The Stage is set

The entrance leads into a glass box, one that has a beautiful glass ceiling with wood panelling. As sunlight streams into this box, you stop and stare, for there’s a sense of opulence, which is not jarring. And who better to take you through the making of it all, than the woman who has infused new life into Tagore Theatre. “Coming to and into a theatre should be an experience, a celebration, a special moment and this is the philosophy that the plan was conceived and put into action,’’ Namita Satnam Singh looks at her baby with pride. Without tampering with the basic structure and look, the architect has recreated the theatre, keeping in perspective the needs of both the audience and theatre performers and artists. “It’s something we have all grown up with and I didn’t want to tamper with nostalgia, so yes, this was a challenge, but one positive factor was that the inside was completely independent of the outside, so I could create something entirely different inside,’’ the architectural input by Namita has been honorary. An excellent team, complete support and back-up from the Chandigarh Administration, adds Namita, is responsible for the metamorphosis.

Starting with an increased seating capacity, from about 530 seats to now 824 and comfortable chairs, the Theatre is state-of-the-art, be it the excellent view of the stage from the first to the last row, advanced lighting and sound systems, plush interiors, a bigger and better stage, glass ‘opera’ boxes and an unbelievable feeling of space. The best feature, the theatre can change from a mammoth to an intimate one with the press of a button. “Yes, we have a mechanical divider that does this task, depending on the size of the audience. What’s more, with mechanical wings, the stage too can be made smaller and the red seats too disappear from the scene,’’ Namita shows you the huge green rooms, public utilities, a swish canteen area with an art wall and a spacious, sound-insulted basement for actors to rehearse and get their act together.

The old rehearsal area here is being transformed into an experimental theatre, with 150 seats and a flexible stage and there’s also a plan for a small pavilion with a library and refreshment area, so that this can be regular hang-out area and haunt for theatre artists. “I studied closely theatres across the world, took inputs of senior theatre directors, performers and regular theatre-goers and of course my experience to work out a holistic plan,’’ smiles Singh. Take a bow!