Nandikar rehearses Sojon Badiyar Ghat at MinervaMinerva theatre: Then and now

When Star theatre gleams at night in decorative light and fresh paint, a shabby building some distance away awaits a new lease of life in the dark. The Minerva makeover move was initiated by chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in 2001. Later, he set the ball rolling for a Rs 5-crore revitalisation project under the supervision of architect Dulal Mukherjee. Here?s looking at what the theatre looked like in its heydays and what the future holds for it.

Flashback

The 6/1 Beadon Street address carved a special spot for itself on the Bengali theatre map soon after its unveiling in January 1893. Its founder-member, one of Bengal theatre?s leading men Girish Chandra Ghosh, went on to perform his last play here. Since then, the theatre has changed several hands and also been gutted more than once.

But the golden era in its chequered career was probably the Sixties when Utpal Dutt triggered a new wave of form and content in this hot seat of traditional theatre. From Angar to Titash Ekti Nadir Naam, Kallol to Ferari Fauj, Othello to A Midsummer Night?s Dream ? Minerva rode high on a fine blend of eastern roots and western influences.

Facelift

?Its historical value apart, Minerva is otherwise a pretty ordinary building. It has some Georgian-Edwardian designs with a gallery as the one in New Empire. But the hall is in a rundown state. The condition of the stage is also very bad, the wooden planks can fall apart any time,? says Dulal Mukherjee, who held a meeting with several theatre veterans last Monday.

The discussion was attended by Shobha Sen, Soumitra Chattopadhyay, Tapas Sen, Bibhas Chakraborty, Rudraprasad Sengupta, Usha Ganguly and Koushik Sen, among others.

?I wanted the views of the performers who would be using the theatre eventually... their suggestions on how the hall could be bettered,? said Mukherjee, currently drawing up the facelift blueprint.

Plans include an archive (which will showcase the costumes, pictures and other memorabilia from Utpal Dutt?s productions), a second lobby and revamped bathrooms. ?There?s no parking zone; let?s see if we can create one for the performers at least. The road in front can have a one-side parking facility. I also feel, we should improve the surrounding area. At least, if we could have a facelift for a half-km stretch. There are some beautiful buildings in this para, just adjacent to the theatre.?

The initial capacity of 750 seats will be cut short to about 500, while the basement can be used for rehearsals, added Mukherjee. ?We should have a lot of activities around the theatre, keeping today?s generation in mind. Several people have suggested a coffee shop, book corner and things like that... I want to see some halls in London and will soon take a trip there,? said Mukherjee, working towards a November 2005 deadline.

Feedback

The authorities must ensure that Minerva does not end up being another Star theatre, which only brought mileage to the civic authorities. During the facelift, the original structure and the facade should be retained. The performance space should not be wasted in a bid to make room for improved infrastructure. Minerva has wonderful acoustics, which ought to be kept the way it is. Maintenance is a vital area that has to be addressed as most halls languish due to poor upkeep.

An adda zone can be created which will help pull in the crowds. And the hall rent and other fares should be made affordable for theatre groups. Who can afford an exorbitant auditorium like Star theatre? We don?t need a posh, glitzy hall; we need a functional space where theatre can survive.

? Rudraprasad Sengupta

An intimate theatre with a small audience would be ideal at Minerva. The stage can be enlarged by doing away with the greenrooms on either side. The greenrooms can be shifted downstairs if need be. There can be a counter for music CD sale, a coffee shop and a seminar room, so that people can watch theatre and also have some adda.

? Usha Ganguly

The number of seats should not exceed 500. We have plenty of large halls and most of them are godowns. If we don?t want Minerva to be another wedding venue, then it should be turned into a small cosy auditorium. Because that is what we need today ? a space for experimental theatre. This apart, I have suggested that the seats be kept flexible so that we can manoeuvre them as and when our performance demands. I have heard that Utpal Dutt used to place a plank right across the audience while staging Titash Ekti Nadir Naam. It would be really nice if such constraints are removed at the outset. A big stage and a small seating capacity would be ideal at Minerva.

? Koushik Sen