HAPPY WORLD THEATRE DAY!!!
What a wonderful message by Russian theatre director - Anatoly Vassiliev. He goes straight to the heart of the matter - Do we need theatre? And he answers it with a resounding Yes! "We need theatre that always remains different, we need theatre of many different kinds."
Every couple of years, I find myself asking similar questions. What is the point of the struggle to live a life practising theatre? What is the impact of what I do? What are the figures for eyeballs and footfalls, reach and conversation rate? What is the ROI and is our work even in the vicinity of trending? Is a good box office collection validation of a good show/play/production? What could I be doing in a parallel universe? I pontificate and drink lots of chai and mull some more and listen to the Les Mis soundtrack, amongst others. And no matter how many doubts plague me, no matter how adrift I feel, there is still something about Theatre that feels imperative. Compelling. Theatre can be the zeitgeist. It can be the embodiment of the oft used term - Carpe diem. And if I can be a part of that, there is no alternate reality required. I need theatre. And we need theatre wallahs of many different kinds. So let's put the existential crisis in cold storage for a few years and rejoice in all things 'Theatre'!
In that spirit, April promises an overwhelming number of shows, of workshops, of free talks, of job vacancies. However, the highlight of the month has to be the Writer's Bloc festival which dominates all conversations and evenings out.
Our features, on the other hand are a bit of a travelogue. Sebastien takes us to Montreal and we catch up with Akvarious as they return from yet another successful META visit to Delhi. Priti travels to Yusuf's Palestine and Dolly Thakore... well she travels back in time to 1987.
An unprecedented listing of Opportunities this month. Workshops, talks, courses for actors and art managers. Time to meet new people and learn new things.
Happy reading!
Toral.