Ranga Shankara keeps theatre alive through children

But it is a struggle to keep going, admits Arundhati Nag.

The latest production of AHA!, Ranga Shankara's Theatre For Children, is The First Leaf, an English play. The play is a message to be careful with the earth and the environment. "It is also about conserving energy," said Arundathi Nag, Creative Director of Ranga Shankara, the theatre complex.

But, to keep such messages flowing, Ranga Shankara has to keep running. With a 'hand-to-mouth existence', Nag finds it quite a challenge to keep it going. Ranga Shankara, she claims, is today the most affordable theatre facility in India. For Rs 2,500 a day, it is dedicated to showcasing theatrical performances from India and abroad.

It also produces and commissions new and innovative theatre forms and productions, and facilitating outreach programmes to build audiences for theatre and impart theatre skills.

The objective, says Nag, is to reach out to as many people as possible. Orange, which later became Hutch and subsequently Vodafone, remained the primary sponsor of the theatre. Vodaphone will now continue the tradition. Hence, Ranga Shankara is able to price tickets at a subsidised Rs 50 so that more children are attracted.

The earlier production under AHA! was the Kannada play 'Gumma Banda Gumma' in the internationally-acclaimed Grips format, a German theatre style. The play reveals the inherent harmony and lack of prejudice in children's frolic and play until adults come along and make them aware of differences.

'Gumma Banda Gumma' was sponsored by Britannia, just as 'The First Leaf' has been. Says Vinita Bali, MD, Britannia, "Theatre for Children is a wonderful creative expression and fits in with the Britannia core essence of 'Swastha Khao Tan Man Jagao'. Together with Britannia, Ranga Shankara has created a platform where this creativity is best experienced and enjoyed. This is a new and refreshing way for Britannia to provide 'nutrition for the mind' in this fast changing world."

Britannia's association with Ranga Shankara through supporting AHA! will run for the next three years. The firm wants to reach out to children from all sections of society on a sustained basis by taking theatre to them.

"In the first year itself of AHA!'s launch," says Nag, " we have been able to meet all the targets we had set for ourselves in terms of home productions, international plays, and summer workshops for kids. We have made a good beginning and have just about scratched the surface in terms of numbers. We foresee exponential growth in our AHA! programme in the next year. Britannia has been travelling with us in a most wonderful manner."

AHA! has a long term objective. It is an effort to develop an audience for theatre. "Children who will grow up watching theatre will become adults interested in theatre," explains Nag.

By investing in a new generation which uses the space, whether to perform or watch the cutting-edge theatre that Ranga Shankara invites throughout the year, "we strengthen our bonds and invest in the future of theatre," she added.

The theatre was a realisation of a four-year-long search for funds to build the 12,500 sq ft, three-storey complex. It was built at a cost of Rs 4 crore by the Sanket Trust chaired by Jnanpith awardee Girish Karnad.

Going by the philosophy of 'A Play a Day', the theatre sees over 300 performances a year in several Indian and international languages. These performances include special shows for children, matinees, youth festivals, and an annual Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival.

As for the location of the theatre, Nag admits, "Yes, Ranga Shankara is situated in the south of the city. But if you want something, you go to Timbuktu to get it. The solution of course is to have four spaces like Ranga Shankara in four parts of the city. In fact every locality should have a cultural centre."