The house lights come up, the cast takes the curtain call, the audience applauds… Once a play is over, everyone talks about the plot, the acting, the direction. But, very few, perhaps only those familiar with theatre, might think about how the sets reflected the time period of the play or how the lighting impacted the mood of certain scenes. They’re subtle things, quite literally in the background, but play a huge role in determining the audience’s perception of the show.
The people who make the alchemy happen on stage are quite often overlooked in the grand scheme of things. The city’s vibrant theatre scene probably wouldn’t be half of what it is without the set and light designers who work just outside the limelight. Take Victor Paulraj, who has been involved in the field since he was 15, thanks to his father who was in-charge of lighting at Museum Theatre in Egmore. “Watching him work made me curious about why lighting was so important. It attracted me, and I started working with him,” he says. Victor has worked in over 2,000 productions over 35 years; he’s a known name in the theatre fraternity.
This is a job that gives you backstage, and pretty much an all-access pass to any production you might be part of. That perk aside, it’s a difficult life. On a weekday morning, Meera Sitaraman, V. Baskaran, Vijay Saravanan and A.B. Charles meet up, and talk about the various hurdles they have faced in their respective journeys and what has kept them in the same industry, nevertheless.
Baskaran, an electrician by trade, started out with Koothu-p-Pattarai 30 years ago. “At that time, I did not know how to design lights, or even what that meant. But, over the years, I learnt from people such as the late Mithran Devanesan. About 10 years ago, I bought some equipment and started on my own.” Since then, he has worked with several theatre groups and spaces, such as Alliance Française. He has also helped newer entrants who can’t afford to invest in their own equipment and lack the space to store them.
Meera, one of the very few women in the technical side of theatre, credits Baskaran for teaching her a lot in the decade that she has been active in theatre. “When you’re a young-looking person, no one takes you seriously,” she laughs. She started off with Theatre Nisha, working on their props and assisting in direction. Apart from this, she also acts, and was recently nominated for The Hindu Playwright Award 2016. She explains, “You have to know the technical terms for everything. You can prove yourself only by showing in practice that you have the knowledge and the capability, even if it means carrying the heaviest of lights and climbing up ladders to fix them.”
Charles, another Mithran protégé, says that today, new technology keeps coming in regularly, and it’s important to keep themselves updated. “Here, there’s hardly a budget for sets and lights. You can’t say ‘Work within Rs. 5,000’, give space for a full-tech rehearsal only on the morning of the show and then expect a Broadway feel. Even within that budget, for our satisfaction, we experiment and bring in new things, irrespective of whether the audience or the director appreciates it,” he says.
From sneaking off to Bombay to design lighting for a show when still in college, Vijay has come a long way. “Watching your classmates rise up the ranks in their jobs can, at times, be frustrating, especially when you meet. ‘You’re in theatre?’ is asked with the slightest hint of amusement and disdain,” he says.
Now, Vijay works at the American International School as their theatre technical and production manager. “I use the analogy of an architect: they design the house but don’t do the physical work of building it. But, what they do is certainly important. The lighting designer plays a similar role. I make it very clear that when I am hired, it is for my expertise; so, let me do my job,” he says.
There have been ups and downs for each of them, such as the time when a play Vijay was working with got to go to the Edinburgh Theatre Festival. But, he couldn’t afford the flight tickets. “It was one of the lowest points in my life. I designed everything, and taught one of the actors, who executed it there.” After 14 years of working, he was finally able to make it this year. Meera recalls her experience at Edinburgh a few years ago, when everyone was working with pre-set programmes. “The organisers were surprised that I was the entire ‘technical crew’ and that I said that I would do everything manually. It’s only in India that we still use manual mixers for light and sound.”
There’s no union or association they can go to; it’s every man and woman for themselves. Meera says, “No one hands you work on a platter; you have to go out and create opportunities.” Vijay laughs, “Sometimes, you have to be a little shameless, when it comes to promoting your work. Maybe, the first time we work together, I could do it pro bono. But, once you have seen the quality of my work, I expect to be paid for it.” Sounds like something Heath Ledger’s ‘Joker’ would agree with: “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.”
“At the end of the day, we have our expenses and homes to run too. Time is money, and we put in a lot of time and effort to turn up for rehearsals, study the script, work with the director’s vision while adding new elements to it… Because these are not tangible things, people do not always appreciate the amount of work that goes into it. And, so they skimp on the cheques,” says Charles, adding that at times, they aren’t even given credit for the work they do.
So, what keeps them in this profession? For Charles, it’s the satisfaction of seeing his work in action. Meera and Baskaran agree. Vijay sums it up, saying, “I see 90 per cent of people working in jobs they don’t like, just to earn money. I can honestly say I have never done that a single day in my life.”
