What makes a theatre production successful?

Theatre group Sanchaya will stage the 50th show of their play ‘Kamaroopigal’ on Saturday. Directed by Ganesh Mandarthi, it opened at the Ranga Shankara Young Directors Festival in October 2021.

The play follows the events from the ‘Ramayana’, from the moment Shurpanakha is insulted by Lakshmana until the death of Jatayu. The team adapted the story from varied sources, such as Valmiki’s ‘Ramayana’, Kuvempu’s ‘Sri Ramayana Darshanam’, and folk ‘Ramayana’. 

The play bagged nine out of 10 awards at the Udupi Theatre Festival 2021, shares Chitrashekar, president of Sanchaya.

While cinema has developed a formula for success, what defines a play’s success?

This month, Samudaya’s ‘Jugari Cross’ completed its 95th show. The nine-hour play ‘Malegalalli Madhumagalu’ completed 100 shows in 2020. ‘Bapu-Gandhi’ has run 1,000s of shows over the years, says Lakshman K P, theatre practitioner.

“The success of a play may not necessarily be defined by the number of shows,” says Lakshman. He adds: “The imagination and emotional resonance are key. What matters is how long a play stays in the minds of the people.”

He is heartened to see that there is still an audience for theatre. “Theatre is not like other art forms where you create something and you’re done with it. The effort a team puts in for each show makes theatre unique,” he notes.

Theatre critic Narayan Raichur says a good script is vital for a good play. “These days, most theatre groups are giving prominence to technical aspects — be it the writing, sets, choreography, and presentation style,” he explains. He says the cast also matters and many groups are running workshops to put young artistes “onto the right path”.

On December 28, at 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm, at Ranga Shankara, J P Nagar. Tickets online