It is a flourishing time for theatre. Gone are the days when the stage was restricted in experiments. Now, anything can happen on stage. However, it is still not a viable profession for those who follow it. It is difficult to find money from it. ‘Mer ka ba’, a trust formed by like-minded people, aims at providing a solution to this dilemma. Conceived by three theatre personalities — Firos Khan,
Roy K.G. and Jijo K. Mathew, it is a sustainable creative pool open to all. However, they don’t want to take the ownership of the trust. They rather like to call it a ‘people’s platform’, where aspiring talents could showcase their mettle.
“It is a travelling performers’ commune,” says Jain, one of the members. “There is a wave of change in the theatre now. But, it is not popular among the common men. So, as the initial step, we went to the inner circles and created theatre communities in each place. It is a group of people who love the art form. And we made sure that everyone gets a reasonable remuneration.”
Their idea was to go to a place, set up a tent there and perform. The trial was on last year at Mananthavadi, where they did four small dramas. “People from different strata of society were part of it. We rented a space, created a carnival ambience and invited people,” says Jain. The trail was a success and the team decided to expand their activities.
By that time, some of their Malayalee friends came from Australia and they put the proposal before them. They liked the concept but were not in a position to source money then. However, they agreed to help. “After reaching Australia, they opened a group to find money.” It brought financial stability to the concept. “Our system is arranged in such a way that everyone, including the host and investors, would be benefited from this. Only then they would continue their support.”
Now, Mer ka ba is getting ready to bring out its big production Thespian: The tale of dragonflies. It would be presented in Thiruvananthapuram in August. “We have begun the rehearsal in Nilambur. It is a three-hour-long production. Prior to the Thiruvananthapuram show, we would be doing it in Nilambur on May 21 and 22,” says Jain.
But, Mer ka ba is not restricted to the theatre. “It is an art and lifestyle exploration platform. The theatre is just a part of it. It is a movement that focuses on all creative areas. We are here to make the audience dynamic and to serve as a platform for cultural exchange.”
