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Mumbai: Theatre in Kalyan open to full house on Day 1
The Acharya Atre Natya Rangmandir in Kalyan opened for its first show post lockdown on Saturday. At 50% capacity, the theatre was almost full on the first day.
The Acharya Atre Natya Rangmandir in Kalyan opened for its first show post lockdown on Saturday. At 50% capacity, the theatre was almost full on the first day.
“After maintaining the 50% seating capacity, we had a provision for 425 people in the audience; almost 300 turned up on the first day of the play – Tu Mhanshil Tasa. We also had a good response on the second day for the performance of a classic, Sant Tukaram. We followed all Covid norms. The audiences and staff were provided with sanitisers. Temperature checks were also done before the audience entered the auditorium. We have more bookings lined up for the coming weeks,” said Manik Shinde, manager of Acharya Atre Natya Rangmandir.
This is the first auditorium within Mumbai Metropolitan Region to open up for a play.
Actor Subodh Bhave expressed gratitude towards the audience for a positive response. “Marathi audiences love to watch plays. They have been confined to their homes for the longest period. The response we received in Mumbai and Pune was overwhelming. We are motivated to present more shows,” Bhave said.
Santosh Kanekar, president, Maharashtra Theatre Producers Guild, said, “It is not the right time to come up with new plays as it will be a huge investment risk. It would be right to focus on showcasing classics and well-known plays for the timebeing. Our focus currently is to ensure that there is an income generated among those who work backstage or with the auditoriums.”
“Currently we are performing in Mumbai, Thane and Pune areas. It will take some time for us to get contracts to perform in other places,” added Kanekar.
