“All we want people to provide is power point and some chairs. We will take care of everything else.” grins Krishna Prasad of Bhoomika theatre group whose new initiative, ‘Theatre at your doorstep’ or Mungitlo Natakam in Telugu is making a splash in the art circles of the city. The initiative literally brings theatre to a community space — free of cost and all it demands is a receptive audience. It takes care of all the logistics from mics, curtains and lights.
Interestingly this initiative was first started by the group in 2004 (when they performed more than 25 shows in various colonies of twin cities.) before disbanding it due to logistical reasons. Now, due to the increase in community dwellings and gated apartments, they have built on the original idea and are witnessing a surge in demand from art patrons. The idea received a fresh lease of life after many people complained that to attend a performance, they have to plan logistics and travel weeks in advance owing to the art spaces being located in inaccessible areas.
‘A win-win for everyone’
Udaya Bhanu Garikipati who started Bhoomika theatre group says that nurturing theatre is important as it is a powerful tool to discuss common concerns, to challenge social evils and to celebrate the joy of the society.
“Theatre today is diminishing and people have forgotten the charm of seeing stories come to life in front of them and experience the joy of watching a live performance.” he shares and adds, “To enlighten and spread happiness and awareness among people, the only effective and accessible tool we have is theatre.”
Krishna Prasad says it’s a win-win situation for everyone. “If we hold a show at Ravindra Bharati, it’s the same audience of art lovers at every event. However, through this initiative we reach out to diverse sets of people. For the artistes too, they learn from performing to varying groups of audiences.” The artistes train at Our Sacred Space in Secunderabad, and though they provided training initially free of cost, they are now charging a minimal fee for those interested.
Bhoomika Theatre Group on stage for an event
Currently, the group has three plays in Telugu which they perform on a regular basis: Kundeti Kommu , Bullipette Boochodu and Charanadasu , ranging from an hour to two hours, which they perform as part of ‘Mungitlo Natakam’. Their latest folk production Charanadasu , is a Nandi award-winning play.
The actors range from young professionals from IT employees and art enthusiasts who are trained for three months prior to a performance. Though they don’t get paid, it helps them improve their craft and provides a platform to learn. Krishna Prasad says it’s a throwback to the old time when the stage was sacred and people used to travel by bullock carts to watch a play. “We hope that it brings attention to theatre. We hope to make it self-sustainable soon, but for now, we want to increase our presence and perform at a lot of venues.”
(Those interested in reaching out or having the Bhoomika group over at their community can reach out to 9703704506 or bhoomikatheatre@gmail.com)
