Why Theatre, in These Times?

Why Theatre, in These Times? 

Welcome speech by ITI Director T. Sasitharan on the first day of school

We are here today because of a certain belief in theatre. Theatre means something to us. And we believe that we can use theatre to make the world a better place.

It’s a commitment, an article of faith. It’s politics, it’s knowledge, it’s about caring.

The last two years have been the most difficult years for theatre. We were not sure if it was still worth doing, in a time when life itself was precarious, difficult and uncertain. Why do theatre in these times? In the beginning, it was complete confusion. And people talked about digitisation, film, and evacuating the stage. But over time, you begin to realise that there was something in the work we do in theatre which is irreplaceable. Something we need. Deep down in ourselves, in our communities and in the people we love; that theatre makes a difference.

Every time, over the last two years, whenever I had an opportunity to go into the theatre to watch a play — whether it was by ITI students or anyone else — I thank God that I was there. I thank God that I could experience this again. To connect with audiences, with performers, with writers that have died centuries ago. To connect with their ideas, values and beliefs, and to reaffirm life. Reaffirm the meaning of why we are doing the things we are doing. And to understand something which I think I forgot, in all the years that I’ve been doing theatre, that theatre is ephemeral. Theatre disappears in front of your eyes. 

So all the archiving and digitisation is the opposite of theatre. There’s more magic sometimes in a class, you might find. When I watch students interacting, when I listen to your teacher correcting a gesture, or explaining how a pitch in speech can be conveyed. The fact that it is so delicate and yet so beautiful, this is what we want — to recreate it every time we go onstage. This is the commitment we have to the people who come and watch us onstage. That’s the only reason why ITI exists because we believe that theatre is a craft. It’s about technique, knowledge and technology. It’s understanding how your body can be something that’s unimaginable, original and new. How it can be meaningful, moving and how we can do this across cultures, languages and time. And what we need to be, each one of us, in order to do this and respect such a difficult art form. 

And the people we live for most of all are our audiences. And apart from your voice and movement, all the work that you do to condition this instrument that you have, this body, this site which is the same and different for everyone at the same time. 

Make no mistake, we are training artists in ITI. People who understand that every minute onstage must mean something to a community, to a person, to society, to people. Otherwise, we are wasting our time. This has been our commitment for the last 20 years.

We don’t tell you what to do after your three years when you go back home. But we will keep telling you for three years what we think you should do when you leave. Most importantly, we want to create artists who are free, who have the freedom of choice, freedom of decision and the capacity, understanding, knowledge and will to do the kind of theatre they want to do. Not artists who are proscribed by the industry, who are forced by the economy, who are corralled into doing theatre that someone else wants. You are free to choose someone else’s theatre if you’d like, but you must be free to do the theatre you want to do if you must. That’s the most important thing. This is about your freedom, your choices, your will, and each one of you is here today because you deserve to be here. You’ve been selected because you deserve to be here, and each one of you has the potential. Our job as faculty is to make sure you realise that potential. Fully and completely, so that when you leave, you can make something of this promise and potential that you have to the people that matter to you.  

You are here to work, and we expect the highest standards. The teachers will listen to you, they will walk with you, but they cannot be you. That you have to do for yourself. I promise you that we will listen to what you say. I promise you that we will walk with you every step of the way. But the commitment to remain and finish what you started over three years, is yours alone.