Actor and director Makarand Deshpande, whose theatre group 'Ansh' is staging plays like Joke, 'Karodo Mein Ek' and
'Ek Kadam Aage' in Mumbai this weekend at the NCPA, say working in a play is akin to having a date with his audience.
"Theatre as an experience is deeper than films, making the audience think, feel and exist as individuals," Deshpande said in a chat with ANI.
"There is so much that theatre has to offer when you are in front of the audience. You are not dependent on the camera or set. It is just the audience and me. It's my date with my audience," he added.
The 'Swades' actor also pointed out that a good theatre director must involve the audience in his theatre performance.
"The key aspect is to keep things alive and to involve the audiences and their reactions as well in your play. All these form the pre-requisites to be a good theatre director," he adds.
More From This Section
Deshpande said while theatre has an evolved audience, it can immensely benefit from government and corporate funding.
"The theatre industry could most definitely benefit with government and corporate funding. Sponsorship is the need of the hour in theatre today," he reflected.
The quirky actor also shared that his theatre group's USP lies in the fact that it is a free/liberated group.
"No discipline is discipline for us. We work endlessly, without any set pattern or structure. It helps with free flow of thoughts and inspiration," he elaborates.
The theatre group came into action in 1994 when Kay Kay Menon, Anurag Kashyap, Sudhir Pandey and Ratna Pathak Shah came together.
Ever since then, the group has been regularly performing theatre shows across India.
.