays categorised as ‘amateur’.
“It has been seven years since this competition was last held,” he says. “And though some say theatre is losing popularity, every day we are seeing packed audiences. Since February 5, six plays have been performed as part of the central region competition in Kochi. From day one, the audience response has been encouraging. Same was the case with north and south zones.”
Prasad is confident that ITFoK, too, will repeat the success. “We are expecting a huge audience turnout. People queued up in past editions, and this year will be no different — if not better,” he beams.
Well, the picture seems rosy. In an era dominated by social media, where even cinema is threatened, people are backing theatre. “It is like saying reading is dying. Theatre will never die. It is thriving as ever,” asserts Thennal, executive member of the P J Antony Foundation and part of the Purogamana Kala Sahitya Sangham.
She gushes about the plays that featured in the Akademi competition. “Each one of them was outstanding in some way. Technically, execution-wise, and even in terms of the themes… everything has evolved with time. And that means the audience is kept hooked. The quality of Kerala’s theatre scene has only improved.”
This might well be true. As more people graduate from drama schools and engage in community theatre out of passion, theatre itself changes with their lived experiences. Socio-political themes such as caste and gender, which have long been subjects of plays, are now being examined through fresh perspectives, reflecting contemporary society’s concerns, including the plight of artists.
Now comes the flipside. The bitter part.
Theatre is surviving in Kerala “solely on passion”, says J Shailaja, theatre director, actor, and founder of the Network of Artistic Theatre Activists Kerala (Natak). “Just think about why there was a seven-year break in organising a competition that was supposed to be held every two years,” she says.
Passion alone is not enough for theatre to flourish, she adds.
“Government support is especially crucial in Kerala, where theatre once ran parallel to and hand-in-hand with political movements. Theatre helped shape our state, introduced progressive ideas, and resisted oppression. But now, it is largely ignored by those in power,” rues Shailaja, who is the founding director of ITFoK.
While every sector got a boost after the pandemic, theatre — especially amateur theatre — suffered from a severe lack of support, she points out. “Even this year’s ITFoK and the theatre competition are happening only after persistent requests, complaints, and protests,” she laments.
“The ITFoK was on the verge of being cancelled, but because some of us resisted, such events are still being held.”
Shailaja believes that the three Kerala plays selected out of 32 applications for the ITFoK say a lot about the state’s professional and amateur theatre sectors. “One is a dance performance with theatre elements by [actor] Rima Kallingal. Another is from MG University. The third is by Malayalis in Abu Dhabi,” she says.
“Not a single one from theatre groups within the state. I am not saying these three are not great — I am highlighting that this is not enough.”
What Kerala’s theatre space needs, she stresses, is more funding. “Only then can theatre artists sustain here. Only then can audiences witness brilliant, technically sophisticated plays,” Shailaja says.
“Right now, artists themselves are funding the plays, making the props, and designing the stage — because there is simply no money.”
Though this is a global issue, Kerala’s case is unique — a place where theatre has cultural value but lacks enough stages. “It is not just the lack of government support. Even private funding, CSR funds, and other sources are drying up. We need concerted efforts to revive theatre and elevate it to global standards,” Shailaja says.
During the first Pinarayi government, when Thomas Isaac was the finance minister, Natak reached out for support. Consequently, Rs 3 crore was allocated for theatre artists in the 2020s. “However, Covid-19 disrupted the plan,” Shailaja recalls.
Two years later, in early 2022, the government selected 25 plays and allocated Rs 50 lakh — Rs 2 lakh per play. “This was too little,” Shailaja explains.
“After setting the stage, arranging lighting, and covering transportation costs, there was nothing left to pay the artists. Many of those selected went into debt due to the lack of a systematic approach to the project. The following year, the total allocation dropped to Rs 40 lakh.”
This lack of support from the government, Shailaja says, is disheartening. “No one can survive on the income from theatre alone. Most have a day job. They stick to theatre solely out of passion. If you do not give artists support and stages to perform, how can theatre flourish?” she asks.
Samkutty Pattomkary, director of one of the plays performed in the central Kerala competition, agrees. His play, Kootadesyam, performed on February 5, explores the sedition law. The artists and technicians funded the play themselves, he says.
“We always hear claims that theatre was one of the driving forces of our socio-political movements. Does the government sincerely appreciate that?” Samkutty wonders.
Cine stars team up for play
Amid the buzz over the Akademi competition and international theatre festival, in the heart of Fort Kochi, a bunch of artists are busy with rehearsals. Most of them are familiar faces to the film-going Malayali audience. They are prepping for the play Bye Bye Bypass, born from actor Roshan Mathew’s personal experience of losing his home to a development project.
Actors Darshana Rajendran, Santhy Balachandran, Nilja K. Baby, Salmanul Faris, and Sanjay Menon are among the 10-member cast that will go up on stage embodying the characters in the “light, entertaining and thought-provoking” drama directed by Roshan.
“Rehearsals started in November. We will hit the stage on 28 February at Fort Kochi,” he informs, adding that the play, a mix of improvisation and scripted performance, is also a nostalgic journey. Francis Thomas and Shruthi Ramachandran are the writers of the ambitious project.
“Those summer vacations when all the cousins would gather in a home, childhood years spent playing and enjoying — when you lose that home, you lose part of your childhood, too. We see this happening every day, whether in Wayanad, in Palestine, or in other war zones and disaster-stricken areas across the world. This play explores that feeling through the eyes of children,” Roshan explains.
It is a rare opportunity to rehearse for so long and develop a community bonding, says Darshana. “This is something only theatre can offer. It is our love for theatre that keeps bringing us back,” she adds.
“That live moment – when the audience connects with the story, when they laugh with us – is something only theatre can offer.”
The team wholeheartedly agrees. “This is my first play, and I am thoroughly enjoying the process,” says Nilja, who plays a grandmother in the drama. “I have never experienced anything like this before.”
This unique feel-good factor is precisely what drives Roshan. He feels that, considering Kerala’s rich theatre history, the scene has to be more buzzing. “Staging a play requires tremendous effort — transporting stage designs and props, coordinating actors, refining the performance after each show,” he says. “People may love theatre, but reaching them is proving to be difficult. Opportunities have been dwindling with time.”
Whatever the challenges, Roshan and his team will take the stage in a few weeks — just like every other passionate theatre artist in the state. Whether funding and support come in or not, the show will go on.