In the eye of a TEMPEST

We speak with veterans and emerging voices from the city's theatre scene to explore how it has evolved over the years, the challenges it faces, and more

- Shivani Illakiya

CHENNAI HAS ALWAYS carried a quiet reputation for its theatre.

Long before the city was flooded with multiplexes, short videos, and streaming platforms, the stage was where stories breathed, where actors built community, and where audiences discovered themselves. Over the last two decades, however, this once intimate and committed theatre circle has scattered into a scene that is larger and more experimental, yet one struggling with consistency, pay, and attention spans.

Veteran director S Krishna Kumar, founder and artistic director of Masquerade, remembers a time when the city's theatre was still a compact world, as “a socio-cultural community meeting point, where everyone knew everybody else, both the audience and the practitioners.” Fewer groups existed, but those that did were filled with “eager and passionate players doing it for the love of it.” That intimacy, he believes, is largely gone. “Today, most aspirants think being seen on stage is a ticket to cinema. Most of the productions lack production values, short of strong direction or design... too much mass, too little class.”

Playwright and director Gowri Ramnarayan also recalls how different things felt. “I was able to do plays with a large cast because the actors and crew were ready for punctual attendance through many long rehearsals. I had newcomers working in every play. Now I have to confine myself to the few seasoned actors who are ready for the long grind.”

For her, the shift has also been financial. “It costs much more to do theatre now than even 10 years ago.” Yet she notes some positive developments: more Indian playwrights are being adapted, multilingual theatre has gained ground, and Indian genres of music and dance are now seamlessly part of English-language productions.