Tamil Theatre: Bringing back the audiences

By D.S. Rajagopalan

Theatre is one of the finest branches of the fine arts and of live entertainment. It expresses beliefs, traditions and societal values, making it an indispensable part of human history. Tamil theatre, which had its heyday between the 1960s and the 1980s, appears to have lost its sheen with dwindling audiences in Chennai, with very few exceptions for the plays of established troupes. At present, around thirty troupes actively showcase their theatrical skills under the aegis of around twenty sabhas that regularly provide platforms. In this article, let us address the concern of dwindling audiences and offer some suggestions for bringing them back.

Tamil amateur theatre had a significant landmark with the launching of Suguna Vilas Sabha in 1891 by the ‘Father of Modern Tamil Theatre’, Pammal Sambandha Mudaliar, who roped in educated, non-professional actors to the stage. The movement further gained momentum when United Amateur Artistes was launched by Y.G. Parthasarathy in 1952 and other groups with artists employed in offices started participating in plays out of passion, and as a hobby, in the evenings.

Amateur theatre was at its peak – its golden era, peers will agree – from the 1960s to the 1980s, when stalwarts such as YGP-Pattu-ARS, Y.G. Mahendran, K. Balachander-Nagesh, Cho, T.S. Seshadri, Kathadi Ramamurthy, V. S . Raghavan, Koothapiran, Kudanthai Mali, K.S. Nagarajan, Komal Swaminathan, Manorama, ‘Major’ Sundararajan, Mouli, Visu and Poornam Viswanathan, among others, gave impactful plays on varied subjects. Flight 172, Edhir Neechal, Major Chandrakanth, Mohammad Bin Tughlaq, Pattina Pravesam and Thanneer Thanneer, to name a few, were instant hits and were staged hundreds of times as houseful shows and healthy competition prevailed.

Stage plays were made into feature films and dramatists were roped in to celluloid for their exemplary skills – among them K. Balachander, ARS, Cho, Mouli, Kathadi Ramamurthy, Visu, Y.G. Mahendran, Delhi Ganesh, Major Sundararajan, S.Ve. Shekhar and Crazy Mohan. Who can forget the admirable performance of Sundararajan in Major Chandrakanth, the brilliant performance of Nagesh in Edhir Neechal or the stellar one of Manorama in En Veedu En Kanavan En Kuzhandhai, the satirical dialogues of Cho in Mohammad Bin Tughlaq, or, for that matter, the evergreen comedy of Mouli’s Flight 172?

Thought-provoking content and stunning performances were the cornerstones. Audience support was the backbone of all these efforts: the ‘all are welcome’ concept was a rarity, and houseful shows were the norm.

The legacy is continued by modernday amateur theatre veterans Kathadi Ramamurthy, Y.G. Mahendran, Kudanthai Mali, T.V. Varadharajen, Augusto, ‘Madhu’ Balaji, Bombay Gnanam, Ratnam Koothapiran, V. Sreevathson and Dharini Komal, to name a few, who continue it devotedly and with resolve.

The advent of television in 1975, and of satellite TV and streaming platforms since, saw audience strength for live theatre dwindling slowly. Popular Kodai Nataka Vizhas of Kartik Fine Arts and drama festivals of other sabhas are exceptions, but they too draw smaller crowds these days. Key India T20 matches and CSK matches in the IPL, though they fall under a different segment, have also dented theatre audiences as several theatre enthusiasts are cricket fans as well. The current practice is to stage entry-free plays, and even when two or three leading cultural organisations jointly host a play, audience strength remains thin.

Veteran artist Kathadi Ramamurthy says, “Quality plays must be produced to attract the youth. Efforts should be taken to persuade the youth and make them understand something real and totally different from TV serials. Once the effort is successful, they will automatically come to see the plays or, alternatively, the troupes can stage plays at their venues.”

“A well-vetted script with powerful dialogue, regular press reviews in leading English and Tamil dailies, and apt characterisation will bring back sizeable audiences,” opines playwright and director Kudanthai Mali.

Veteran dramatist V. Sreevathson says, “We should give more attention to good content backed by excellent presentation, to give it a grandeur that matches national and international standards. It’s time to focus on lights, sound, music and attractive sets. Fresh standards are to be set. Today’s audience needs a rich experience.”

Playwright and director Dharini Komal insists, “The youth should be attracted to theatre with a variety of content, preferably by staging plays in college and university auditoriums, and by roping in Lions Club and Rotary Club members and social media groups, in addition to the sabha audiences.”

To sum up, attracting audiences back to Tamil theatre calls for a combination of strong content and creativity that resonates with the changing perspectives of both young and older audiences.

Powerful performances, supported by clear diction, emotionally delivered dialogues and relatable characters, remain essential. Theatre productions must also leverage technological advancements in lighting, sound and music to enhance the overall experience. Plays of about one hour and forty-five minutes, including an interval, scheduled preferably on Sunday or public-holiday mornings or at 6.30 p.m. on any day, may prove more appealing.

Entry-free performances or those with nominal ticket prices could encourage greater attendance, while sustained publicity through news reports, regular advertisements, press reviews in both Tamil and English, and social media promotion would help create wider awareness and attract larger audiences.

If art patrons, art promoters, artists and theatre enthusiasts integrate their efforts towards these objectives, the return of large audiences to Tamil theatre can once again become a reality.

(The author writes on artists, art promoters and cultural events)