New Delhi: We all know that the situation is getting worse for all of us. We all are stuck at home and have no other choice. All the works are on hold, shops have shut their shutter, colleges are closed, and the theatre industry is also practically non functioning, and this is just because of the coronavirus.
The national capital reported 319 deaths on Monday, taking the toll to 19,663. The Capital recorded 273 deaths on Sunday. On the other hand, the new infections have dropped a bit and shown a downward trend in the last two days. The city reported 12,651 new coronavirus cases on Monday, taking the cumulative tally to 13,36,218.
In this horrifying situation, everyone is worried about their work. Many of us are doing work from home but what about those who belong to the field. What about the theatre actors, will they be able to perform their activities at home? Or they have to pause their work or if they are doing so, how are they going about it? CitySpidey talked to a few theatre actors and gurus to know about their situation.
Sapan Acharya, the guru of Chhau dance shared that, “Chhau is the dance form which you have to perform daily because if you pause it for a few months, it will take more than 15 days to make a tempo. Chhau is the dance form in which you build your body strength.”
“Last year I took online classes for the students but this year we have to stop it. Many of the students are doing their practice by themselves and some of the students have to pause it because Chhau needs a large space to perform or practice and it is difficult to perform,” he said.
He further said, “With the help of Chhau, you make your body flexible and increase inner strength too, which is very important for all during these days. When the situation will be normal, I will start teaching and I believe that those who are experienced will recover this form easily.”
Actor Siddarth Chaturvedi, a member of Oorja Performing ARTS Centre said, “After lockdown, I came to my hometown Kota, Rajasthan. As a theatre artist, it is very difficult to pursue a job and in this time period, I have to manage all the things simultaneously. In the morning, with my office work, I do literature work like reading books and plays.”
“And I don’t want to stop my physical work too, I do vocal exercise and physical exercise too. I attend many foreign teacher’s webinars and my theatre director also takes online classes which is very helpful for me and I think it is time to explore myself,” he added.
Shyama Manna, a Delhi-based theatre artist, and a classical dancer shared, “As an artist, I think that an artist has a strength to descend and adapt easily in every situation with fewer resources. We adapt lockdown in a positive way. Every artist plays an important role to spread positivity in this tough time. Many artists also made a video to spread awareness on Covid-19.”
“I think we will do experiments or nurture so many things on our skills and an art is the most powerful medium to release your stress in this tough time and I also tried to share motivational content every week on social media to motivate and entertain you. I do riaz two times in a day,” she said.
Kiran, a Chhau dancer, and a theatre artist shared her view on this and said, “At the start of the lockdown, I willingly did all the exercises and vocal practice. Now, the lockdown is extending every week and the situation is becoming worse which is affecting me mentally. My friends attend online classes but I am not able to because of network issues.”
She added, “I am a Chhau dancer and it is impossible to practice at home and personally I need an environment to do all these things and am at my home, so most of the time I break my own routine.”
