Miscellaneous
In the empty space
Theatre groups such as Actor’s Studio and Shilpee are offering their own courses and producing actors in batches. What sort of theatre school is it that you have in mind?The recently-concluded Jhyalincha was the 51st play to be staged at Mandala Theatre. Founded in 2009, following the dissolution of Gurukul Theatre, Mandala, the oldest privately-run theatre houses in Kathmandu, was co-founded by Dayahang Rai and Rajan Khatiwada, who serves as its artistic director. Besides directing plays like Charandas Chor, Maila Dot Com, Sunkeshari, and the Nepali adaptation of Antigone, Khatiwada has also appeared in Nepali films, such as Kabaddi, Highway, and Ko Aafno. Even though his co-conspirators at Mandala, like Dayahang Rai and Buddhi Tamang, have shifted their focus into the movies, Khatiwada is still active in theatre, harbouring goals aplenty. “When we started, no one would have thought that we’d come this far,” said Khatiwada in the beginning of this conversation with the Post’s Timothy Aryal. Even though Kathmandu’s theatre circuit might look like it’s seeing its heyday, Khatiwada says, there’s a lot that needs attention—from the sense of societal responsibility to the content and presentation of a play. Excerpts:
What are you busy with these days?
Recently, I have been dreading that I am not growing as a theatre artist; oftentimes, I wonder if I have stopped paying enough attention to my craft. So, I have started reading and revisiting books on theatre: Books that deal with the craft, culture, and ethics of my field. I have come to realise that the problem with me and others who play an active role in the current theatre circuit is that we lack proper education—a proper schooling. So, I have been toying with the idea of starting a theatre school. Let’s see how the plan turns out.
Theatre groups such as Actor’s Studio and Shilpee are offering their own courses and producing actors in batches. What sort of theatre school is it that you have in mind?
The sort of courses currently on offer in Kathmandu is definitely essential, but not sufficient. I think, learning the craft for three months can help somebody become a perceptive viewer, not a good actor. One has to get into theatre–or any other art form–with passion and lifelong dedication in order to master it. These days, new aspiring theatre artists think that a three-month course, and a play to their name, is enough to become a good artist. Doing theatre with the intention of solely receiving fame runs the risk of the gradual deterioration of the art. This October, a handful of us theatre practitioners got together and organised a directorial workshop to reinvigorate our dedication to the craft, and that workshop proved fruitful. Obviously, one workshop is not enough. I want to create a yearlong training programme, and hopefully all of us–all the theatre groups–can pool our resources together to create an intense learning environment for people who seriously want to delve into the sector.
You said that there is a gradual decline in the quality of plays that are being produced. Can you say identify the reasons behind it?
The rise in the number of theatre houses may lead one to believe that we are enjoying a ‘golden period’; but looking at the current crop of plays, there remains a lot to improve. A part of the problem is that the audience is continually fluctuating. Many migrate abroad and so we have to reacquaint the audience again and again with the basics of theatre. It takes time to become sensitive to images that a play is projecting, but we lack a sustained audience group. On the other hand, our plays are becoming a literal rendition of life. The dance, the music, and other everyday cultural elements are somewhat present, but the writer/ director have not morphed real life into an artistically rendered story. If I wanted a slice of life without any filter, then I would rather go to Asan Bazaar, not to a theatre house. There is a scarcity of writers capable of properly depicting the triumph and the woes of our times. And then, there is the question of ethics. A theatre person should be able to discern the limits of theatre. We should work with the principle ‘Do No Harm’, but sometimes that happens. Take for instance, Lati ko Chhoro, where the word ‘Lati’ was used derogatively, so much so that people who have mute family and friends were hurt and offended–problem like this can be solved with heightened sensitivity to the subject matter and the audience. And we have to be careful to not cast actors that perpetuate stereotypes. There are a lot of plays these days that do more harm than they do good.
Recently there has been a lot of adaption of foreign plays. Is it because there is a dearth of good plays in Nepali?
Not entirely. Good plays, no matter what language they are written in, can portray a universal human condition. Over the years, material conditions of people living in different parts of the world might be different, but our spiritual concerns have stayed the same. Also, adapting foreign plays is a good practice for theatre artists, but we have not been able to tap into our vast resources. There are many theatre traditions that several ethnic groups practice, but we have not invested ourselves in researching and accumulating the vast historical theatre traditions of Nepal. Adaptation is necessary, because there is a wealth of great plays that are a part of the western canon. But we do have to spend time with our heritage and then perhaps we will write plays that will be adopted in other countries.
Adapting great plays into Nepali context might be a way of portraying human problems and dilemma. What else do you think an artist should do to aware the citizenry of the nation?
An artist, even if the person thinks of herself as only an actor, has to be updated with the tides that influence our collective experience. That helps an artist understand where the audience is coming from. In Principle, the role of an artist is to oppose the state. The governmental mechanisms concern themselves only with material development of the country. Economic prosperity and spiritual corruption has become two sides of the same medal. We are losing our cultural history and the least the artist can do is make others aware of the loss.