International Theatre Festival of Kerala (ITFOK) 2014: A state sponsored experiment with hits and misses

Whose festival is it?

ITFOK can be seen as an experiment that is remarkable and bumbling at the same time. The festival is sponsored and managed by the Kerala Sangeetha Natak Akademi, a government run organisation. Thrissur, known as Kerala's cultural capital and where the Kerala Sangeetha Natak Akademi resides, has traditionally been the venue of the festival. The Kerala Sangeetha Natak Akademi invites a curatorial board, comprising the Artistic Director at the helm to curate the festival each year. This year Deepan Sivaraman was joined by Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry, Sajitha Madathil and Abhilash Pillai.

Beginning with the finances (this year some say it was 50 lacs, while others say it was one crore; the actual figure might be anybody's guess) to the way the event is managed on ground- all of it is fraught with problems ranging from bureaucracy, the seeming lack of enough funds to poorly functioning auditoriums like its Black Box theatre, interminable queues because more tickets have been issued than the seats in the auditoriums, mismanagement of the crowds, poorly organised counters for food and the general chaos ensuing therefore. No one seemed to be really clued in with the logistics of running an event of this scale in which 27 performances, some with repeat shows, took place over 8 days and in which 10 countries participated. There was no dearth of good intentions however. In spite of all the problems, the organisers and volunteers kept up a smiling face and were always willing to help and in typical Indian fashion somehow things were 'managed'.

There are larger ideological concerns such as what is the festival's purpose, who is for, etc that were taken up in the colloquium. All of it seemed to suggest at least one thing strongly- that there appears a great disconnect between the bureaucrats managing the Kerala Sangeetha Natak Akademi and the theatre practitioners who curate the festival. There was also a strong rumour making the rounds as well as a protest against what was taken to be the privatisation of the festival. There were no obvious corporate banners floating around and the rumour could be unfounded. Yet a simmering discontent was obvious. Maybe it comes with the territory given Kerala's history with Left wing politics. The average Keralite knows his/her rights only too well and they can certainly be vociferous if they feel they have been slighted.

Six years on, the festival may have improved (from what I hear) but is clearly struggling; it's at best still experimenting with the possibilities it can actually open up and find a more enduring raison d'etre. Clearly there's potential. But before that lies a lot of wrangling which will prove hard to resolve. This is primarily because institutions like the Sangeet Natak Akademies are prey to the change in guard of the central and state governments and it really depends on the bureaucrat calling the shots at the given time. This however may not be its only problem. Theatre practitioners too can be guilty of falling prey to vested interests. Nevertheless when a curatorial board is in place, it should not be interfered with. The curatorial board requires full freedom and the necessary resources. Curating by nature will be subjective; a board may include diverse viewpoints, but one view or more views in this regard- all need to be completely supported when the decision to appoint a curatorial board has been made. Whether it's the bureaucrat or the practitioner, one will find individuals among both contingents who make sense. The tough part is to get everyone on the same page and it's the common consensus that is ultimately important for events like these to do well and to thrive. Both the bureaucrat and the practitioner must find a way to work together.

Given its ability to engage with new and different ideas as well as test them, ITFOK is a festival that holds promise. Its curatorial vision was certainly on mark this year as each of the productions offered a different aesthetic and sensibility. One could argue about the merits or the demerits of the productions that were showcased but almost all were trying to explore the possibilities that the art of theatre offers. ITFOK is also the only festival of its kind in India apart from the humungous 'Bharangam' (the National School of Drama's annual festival) to showcase national and international performances side by side. But if it fails to resolve its key issues it risks becoming one of those token events that need to be ticked off each year. By withholding the necessary funds and being draconian, or even by inviting private funds, the government cannot escape its responsibility. This will not only deter the best practitioners from joining the festival's board but will also create bad press for the festival. If a common vision and purpose are not found, the festival may become irrelevant too. And, that would be such a pity.

*Deepa Punjani is the Editor of this website.