Theatre group Actor factor was formed two years ago and the founders continue to be passionate about it.
In the middle of our conversation, Sunit Sinha, founder, Actor Factor, one of the emerging theatre groups in New Delhi, starts laughing hard. “We have made so many mistakes. We invested around Rs 50,000 for one of our workshops and we had great turnout. But we were generous. We catered for sumptuous Bengali meals and booked an air-conditioned hall, thus never recovered the money that we spent,” he says.
Some of the Actor Factor members are huddled comfortably in a congested cafe in Delhi’s Saket, just a stone’s throw away from PVR Anupam, where the theatre group’s work for their fifth — and sixth — production is already underway. “Our play, Main Alexander Hoon, is still at the scripting stage and is about youth power and the strength to change what’s unjust around us,” explains Sinha while, Sukant Suman, Adesh Sidhu and Rahul Chandra chip in with their thoughts during our conversation.
Chandra has, in fact, worked on the music for a few previous productions by Actor Factor and is now getting ready to script a play on his own. For someone who could’ve easily been caught in the routine of a nine-to-five job, Chandra feels being with a theatre group like Actor Factor has channeled his talent to a greater level. Sidhu owns a family business back home in Chandigarh but stays in Delhi for the sake of Actor Factor, working on the overall production for most plays that are staged by the group. Apart from this, he has also acted in some of the plays. Then there’s Sinha, a research analyst by day. He jokingly points a finger at Chandra, adding, “He’s the culprit who has made me change my priorities as far as theatre is concerned.”
While only a handful of the members make it to our meeting at the café, Sinha informs that 80 per cent of them have day jobs. So, from marketing executives to research analysts to IT experts to those in public relations, they get together every evening in a humble studio and are transformed into pure theatre enthusiasts.
“Theatre as a medium requires people from different walks of life because any production requires different skill-sets,” says Sinha who started Actor Factor two years ago. Actor Factor today has a total of 30-odd members. “We are a non-profit organisation where we don’t ask for money but encourage people to join and support it,” he says. But don’t they face a drastic dropout rate with people joining at a whim but disengaging once they don’t find time from their work schedule and personal commitments? At Actor Factor, beginners who attend workshops without missing them for two months are eligible for the membership with the company, explains Suman. In fact, that’s what ensures the continuous creative participation of most of the members.
Some of them have already made compromises in their professional lives. Take Shashwat Srivastava, another founder member, who has switched jobs to create more time and contribute further to Actor Factor. “That’s my gameplan too,” says Sinha, while others agree in unison. “For us, Actor Factor is a driving force.” In fact, on the official website of the theatre group, Sinha adds, “Costumes, make-up, the smell of the dense air in the wings and the last moment frenzy, it’s all so addictive. And one feels so alive.”
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Little wonder then that productions by Actor Factor are already getting felicitated. The group’s Red Corridor, a stage production that drew parallels between the life and intentions of a Naxalite and some other small-town aspirants, was adjudged the best play of 2008 by Sahitya Kala Parishad.
“We’ve always managed to get sponsors and break even for our stage productions. Most see at least 80 per cent occupancy, if not more,” says Sinha, who informs us about his next production, The Leela Tapes, which will be staged in July. That apart, The First Act, an acting workshop, will also start in the first week of June with theatre director Shelli Koffman.
Despite traffic snarls, professional commitments and personal obligations, Sinha says that somehow everyone manages to make it to rehearsals. “Someday, Actor Factor will have its own art centre,” he smiles.
It’s still a dream — but given the commitment that the members have shown, perhaps the art centre and many more successful productions are just round the corner.