‘We have to create a lot more avenues for theatre to boom’
Priyanshu Painyuli, who has movies such as Rock On 2 (2016) and Bhavesh Joshi Superhero (2018) to his credit, believes that Mumbai has always had regular plays going on to keep the theatre scene alive. “The good thing about the city is that a lot of regular plays are happening. Everybody is coming up with new productions. Another point to be highlighted is that new small avenues have opened in the city apart from the usual NCPA and Prithvi theatre. These small venues help smaller productions to stage their play to a limited audience. Besides, a lot of new people have also got into theatre recently.”
The 31-year-old actor also mentions that with an active support from the government, the theatre industry can boom even now. “Now, more people are coming to the theatre to watch. I know of people who go even for repeat shows. New productions are also coming up with interesting concepts. The only thing is that if there is some kind of backing from the government and there is money coming in, then a lot of actors can take theatre as a full-time profession,” he adds.
So how can the government support the theatre industry? “We have to create a lot more avenues theatre to boom. I feel the venue costs have gone up a lot. I have been a part of a few productions where we travelled to China. Different cities in China have designated places like a park or an amphitheatre where people can come and perform or watch. We hardly have any amphitheatres or any such places in our country. If we can create more spaces, I am sure the audience will come,” says Priyanshu, who will next be seen in a movie, which will be released on an OTT platform.