Theatre in her genes

There is something about Raell Padamsee that draws you to her...probably it is her infectious smile or the enthusiasm with which she speaks. A name to be reckoned with in the world of theatre, her eyes light up with glee every time she mentions her parents, Alyque and Pearl Padamsee.  Here she talks of the musical, Grease, her initiative to get students to appreciate good theatre, the inspiration she draws from her dad Alyque Padamsee and why the theatre culture in SoBo has not picked up in a big way in other parts of the city.

Death Of A Salesman
Talking of the Pulitzer winning script, Raell says, “My father can recite the lines of the play in his sleep! He once told me that if there was a play in which he would like to act, it was Death Of A Salesman. My mom (late Pearl) had directed my dad in the play 20 years ago.” Once a member of the audience came up to Alyque Padamsee after the curtain call and told him, “For a while, I forgot that you were actually who you are and not the character!” That is when they decided to scrap the curtain call. “We have gone back though,” gushes Raell.

The special bond she shares with her dad is very evident when she talks of him. “I have always marvelled at the risks my parents took. They came up with interesting pieces of theatre with no money and no sponsors and had such a large fan following.” Ace Productions’ Classic Weekends is back with Broken Images, which has three stalwarts, including actors Shabana Azmi, writer Girish Karnad and director Alyque Padamsee, and Death Of A Salesman, directed by her dad, who also starred in it.

Grease: A gamble-of-sorts
Through Sound Of Music, Ace Productions brought back musicals to theaters. They broke new ground for the second time with their musical, Grease, earlier this year. While Raell is happy basking in the success of the musical, she admits that it was no mean feat. “Musicals are very tough and crazy. From costumes to sound and choreography, aerial acts to working with a huge team, musicals are challenging. Everything, including the tissue paper, bottled water, sets and costumes, has to be put up and then brought down and then put it up again the next day,” says Raell, who revels in challenges.

Grease had a 150-member cast and Raell also involved kids from NGOs to be a part of the musical, “There was an element of craziness attached to it. We involved kids from eight NGOs, so that everyone in the audience could have a larger-than-life experience.” With a premiere at Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, Raell could not have asked for more! The musical played houseful and there were people, who did not get to watch it, as they had run out of tickets! “For all those who missed it, we will be back with Grease sometime in December,” she adds.

SoBo rules
It is evident that the SoBo theatre culture does not seem to have picked up in the other parts of the city apart from a few pockets like Bandra (St. Andrews Auditorium) and Juhu (Prithvi Theatre). Raell credits it to the right kind of infrastructure that SoBo has to support good theatre, “I have three centres in Powai and I know that there is keen interest among people there. But for that they have to travel all the way to Juhu, Bandra or town! Space is a constraint in most parts of the city”.

New wave
“There is a new wave where theaters and lounges are being used innovatively for plays,” says Raell, citing Liberty Theater at Dadar, which offers a different kind of experience. Since there has been dearth of space, Ace Productions has often adapted art galleries for plays. She confesses, “We have showcased plays during non-working hours at these galleries. Space comes with limitations and one such space we adapted had a tree right at the centre. We used it in an innovative way for non-conventional plays.”

Roping in students
Theatre lovers fear that the young generation will fail to enjoy good theatre due to their lack of exposure to it. However, Raell thinks otherwise. She hopes to rekindle the love for good theatre in the younger generation. “We started inviting students to come in and study the text of plays. We have all the actors come back after the show so that the students in the audience can participate in a lovely Q&A with them. Students enjoy it as the text comes to life and they are given a chance to engage with the team post the show. We also plan to take them to the technical space to help them get a better understanding of how theatre functions.” Theatre festivals like Thespo have also been instrumental in spreading the love for theatre among the younger generation. “In every college there is a theatre group, which does a lot of experimental work,” says Raell, who admits that BMM (Bachelor Of Mass Media) colleges have plenty of theatre festivals.

Theatre is here to stay!
Quiz Raell on the future of theatre and she replies optimistically, “It is here to stay! What needs to be seen is whether people will be able to support good theatre or not. Many theatre companies are opening up doors involving young people. New theatre groups are surfacing. Look around and you will find experimental, musicals, improvisations, main stream, and socially relevant theatre.” Raell rests her case citing Vagina Monologues, which has been around for 10 years now and is still very successful.