The Shri Ram Centre for Performing Arts, Mandi House, was all set to reopen its doors to the public today with the play, Giraftari.
But the staging got cancelled last evening as the licensing authority refused to issue the No Objection Certificate (NOC) stating that the Centre has allowed theatres to operate with 50 per cent capacity, but the state government has not.
Anuj Anthony, Senior Manager of Shri Ram Centre of Performing Arts, was reluctant to talk about this development, but agreed that the performing licence is mandatory and has to be obtained by the performing group.
“But there’s no guideline by the state government that theatres are not allowed to open. We have been asking the licensing authority, and have got no answer from them.” Meanwhile, Akshara Theatre is readying to stage its first indoor play on November 8, but they are yet to seek permission.
Anasuya Vaidya, Director, Akshara Theatre, said, “When we do outdoor stand up comedy shows, we always inform the nearest police station. But for indoor plays, we usually don’t take permission because our theatre is very small with just 99 seats. I don’t know if the state government is will not allow it but the central government has.
So, we will go ahead with our play.” Based on Franz Kafka’s novel, The Trial, Giraftari was to be presented by Rama Theatre Natya Vidya (RATNAV) in collaboration with Austrian Embassy, Austrian Cultural Forum, The Embassy of the Czech Republic and supported by Sideways Consulting. Director and Founder of RATNAV, Rama Pandey, had also fused a number of dying folk instruments such as tasha, dhol and nafiri, in the play. Now, she is heartbroken about the sudden no show. An interview with Pandey:
Why was Giraftari not allowed to be staged?
It is because the licensing authority is totally confused about this issue. They said that on October 27, the Delhi government had extended its order from October 31 to November 31 of not allowing theatres to operate. But this order permits theatres to operate, except for the ones in the containment zones. The
licensing authority has misinterpreted it and have said that no theatre will be allowed to have any performance. It is nowhere mentioned in the public domain, but they wouldn’t listen to us.
When did you book Shri Ram Centre for the play, and when did you apply for the NOC?
We had booked Shri Ram 20 days ago for Rs 2 lakh. But the Centre’s Senior Manager Anuj Anthony only informed me on November 1 that I have to get the NOC for the play, following which the whole ordeal began. If the NOC was a prerequisite, he shouldn’t have taken the booking. Now, they are firing all guns from our shoulders because if we get the NOC, they will start getting more bookings. Still, we applied
for it on the Nov 1st, and on Nov 3rd, we got the first denial. We spoke and even wrote to several authorities, but to no avail.
Do you think there is any discrimination in granting permission?
They gave permission to Ramlila. Even the Austrian Embassy that has a show at the India Habitat Centre on November 30, already paid the booking amount. When they are allowing others, what problem do they have with us and Shri Ram Centre? And if the NOC is required, the rule should be the same for everyone. I think somebody is playing a money game here. Moreover, I feel there is no coordination between the central and the state government rulings.
What is the reaction of the partners and cast members?
They are sad, but since they love the production, they have agreed to lend their support to the play whenever it is allowed to be staged. The cast members are also project wagers, who had come back to work after six months and had prepared for a month. Now, I can’t tell them that I can’t pay them
anything. We will have to pay them, but we are now left in the lurch.
This show was by invitation. How many people were invited and have you informed them about
cancellation?
The total capacity of Shri Ram Centre for Arts is 375 plus some extra chairs, which makes it to 400, but we had booked for only 185 seats, so as to maintain social distancing. We had invited 370 people through registrations from four different platforms. Though we are sending cancellation messages, there
will be calamities. Even if 20 people turn up, it will harm our reputation.
When did you start practising for the play and was it challenging to practice with 30 cast members?
We have already done seven performances in various cities in four years. Since this is one of my signature plays, I wanted to perform it again. During the pandemic, I redid the script and brought it down from two hours, 15 minutes to an hour and 50 minutes. And yes, it was tough to practice with
a huge team. We hired Natya Ballet Centre that is big enough, and only after everybody was tested for Corona, did we start practising for the show October 1 onwards.
Multiple collaborations
Based on Franz Kafka’s novel, The Trial, Giraftari was to be presented by Rama Theatre Natya Vidya (RATNAV) in collaboration with Austrian Embassy, Austrian Cultural Forum, The Embassy of the Czech Republic and supported by Sideways Consulting.