Marathi theatre not just has a rich 200-year history, it has also evolved over time into a vibrant and innovative enterprise. It has a great tradition of musical plays, some of the best playwrights in the country have been from Maharashtra; the finest experimental and student theatre has emerged from the state. It was about time this history was collated, preserved and shared.
The Government Of Maharashtra has allocated a generous budget (reportedly Rs 262 crore), and the space to set up a theatre museum. The Marathi Natya Vishwa will be built where the seaside Birla Krida Kendra stands today, at Girgaon Chowpatty, Mumbai. The three-story structure will have galleries to display exhibits, auditoriums, an amphitheatre, a rooftop theatre, a café, workshop spaces, a children’s area and everything to make it a complete cultural space.
Well-known theatre personality Vijay Kenkre, who is a member of the advisory committee, says, “Right now, we are planning, sharing ideas, researching, collecting material and interviewing people. We want to make it a place which will be visited not just by students and researchers, but also by regular theatre lovers and tourists. So there will be a lot of activities lined up. Theatre in Mumbai is not just Marathi, so other languages will be represented too, which is why it is Marathi Vishwa. Without proper curation, the museum will be just an exhibition, that is why a museologist is on board right at the start.”
Sakhi Gokhale, who studied art curation at London’s Royal College, and has a theatre background (her parents are actors Shubhangi and the late Mohan Gokhale, and she is an actress herself), will be programming the museum and designing the structure of the galleries. “Marathi theatre has a great history, but the contemporary scene is just as lively. Unfortunately, we do not have a culture of preservation, so that will be a bit of a struggle. Marathi plays are staged not just in Maharashtra, but in other states as well as abroad. So we have to find a way to bring all that in. There is commercial and experimental theatre and student productions that have set benchmarks in theatre and we have to present all that, being as non-biased as possible.”
The three galleries, according to Kenkre and Gokhale, will have a visual history of Marathi theatre, and one will be for more contemporary expression, which will change as more material is acquired. Apart from photographs, the aim is to collect theatre memorabilia — costumes, props, curtains, musical instruments — which people have been generously sharing.
“I am really excited about it,” says Gokhale, who was appointed after three rounds of presentations. “It is still in the incubation stage, so we are working with a small team. There are plans to build a learning wing, planning for weekly, monthly and year-long programmes. There will be tours, a merchandise store, artisans making stuff for the store, planning for shows and events, festivals and ways of bringing the community together. The museum that comes under the jurisdiction of the BMC, will also have to find ways to sustain itself, if it not to be dependent on government subsidies.
“It has to be relevant as we go along,” says Gokhale, “theatre has always been so active and will continue to be. Our country has not seen too many recreational museums, so the perception of museums is that they are dull, boring places. To change that conditioning is the goal. When someone steps into the front door, they must have an experience to remember. There are time-based tours planned, so depending on the time a visitor has, their tour will be made to suit that. There will be both live and audio guides, a website, payment gateways, an app.
“It will match international museum standards and balance information with entertainment. There will be modern AI technology used, screens, virtual walk-throughs, online archives. The possibilities are endless. Recreational museums are not part of our culture, and if I am able to change that, it will be my biggest takeaway from this project.”
