Quasar Thakore-Padamsee on theatre: We start from humble beginnings

Storytelling and drama, an inherent part of theatre has always existed in India in some form or the other. While Mumbai and Delhi have been considered the hub of theater, there has slowly by steadily been a change taking place across cities. Speaking to us at the background of the recently concluded Serendipity Arts Festival 2023 that took place in Goa, Quasar Thakore-Padamsee tells us, “Right now, Goa is popping off [in terms of] its food, theatre and cultures; it is not just about partying anymore. It’s interesting [to see a change in] what’s happening in smaller cities in the cultural space. For example, Pune has always had a local culture of theatre, but now it has evolved into being a wonderful mix of cosmopolitan languages. This is the same thing happening in Bengaluru, Guwahati (Assam), Hyderabad (Telangana) and Ahmedabad (Gujarat) since a lot of smaller spaces have come up.”

Quasar believes this sprout of growth that is developing needs to be nurtured: “The challenge for the smaller towns is [to figure out] how to develop local work regularly and not just as a one-off for theatre and cultural festivals.” The 45-year-old is, however, optimistic about what the future holds for the theatre world in smaller towns and cities and adds, “The amount of energy and work that is happening in these places is really great.”
The director reminisces about the olden days when going to plays wasn’t as much in vogue as it now might be. He says, “It is all about growth. People forget, but about 30 years ago the average attendance in theatres was about 15 people. I’ve seen (late theatre actor) Dinesh Thakur stand at the traffic signal and sell tickets because he had done a TV show and people would go up to him to talk to him and he would try to sell them a ticket. Nothing is given to us on a silver platter. We all start from relatively humble beginnings Nothing is overnight. Unfortunately, our measurement has become much shorter, right now, you want results to be fast. But I think all of these cultural changes take time, which is happening in a lot of smaller places. But you do need two things [to keep this momentum going] – you need financial and artistic stamina, to keep generating new things.”