But when these Gujarati plays are done with the city, they travel abroad. “Dubai, Muscat, Kenya, UK and USA are big markets for Gujarati plays,” says producer Sanjay Goradia who has been instrumental takes plays abroad.
Awaited by NRI Gujarati’s, plays from India are a means to stay close to their Gujarati culture when they are away. This is one consideration that holds common to most producers. And recent months have seen Gujarati plays on a mad rush to making their way to new countries like Australia and New Zealand other than the usual America and UK.
“Earlier in the 80’s and 90’s, there were not many options for Gujarati’s abroad for cultural entertainments. Things have changed now and it has become relatively easy to take a play abroad,” says actor and producer Amee Trivedi.
Other than audience availability, money remains a big attraction for the theatre production companies. Like actor, director and producer Feroz Bhagat explains, “There are two types of plays that go abroad. The one’s with names of well-known actors and directors are invited by big companies and those plays that are not doing well here and are ready to sell for less in abroad.”
“I take plays abroad only for the money I get in return. Most of our plays are bought and staged in good auditoriums over there and over one tour of one month we perform as many as 25–30 shows. But if we have television actors in the play then it becomes difficult to make such a long tour, as they are busy with their shootings”, Goradia adds.
With all calculations the plays that travel abroad are sometimes altered and manipulated according to the needs of the NRI audience and facilities provided.
“The kind of plays that go abroad are mostly comedy plays, because they are entertaining. Also those plays that require heavy technical and musical equipments are not taken, the reason being difficulty of transportation and cost feasibility. And since the plays there are performed in community halls and not in theatre halls, the theatre feel does not remain while performing or even watching,” says Feroz Bhagat.
Other than language, that is simple lucid Gujarati, thick comedies with a social message are preferred abroad.
But director and producer Hemal Thakkar who is set to take his play DahayaBhai Dodhaya to Africa after a recent tour to London, Australia and New Zealand ponders over the reason for this swift move over recent years.
“Earlier in Mumbai we had lot of writers coming up with new scripts, but this is now on a decrease. There is volume in Gujarati theatre, but audience is decreasing because the quality of plays is also deteriorating,” says Thakkar.
“There are plays that go for 800 or 900 or 1200 Dollars abroad. That is a very low price compared to what a good play’s earning which is around 2.5 thousand Dollars,” says Feroz Bhagat.
Speaking on the issue, Goradia says, “In recent years the buying power of NRI Gujarati’s has increased immensely. Commercial promoters abroad invite Gujarat plays from Mumbai and sell it to smaller towns there”.
However, there are mixed views about the pros and cons of this trend of plays travelling abroad, all in all the efforts of the theatre groups are considered notable by many.
“It is not easy to put together a play and travel with it, performing show after show of the same. I think it is quite a considerate effort of the Gujarati theatre groups performing abroad, no matter even if it is for money or mere getting to travel to a different country,” says Jinisha Mehta, who has been audience both in India and in UK.