(Top) Rudraprasad Sengupta and Sohini Haldar of Nandikar rehearse Sojan Badiyar Ghat at Girish Mancha; (above) Swapna Sandhani stages Kolkatar Electra at Rabindra Sadan

Star theatre is sporting a bright, swank look. Tapan theatre is in makeover mode. Sujata Sadan is all set for regular shows with Koushik Sen?s troupe. Uttam Mancha is gearing up for something similar with Shaoli Mitra and Suman Mukhopadhyay. And Minerva is waiting for the state government to give it a fresh lease of life.

After a long time, the group theatre scene in Calcutta is buoyant with a string of languishing stops readying for a turnaround. But what about the popular haunts ? the Mecca on Cathedral Road or those that have long held sway? Reshmi Sengupta pauses at some stage stops to find out what?s right and, more significantly, what?s wrong.

Academy of Fine Arts (Lady Ranu Mookerjee auditorium)

Address: 2, Cathedral Road

Inaugurated on: September 17, 1960

Lineage: Built under the initiative of Lady Ranu Mookerjee, the premises served as a premier art gallery ever since it opened its doors with an exhibition of Nandalal Bose?s paintings. After some alterations in the auditorium on suggestions from Shambhu Mitra, Bohurupee raised the curtains with Pagla Ghora on February 28, 1971. Since then, Bohurupee performed regularly on Sundays and other troupes followed suit. Now controlled by a private trustee after Lady Ranu?s death.

Capacity: 735 seats

Stagecraft: It is the place for the city?s theatre-lovers. Though the hall is small with only one exit, theatregoers seem to prefer it for its location. And the small distance between the stage and the last row of the auditorium ? which gives a close view of the actors ? is also a factor behind its popularity, feel some stage artistes.

?I quit theatre in 1998 because there was not a single hall fit for doing theatre. The Academy has very good acoustics but there?s scarcely any space for backstage hands to arrange light and sound. Also, there is very little space for actors to stand in the wings. And the depth is very low too,? says Shaoli Mitra, actor-director, Pancham Baidik.

(From top) Academy of Fine Arts, Sisir Mancha and Madhusudan Mancha

Rabindra Sadan

Address: Nandan campus

Inaugurated on: Tagore?s birth anniversary in 1962 by Prof Suniti Kumar Chattopadhyay

Lineage: Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had laid the foundation stone on the 100th birth anniversary of Tagore (May 8, 1961). Built by the public works department (PWD) at Rs 45 lakh.

Size: 38 ft-by-40 ft

Capacity: 1,101 seats

Stagecraft: Has movable wings but poor acoustics force actors to scream to reach the last-row audiences. ?The stage is good for a play with a big cast like Kashinama. But then actors face a lot of acoustic problems. We need a proper space, like Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai or Amritsar Natyashala, with preferably a small audience of 250 to 300. Though we are better off than in Mumbai and Delhi, where the rent of halls per show is very high, our halls suffer from lack of maintenance,? says Usha Ganguly, actor-director, Rangakarmee.

Madhusudan Mancha

Address: Jodhpur Park (by Dakshinapan)

Inaugurated on: October 12, 1995, by then minister of information and cultural affairs Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

Lineage: The curtains went up five years after the foundation stone was laid. The stage was constructed by the Calcutta Improvement Trust.

Size: 40 ft-by-43 ft

Capacity: 846 seats

Stagecraft: Has a wide opening with good depth which helps actors move freely. Ideal for staging plays with a big cast. Has emergency exits too. ?It?s good for performance as there?s a lot of backstage space and the stage measurements are also proportionate. But Madhusudan Mancha is one of the ill-maintained halls. As such, lights and make-up rooms are in very bad shape,? says Koushik Sen, actor-director, Swapna Sandhani.

Girish Mancha

Address: Bagbazar

Inaugurated on: July 1, 1986 by chief minister Jyoti Basu.

Lineage: Under the aegis of the state government?s information and cultural affairs wing, the PWD built the hall at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore.

Size: 38 ft-by-40 ft

Capacity: 909 seats

Stagecraft: Is spacious enough to move around and the wings are adjustable, too. Has emergency exits. ?The acoustic is poor. Also, since the power fluctuates, you don?t get adequate light at all shows. As a result, we can?t create the desired mood for a particular scene,? says Shaoli Mitra.

Sisir Mancha

Address: Nandan complex

Inaugurated on: January 9, 1978 by chief minister Jyoti Basu.

Lineage: Was part of the information and cultural affairs wing, which took the initiative to restore the hall. Later renamed in memory of theatre veteran Sisir Kumar Bhaduri.

Capacity: 412 seats

Stagecraft: Small stage with less space in the wings. ?But I like Sisir Mancha as it has good acoustic and is really meant for theatre. We need more small auditoriums like this,? says Koushik Sen.