As Ranga Shankara, one of Bengaluru’s cherished theatre spaces, prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary this month, its founder, theatre and film personality Arundhati Nag, finds herself in two places at once. Contemplating the past and the realisation of a dream, and envisioning a bigger, brighter future with the support of the government and corporate patrons. Amid preparations for the Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival that kicks off this month, Nag takes some time off to share her ambitions for the space while remaining committed to keeping Ranga Shankara accessible to all.
Edited excerpts: What do 20 years of Ranga Shankara mean to you? Not many people have the privilege of dreaming and seeing it come true. I would say I am in the middle of it now. The dream is not over, there is so much more a space like Ranga Shankara can do.
Hopefully, there will be more layers added, as theatre changes and grows. The biggest challenges in sustaining such an institution, both financially and in terms of shaping the space? The financial concern never really left the table, which in a way is good. Because one has seen many institutions go backwards with tremendous financial comfort.
But at the same time, it has not been easy. It is a lean and mean organisation we run with just nine people, with each person doing the job of two or three persons. Salaries are not great.
But compared to other theatre institutions, we are at a fairly decent level. From your experience, what can be the rol.
