Echoing Buddhi’s sentiments, Jiwan Baral, who has been associated with Shilpee Theatre in Battisputali since a year after its inception eight years ago, mentions that in theatre there is an immediate reward in the form of cheers and applauses. Many theatre artistes also confess that it is the love of live performances coupled with the high you get while on stage with the audience following your each and every move that makes theatre so compelling. There is an adrenalin rush of sorts when you are on stage, adds Buddhi.
According to anthropologists, festivals are what gave birth to theatre in Nepal. The jatras and the nachs were, in fact, theatrical performances. In the recent times, there has been a slow but steady wave of change in the theatre scene with more and more people, especially youngsters, cultivating a taste for theatre and being attracted to it; be it as performers or as the audience. In the five theatres around Kathmandu, there are various plays being staged quite often and the theatre staff say that the audience turnover, consisting mostly of college and university students, have steadily increased over the years.
Sunil Pokharel, who has been in the acting field for 35 years now, says that theatre has evolved over the years and it’s encouraging for actors like him to see that the audience is becoming enthusiastic about this form of art. “When I first started off, there used to be very less people involved in theatre and the sound and light system was a bit drab marring the plays we put up,” says Sunil adding that back during his initial days women performers were quite rare too.
Supporting his claims is Anup Baral who started his 25 years long journey in theatre as a child artist. He recalls a time when people viewed theatre artists as losers with nothing better to do in life. “There was a perception that you became a theatre artist if you failed your exams, or couldn’t get a decent job,” he says further explaining that girls weren’t allowed by their parents to join theatre groups because they thought it was a place for misfits, a choice of career unfit for girls from good families.
Aruna Karki who started her career in theatre when she was just 13 years old confirms that girls had it tough when she started out around 30 years ago. Karki was born and brought up in Janakpur and when she decided she wanted to act in plays, it was met with a lot of resistance from her parents who thought the society would look down upon them. When her parents finally relented (it took them two years to even warm up to the idea), her five years old brother would accompany her to the rehearsals that started at nine at night and went on till midnight or later.
“The girls would have to finish the household chores before they could make it to the rehearsals and often there was a male member with them,” explains Aruna laughing about how her little brother tagged along to ‘protect’ his elder sister. Anup adds that in the lack of enough female actors it wasn’t uncommon for men to dress up as girls during shows. “But that’s no longer the case and there are many women theatre artistes now,” says Anup whose wife, actor Diya Maskey, is also a theatre artiste.
However, Anup mentions that though theatre has come a long way, it still has a long way to go and that there are numerous roadblocks to clear if theatre is to make a permanent place for itself in Nepal. “We lack well equipped halls and though the technical aspect of theatre is definitely a lot better now than it was years ago, there is still a lot of scope for improvement,” says Anup. Sunil too, who admits to being optimistic about the future of theatre in Nepal, says that though theatre is getting better by the day there is much that needs attention.
“Theatre is a huge part of our identity and there needs to be that awareness,” says Sunil adding that theatre has become professional in every way – from the management to the equipments – but we could still do with a drama school that is academically accredited and hold theatre festivals like the 10 minute drama festival Sarwanam held last year in order to attract young people towards theatre as well as give a platform to new talent, but on a larger scale to make the theatre scene even better.
The unanimous opinion is that government support is lacking and even private sectors don’t extend much support. In such a scenario, it falls on individual theatre groups to manage their own expenses and they have to rely largely, and often solely, on ticket sales and that is simply not enough. Theatre artistes and enthusiasts wish to see theatre developed as an industry because of its association with culture.
“The government needs to invest in this cultural aspect to take it forward,” says Pashupati Rai, who directed a play by veteran playwright Satya Mohan Joshi ‘Dhon Cholecha’ at Shilpee Theatre. Like every other theatre artiste, Pashupati also says that theatre has undergone a lot of change but there are still many factors that need to be worked on.
But she believes there’s a lot to be hopeful about. According to the actor director, when she started out there was a lot of negativity surrounding theatre and artistes. People didn’t understand what it was or what purpose it served but things aren’t that way anymore.
“When I would tell people that I was taking a drama course they gossiped and talked behind my back. That’s how the society viewed theatre till some years ago,” she says expressing her relief that it’s no longer the case. “Now we have parents bringing in their kids to learn dramatics if they see their kid is interested in it or has the knack for it,” she says adding that this makes her happy because her dream is to see theatre flourish and be able to sustain itself well.
And she speaks for the many other artistes for whom theatre is a part and parcel of life. “Theatre is what makes me who I am. It’s almost an addiction and it acts like a painkiller too,” says Anup mentioning that for theatre artistes like him theatre is an outlet through which they not only communicate but also raise important questions in the society.
“Through theatre we can and should push strong subjects and raise awareness about important issues,” he says adding that only when plays do so, will theatre be able to gain prominence in our society.
Theatre artistes and enthusiasts had another reason to feel more hopeful about the future of theatre last year when a Nepali theatre made its first ever international appearance. In December 2015, a play written by Ashesh Malla, director of Sarwanam Theater, and directed by theater artist Hari Bahadur Thapa, was staged at the 777 Theatre in Off Broadway in Manhattan, New York. The story revolved around the earthquakes that struck Nepal last year. The 75 minute play had two shows and tickets were sold out one week before the performances were scheduled to take place.
Theatre artistes say that theatre requires patience, there’s less money in it, and it takes a lot of hard work to earn even a little bit of name and fame but still it’s the spontaneity which the stage offers that draws them to it. As long as artistes have that passion, theatre will thrive but refueling this passion with adequate audience and government support is also essential if it is to flourish. Where theatre is now could very well be the start of the beginning or the highest point it could ever reach. Much depends on where we let it go from here.
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