Rangayana, Karnataka's high-profile theatre repertory, is facing turbulence with the appointment of new director B Jayashree
Rangayana, Karnataka's high-profile theatre repertory, is facing turbulence with the appointment of new director B Jayashree
Rangayana artistes are seething, and it's not even a month since B Jayashree took over as director of the government-run theatre institute.
"She treats us like slaves," said an artiste. "I wonder how a well-known theatre star like Jayashree can behave like this with fellow artistes."
The face-off between Jayashree and the artistes has created an unpleasant atmosphere on their campus in Mysore.
Jayashree, drama legend Gubbi Veeranna's granddaughter, is understood to have banned rehearsals near her chamber since they disturb her. "She scolds us even if we are seen in the area... there's a lot of drama offstage," said the artiste.
When they questioned her on this, she reportedly insulted them. And then came the flashpoint for the sulking artistes on July 18.
Silent protest
Jayashree had called a meeting of Rangasamaja, the governing body of Rangayana, that day, and had invited the artistes too. But when no one turned up, she flew into a rage and reportedly abused the artistes.
The artistes went on leave in protest and the weekend play that is performed every Saturday and Sunday was cancelled.
A miffed Jayashree marked it as unauthorised absence and cancelled their weekly off on Mondays.
Though the artistes returned to work on Tuesday, they were not allowed to sign in the register.
"It's strange," lamented an artiste. "We are not used to bureaucratic harassment but now have to taste it."
When MiD DAY called Jayashree, she wouldn't respond to any of the artistes' allegations, and just said she would explain everything at a press meet.
What meeting?
At the press meet on Saturday, she said, "We had a meeting for four hours to discuss the issue threadbare. I think the crisis is resolved now."
But the seething artistes say there was no meeting and she didn't discuss anything with them. "All that she told some of us casually was she would give us an opportunity to air our views in the future."
About Rangayana
Nataka Karnataka Rangayana is the brainchild of celebrated theatre director B V Karanth.u00a0 Started in 1989, it works as an autonomous cultural institute and consists of a professional repertory company, a theatre-training institute and a documentation and research centre.
The only government-sponsored repertory in the country, it has also created a children's repertory in association with international theatre organisations.
A part, but apart
Normally, the director of Rangayana lives like the other artistes on the premises. All directors from B V Karanth to Prasanna and Chidambara Rao Jambe, Jayashree's immediate predecessor lived in the quarters but Jayashree chooses to stay away at a house in Kuvempu Nagar, at the government's cost.
"She is distancing herself from us because she feels it is beneath her dignity to live with us," said an artiste.
"How can we work with this type of person?" Jayashree is also reportedly renovating her office, spending Rs 6 lakh.
Who's she?
Jayashree is the granddaughter of Gubbi Veeranna, a doyen of professional theatre and the architect of the celebrated Gubbi Company which produced stars like Dr Rajkumar, Narasimha Raju, Balakrishna, Kalyana Kumar and B V Karanth.
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She took to the stage when she was four and over the past five decades, has figured in innumerable plays including epoch-making ones like Mother, Jokumaraswamy, Karimayi and Lakshpathirajana Kathe.
Stop! You're not going...
Journalists got a taste of Jayashree's temper when they violated 'press conference discipline'.
After braving the conference for several hours, some reporters tried to leave but Jayashree would have none of it.
"How can you leave without my permission? Don't you know the etiquette for a press conference? You are not supposed to go before it ends."
The scribes promptly sat down. And as the press meet drew to a close, a reporter's mobile started ringing. Tongue firmly in cheek, he asked if he had her permission to receive the call.
By then, the atmosphere was less charged and Jayashree, with a broad smile, was generous enough to let him take the call.
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