Art and Culture

Thoughts of money should never trounce artistic aspiration: Simon Reade

by Trans World Features (TWF) 10 Dec 2015, 09:55 am

In Kolkata after 27 years for the Sabhaghar Theatre Festival by Centre Stage Creations, the Filter Theatre in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company staged a production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. One of the enthralled audience, IBNS correspondent Sudipto Maity caught up with Simon Reade, the producer of the play for a brief chat.

 So what did you make of the Indian Audience? Did you find them noisy?

Each audience is different in each city, whether they are school children, or students, or adults. If they are noisy it is because we have encouraged them to be so - they are having fun!

 Have you watched any Indian production of the Twelfth Night or any other Shakespearean play? If yes, can we please have your thoughts on them?

We would have loved to see an Indian Shakespeare, but we have been so busy on the road. A few years ago we loved seeing the variety of Indian performance styles in Tim Supple's A Midsummer Night's Dream and we are looking forward to watching the Bollywood versions of Shakespeare plays we have heard about.

 As someone involved with theatre, how do you plan to inspire kids to take up the stage, given the fact that screen actors enjoy a lot more fame and money.

Acting requires the same inspiration, even the same skills, in theatre, television and film. Filter actors work across all media and there's no reason why they shouldn't in India. Many performers find theatre the most rewarding - emotionally, if not financially. But thoughts of money should never trounce artistic aspiration.

 You have been performing or have performed in a few Indian cities by now, so if you are to choose one venue out of these, what would that be. Also tell us why.

 Each venue has been idiosyncratic - but the Kolkata venue was especially dear to us as it was a secular space in the cellar of a holy temple, and because it was a proper theatre with a controlled environment.

In a stage production, is it difficult to work with too many known/popular faces?

 Not if it's a commercial production whose objectives are to attract as many people to see it as possible.

 Now that you visited India, can we expect an Indo-Brit stage production any time soon?

 Let's hope so - we would like to return and do more workshops with fellow practitioners. That could lead to a collaboration.

 If you have to choose a playwright from India, who would that person be?

 A young, new contemporary writer who has a fresh perspective on their country and a hunger to change the world.

 Any recent play/production that caught your fancy?

We see lots of good work in the UK - we really want to see more across the world.

 Do you think awards are important in terms of recognition?

When you win them, yes! Otherwise they are mere baubles.

 Having been in India, do you think we can ever produce a successful Broadway show?

Absolutely! You have a can-do attitude, can create works of great scale and have the vision to make a splash on Broadway or the West End. Go for it.