A silent movement is setting the stage for a revolution of sorts in Kerala’s artistic theatre – the very term seeking to replace the hackneyed, even condescending word ‘amateur’ for serious theatre in the State.
As part of it, State and district level committees have been formed for the ambitious Network of Artistic Theatre Activists Kerala (NATAK), the maiden State-wide organisation for theatre activists which seeks to make active and lasting interventions in Kerala’s theatre scene.
Committee formation
Ernakulam is the only district where the committee formation is in the preliminary stages. “We held the first district-level consultative meeting with the participation of 32 theatre activists and enthusiasts and selection of office bearers of four zones in the district has been done. A full-scale convention is scheduled to be held on November 12 when a district committee will be formed,” the activists have announced on their WhatsApp group.
Shailaja J., secretary of the State ad hoc committee of NATAK, said the purpose of the organisation, with presence down to the panchayat-level, is to address the issues of theatre artistes and technicians.
Dignity of artistes
“There are so many artistes who have been forgotten or not recognised properly. Our primary aim is to ensure the dignity of people dabbling in artistic theatre. Further, we seek to document plays, create digital libraries at district and if possible zonal levels, and strive for more public spaces where performances and workshops could be held. It will also work as a forum to address the living issues of theatre personalities,” she said.
D. Raghuthaman is the State president of the group.
The formation of the organisational structures happened in a creative way. After several rounds of consultative meetings, which were democratically held, zonal office bearers were elected. Some districts such as Thrissur have as many as 12 zones. “We take everyone’s opinion before firming things up. A bylaw is still being worked on and our logo will be ready soon. It’s an ambitious project, also looking at the possibility of creating children’s theatre groups across the State,” said Ms. Shailaja.
The group also seeks to plug the gap in exchange of plays and theatre practices between different parts of the State.