After a long break of almost two years due to the pandemic, when one of the biggest live entertainments in Goa, Tiatr, was gaining momentum with sometimes two consecutive houseful shows on one single day, the revelation of closure of Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, came as a big shock to the tiatrists and the audience
as well.
With the closure of Kala Academy auditorium in Panjim, the only venue open where live entertainment, especially tiatrs, was held on regular basis was the Ravindra Bhavan in Margao. With no other option left, people from Bardez taluka would painstakingly travel all the way from north to south Goa to get entertained through tiatrs.
And now, unexpectedly the authorities at Ravindra Bhavan declared that due to technical faults/failure of centralized AC, all bookings for programmes in main auditorium of Ravindra Bhavan, Margao from August 24, 2022 onwards stand suspended until further orders. The letter is dated August 23, and signed by the member secretary. Where are the tiatr directors to go and stage their current and ongoing tiatrs? And where will they get the much needed and extended support from the audience?
Reliable sources informed that, Ravindra Bhavan at Vasco, has been closed for the past two years under the pretext that repair work needs to be carried out. Kala Academy in Panjim, too has been shut down for entertainment with the excuse that renovation and repairs need to be taken up.
Gomant Vidya Niketan (GVN) in the heart of Margao city is open with AC facility, but it has seating capacity of only 450, in comparison to Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, which has a 1,160. People refrain from coming to GVN as some chairs are in bad shape and parking woes follow due to space constraint in the vicinity of the hall.
Rajiv Kala Mandir in Sanquelim and Ravindra Bhavans in Sanvordem and Ponda are open for entertainment, but there’s less attraction and audiences are not interested in watching tiatrs at those distant venues. St Joseph’s Hall belonging to the Mount Carmel Church, Arambol and parish is open and there were tiatrs held earlier, but not more than one show was staged in
a day.
Some of the tiatr directors, who had booked their current shows in advance, are upset by the decision taken by the authorities at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao. They fear that it might be an unspecified closure, thus depriving them from entertaining their tiatr spectators and earn their daily bread.
The Member Secretary at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, Agnelo Fernandes, informed that the main and central AC chiller has stopped working and a standby one was operational. He said that a tender has already been passed to acquire a new one and it all depends on when the PWD department expedites the work.
Concerning the booking of auditorium for shows by the tiatr directors, Fernandes says that the bookings have not been cancelled, instead the shows will be postponed to further date. “It may take a week or a month till the AC in the hall is rectified,”
he added.
Roseferns, who was celebrating the release of his 100th production, says that he had booked his next show on August 28 as his inaugural two shows had already gone houseful. “It is not feasible to stage my tiatr at GVN considering the huge cost which does not fit in my budget,” he grieved, “moreover, the seating capacity there is very less and the rent charges are high.”
But Peter/Roshan has picked up the challenge and proved that the show must go on, despite the closure of one door. They will be staging their next two shows of tiatr ‘Atam Tem Mhojem’ at GVN, Margao on August 28, with tickets priced at Rs 200.
“The rent of the hall at GVN and Ravindra Bhavan, Margao is almost the same (Rs 13,800 and Rs 15,340). Considering the huge professional cast and the sound system, it is not feasible to stage a show at low price. Hence, the hike in the rate of tickets,” mentions Peter. Will the other tiatr directors follow suit and stage their shows at GVN, which is the only opening as of now?
“The sudden announcement of closure of Pai Tiatrist hall in Margao, is definitely a big shock. Looks like a cruel joke is being played on the tiatrists and the tiatr audiences,” says tiatr director, Pascoal de Chicalim.
He further adds, “The majestic auditorium was the only face saving place for the tiatrists staging their tiatrs for the south Goa tiatr-hungry spectators. They are shutting the auditorium when shows of major productions are at its peak. This appears like a planned strategy to break the backbone of tiatrs and finish the tiatr and tiatrists as well.”
“Kala Academy was closed unceremoniously for renovation and repairs and it is still not available for staging of tiatrs. Ravindra Bhavan, Vasco, was closed due to faulty AC system and till date has not been repaired. Someone is having the last laugh by intelligently playing the trump card and closing the major auditoriums and probably making efforts to finish tiatrs in Goa,” says Pascoal de Chicalim.
Former vice-president of Tiatr Academy of Goa (TAG), William Fernandes from Sanvordem says, “It is ridiculous to shut the hall at the time when shows are running and audiences have come back to the theatre after pandemic. It’s high time the authorities reconsider their decision to make the auditorium available to the tiatr directors and tiatr loving audience,” he added.
