This city-based platform is helping promote theatre as a professional field

Illustration/ Ravi Jadhav

Theatre as a medium thrives on the collaborative spirit of its practitioners. The spirit finds a reflection in the fluid functioning of the numerous theatre companies in Mumbai that seldom hesitate to share their resources - be it expertise or rehearsal spaces.

AâÂu00c2u0080Âu00c2u0088scene from Adrak, which will be performed at the festival

The community will now come together to celebrate this association at the first-ever Theatre Ppl Festival this Saturday. The festival is an initiative of Theatre Professionals, which was co-founded by Jehan Manekshaw and Tasneem Fatehi in 2008. "As a company we wanted to explore and develop theatre as a professional sector in India. While theatre practitioners were all doing it in different ways, we were looking at the potential impact of what can happen when we get organised. Over these years, we have worked with and trained hundreds of people in the field. As we turn 10, we felt that there is much more that needs to be done in terms of visibility and awareness about theatre for the world outside the community, " says Manekshaw, who also co-founded The Drama School Mumbai.

Rajit Kapur

The day-long festival includes an array of workshops such as kalaripayattu by Belraj Soni, yoga-based body conditioning by Mandar Gokhale and a performance workshop by Sunil Shanbag as well as sessions for children. Discussions featuring Rajat Kapoor, Rajit Kapur, Faezeh Jalali, Atul Pethe and Yuki Ellias as panellists are also part of the festival. The day will end in theatre, music and dance performances.

"Though the festival is for and by theatre people, it is also open to the public. So, they can hear panellists share their journey in theatre. The idea is to get people outside the community to recognise that theatre is a professional industry and that you can have a career in it," reveals Manekshaw.

Sunil Shanbag

Much like the way the industry functions, the organisation of the festival was a collaborative effort, too. Misfits Co. that recently started a travelling arts-based festival in Mumbai is managing the event, while the True School of Music will provide live music at the venue. The food will be taken care of by Moonlight Cafe, a collective of theatrewallahs who have embraced their love for cooking in the form of a pop-up and catering initiative.

Rajat Kapoor

"Communication is key in our field. And spending close to 15 hours together at the festival will give us ample opportunity to do that," says Preetika Chawla of Moonlight Cafe.

Fatehi feels that in the past 10 years, the theatre scene in Mumbai has changed a lot. "The many places where you can stage your work and the small theatre companies that have come up are all testimony to the change," she says.

Faezeh Jalali

In this evolution, what's lacking though, is the need to recognise the role that theatre should play in society, feels Manekshaw. "Theatre is a transformative medium. People who are exposed to the arts and culture are more participative and socially aware citizens, who don't sit and watch the world become worse."

On: April 28, 8 am onwards
At: Drama School Mumbai, Charni Road and Corona Gardens, Mount Mary, Bandra West
Log on to: Theatre Professionals on Facebook
RSVP: info@theatreprofessionals.co.in (for workshops)
Call: 9769088514

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