I’m now rehearsing for a new play. And have been around theatre people a lot for the last two months. I happened to walk into a discussion between actors about their various performance experiences. This led to a chat about the best places to perform in the city, and even country. At one point, when a preoccupied production manager was asked for an opinion, the reply caught my attention. “I don’t really care about the perfect performance space because I still haven’t found a half-decent rehearsal space.”
Rehearsal space. That rare commodity. In metropolitan cities that are constantly coping with the paucity of any space at all, getting a room large enough to block a play is quite a task. And when such a place does pop up like an oasis, every theatre group worth its salt wants a piece of it. But first, what really defines a good rehearsal space?
Size, certainly. Enough to move around. A high ceiling preferably. Particularly if you plan to rehearse with a set. And while we may not take this seriously initially, the space had better have easy access, and a large enough door to bring stuff in. Accessibility by itself is tricky. You want it to be well located, easy to get to, perhaps with parking, and supplies readily available nearby. But you also want it to be a little cut off, to award the privacy the rehearsal deserves.
Blessed are the productions that can afford to rehearse in the space that they will actually open or perform in. This is not a luxury most Indian theatre groups have. Unless of course it is a piece constructed for an experimental space that is happy to partner in the process. But for all practical purposes, it is essential to rehearse in the same dimensions. People underestimate the sheer impact that a new space can have on a cast. It can be highly disorienting and can lead to many geographical gaffes.
Room to unwind
Casts and crews also need a space away from the actual room to unwind, smoke, eat and drink. They would love to have Wi-Fi and all the bars on their phone network, but I have seen increased productivity when connections are bad. That is, of course, once they get over the trauma.
The space itself should be well lit, naturally or otherwise. Equipped with sound. And with ample charging points. In an ideal world, it should offer storage facilities. And have comfortable temperature, with access to climate controls. Hygienic loos, and a generally clean environment. A lot of venues, particularly in the monsoon, are known to get damp and mouldy and become a breeding ground for infection. Others can often smell like a post-workout locker room.
All jokes aside, the space needs to have some intangible qualities too. I’m a big one for ‘vibe’. This isn’t like ‘vaastu’ but perhaps just more to do with the energy of the room. This is hard to explain, but there are rooms that can just impose fatigue or negativity. I tend to have a pretty decent radar for this. But what is most crucial is that the space should offer the rehearsing team emotional safety. This is something I have been reading about lately.
Mixed state
Honestly, it’s hard to define. In psychology, it’s a term that is used to describe a state that mixes openness and vulnerability, with the feeling of being supported and safe. In the context of a rehearsal, that could mean a lot of different things. But the onus is on us to work towards creating an atmosphere in which actors feel comfortable expressing emotions. Of course, it is up to the unit to create that maahaul [ambience] as I call it, but a space can contribute to this more than we know. Again, sometimes a group doesn’t have a choice. But comfort is key.
I curate a theatre space in Bombay that’s also available for rehearsal, and it’s quite popular. The ultimate dream is to have one’s own space, customised for theatre, where productions can be built in the same area they première at. This is a long shot, plagued with logistics and financial concerns and questions of whether it will be able to sustain itself. But like the misquoted dialogue from Field of Dreams goes, “If you build it, they will come.”
I’m currently rehearsing for a new play. And have been around theatre people a lot for the last two months. I happened to walk into a discussion between actors from different walks of life about their various performance experiences. This led to a chat about the best places to perform in the city, and even country. At one point, when a preoccupied production manager was asked for an opinion, the reply caught my attention. “I don’t really care about the perfect performance space, because I still haven’t found a half decent rehearsal space.”
Rehearsal space. That rare commodity. In metropolitan cities that are constantly coping with the paucity of any space at all, getting a room large enough to block a play is quite a task. And when such a place does pop up like an oasis, every theatre group worth their salt wants a piece of it. But firstly, what really defines a good rehearsal space?
Size, certainly. Enough to move around. Enough to circulate around that moving around without being a hindrance. With a high ceiling preferably. Particularly if you plan to rehearse with a set. And while we may not take this seriously to begin with, it better have easy access, and a large enough door to bring stuff in from. Accessibility by itself is tricky. You want it to be well located, easy to get to, perhaps with parking, and supplies readily available nearby. But you also want it to be a little cut off, to award the rehearsal process the privacy it deserves.
Blessed are the productions that can afford to rehearse in the space that they will actually open or perform in. This is not a luxury most Indian theatre groups have. Unless of course it is a piece constructed for an experimental space which is happy to partner in the process. But for all practical purposes, it is essential to rehearse in the same dimensions. People underestimate the sheer impact that a new space can have on a cast. It can be highly disorienting and can lead to many geographical gaffes.
Casts and crews also need a space away from the actual room to unwind, and a place to smoke, and access to coffee and food. They would love to have Wi-Fi and all bars of their phone network, but I have seen increased productivity when connections are bad. That is, of course, once they get over the trauma of dodgy network.
The space itself should be well lit, naturally or otherwise. Equipped with sound. In an ideal world, it should offer storage facilities. And have comfortable temperature, with access to climate controls. Hygienic loos, and a generally clean environment. A lot of venues, particularly in the monsoon, are known to get damp and mouldy and become a breeding ground for infection. Others can often smell like a post-workout locker room. Also, most important, ample charging points.
All jokes aside, the space needs to have some intangible qualities too. I’m a big one for ‘vibe’. This isn’t like ‘vaastu’ but perhaps just more to do with the energy of the room. This is hard to explain, but there are rooms that can just impose fatigue or negativity. I tend to have a pretty decent radar for this. But what is most crucial is that the space should offer any participant of the rehearsal emotional safety. This is something I have been reading about lately.
Honestly, it’s hard to define. In psychology, it’s a term that is used to describe a state that mixes openness and vulnerability, with the feeling of being supported and safe. In the context of a rehearsal, that could mean a lot of different things. But the onus is on us to work towards creating an atmosphere in which actors feel comfortable expressing emotions. Of course, it is up to the unit to create that “maahaul” as I call it, but a space can contribute to this more than we know. Again, sometimes a group doesn’t have a choice. But comfort is key.
I curate a theatre space in Bombay, which is also available for rehearsal, and is now quite popular. The ultimate dream is to have one’s own space, customized for theatre folk, where productions can build in the very same area they premiere at. This is a long shot, plagued with logistics issues and financial concerns and whether it will be able to sustain itself. But like the misquoted dialogue from Field of Dreams goes, “if you build it, they will come”.
Akarsh Khurana is a theatre producer and director and hence often broke. To cope, he writes and directs films and web series and occasionally acts, albeit reluctantly.
