CHENNAI: The year 1968 was a tumultuous one. America was fully engaged in the Vietnam war, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr was shot dead, Czechoslovakia was invaded by the Soviet Union... it was a year of seismic social, civil and political change across the globe. Even seven seas across, in what was then Madras, arts and culture had begun to reflect the changing social landscape. Plays, films and theatre performances were often dotted with a message. It was in the same year that a cult classic, Thillana Mohanambal, was born. Starring the legends Sivaji Ganesan, Padmini and Manorama, the film centred around the life of classical and folk artistes.
While the combination of Sivaji Ganesan’s tunes on the nadaswaram and Padmini’s dancing prowess captured every moviegoer’s attention, it was Manorama’s Jil Jil Ramamani that had touched everyone’s hearts. Sixty years later, Jil Jil Ramamani is back, and joining her is the landlord Singapuram Minor. And during these turbulent times, their message promises to make us pause, think and render support to folk artistes and their ilk affected by the pandemic-induced lockdown.
One for the present
In the new rendition — Jil Jilum Coronavum, a five-minute video — theatre artistes Lavanya Venugopal and Bala Maheshwar Sadasivam attempt to educate and entertain their audience all in one breath. Picking up a scene from the movie, they have reworked it to suit the current situation and dispense lessons on social distancing and shed some light on behind-the-scene woes. The video, released on YouTube on May 6, has Lavanya as dancer Jil Jil Ramamani and Bala as Minor. Dressed in all her fineries when Jillu plans to go to the sabha, Minor stops her.
The conversation goes — ‘An artiste called Corona has landed from China. You won’t get a chance to perform this year nor will people come to see you perform if you do,’ says Bala. ‘So? I will dance along with that Corona,’ quips Lavanya. ‘Corona is a virus. You should maintain distance from it and other people. Better stay home. Our dance will take a back seat till it completely goes away,’ says Bala. ‘Oh dear, we can manage with our savings. What about the plight of behind-the-stage technicians?’ asks Lavanya.
“Bala and I have been co-actors with Stage Creations for seven years. I wanted to re-imagine Thillana Mohanambal after it was recently aired on TV. The script was penned by Subramanian Krishnamoorthy sir of Stage Creations. Our mentor Sundaresa Kathadi Ramamurthy sir too encouraged our efforts. Unlike cinema, theatre struggles to attract audience. Artistes perform merely for passion without expecting remuneration. Yet, this is the bread and butter for technicians. Artistes have been trying to help them with financial aid but for how long? The future seems bleak for them. We need support,” says Lavanya. Like her, many others employed by the stage find themselves in a bleak place. Yet, the lockdown has managed to keep theatre artistes busier than ever — from conducting workshops through Zoom and coming up with interesting content to uploading their staged plays online for enthusiasts to watch.
Bleak behind the stage
While creative content on stage needs a lot of help from technicians and designers, online content doesn’t. There is no denying that this has put a lot of them, who have no means to promote their work, out of a job. Annamalai K, a freelance technician for Tamil dramas, is one among the many who has been affected. “After my father, I came into this profession 30 years ago. I’ve had my ups and downs but never faced a crisis like this. I know no other work than fixing lights and sound systems. My income depends on the number of plays screened every month. The pay has always been meagre but constant. Now, it’s been three months since I got paid. We’re making do with my wife’s and son’s money,” he rues.
Like in every other section of the arts, experts and veterans are taking a step in the right direction to help their fellow brethren who work behind the stage. Thespian Prema Sadasivam has listed a few pointers to the Tamil Drama Producers’ Association to help them overcome the repercussions of the lockdown. “Performing arts has come to a standstill. However, directors have penned interesting scripts that are under various stages of production. They are also coming up with short plays so that the crew can rehearse and perform on short notice. As an audience, we can do our bit by taking these Tamil dramas to younger generations, so the legacy continues. On the production front, it will be difficult to get sponsors for shows in the future. It would be great even if marriage halls and sabhas can be rented out at a cheaper rate. Media too must support theatre as much as it does cinema,” she suggests.
While actors still seem to be able to find some outlet for their work, the lockdown has not been that kind for the non-performing artistes in the trade. One of the latter is Victor Paulraj, director, set and lighting designer of The Madras Players. Sharing how the lockdown has given him a chance to reflect on his journey of four decades so far, he says, “The artistes can practise and keep in touch with their art from home but we technicians and back-stage workers cannot. We are predominantly daily wage workers or get paid per show. Ultimately, we neither have a choice nor a chance at this time. There is no telling when this is going to be over, and when would we be allowed to start the shows.” Victor now spends his time reading about the new developments in the world of stage lighting. He’s also working on a script to direct, possibly in the next year.
Adapting to change
The worries are not specific to regional language theatre. English theatre troupes are equally feeling the heat of this lockdown. The audience has ample entertainment online; some of it for free. The National Theatre, Globe Theatre, Hamstead Theatre, and many more have made their plays available for all theatre-hungry citizens. “Theatre does not have an industry status like the movies. There are no guilds to take care of the artistes and it only falls upon each theatre group to take care of their own. The amount of support and help required is insurmountable. Once the lockdown is lifted, people can actually come and watch plays,” says Venkataraman Balakrishnan of Theatre Nisha.
On the other end, artistes are trying to make the best use of social media and virtual classes to hone their skills further and stay connected with fellow artistes. “Dance workshops, design workshops and theatre forums were conducted on Zoom and it is serving the limited purpose. Nothing can replace human interaction in live time and space,” he says. Theatre Nisha team will start work on Girish Karnad’s last play, Crossing to Talikota, and Venkat’s play Sordid when normalcy returns.
Another popular theatre group in the city, The Madras Players, has released a few of their acclaimed plays on their YouTube channel so that the audience is not deprived of meaningful content. Veteran theatre actor PC Ramakrishna, long-associated with the group, tells us that a few members from the troupe are coming up with monologues. “If we plan for a play in November, then it requires a minimum of two months of rehearsal. This is the major challenge in theatre. There’s plenty of off-stage work that’s required to put a show together. There are going to be no live shows anytime soon. The music season starts post-November. Overall, it’s been disastrous.”
Writing a script, connecting with artistes or even planning to put up a show on Zoom might be easier. Yet, artistes agree that none of this would be possible or even complete without having their technicians work their magic. “The theatre industry relies on ancillary staff to make a show possible. If a technician is dependent just on theatre back-stage work, then it’s very unfortunate that he might not have a job for another few months. Yet, if they work part-time for other performing arts and have alternative jobs as well, then there might be a few chances after the lockdown. Things have been beyond our control,” he says.As much as there is hope for normalcy post-lockdown, there is no predicting if behind-the-stage technicians will be able to survive through the damage rendered by the lockdown. Only time will tell.
Little time for leisure
Many employed by the stage find themselves in a bleak place. Yet, the lockdown has managed to keep theatre artistes busier than ever — from conducting workshops through Zoom and coming up with interesting content to uploading their staged plays online for enthusiasts to watch. It has been busy.