This is on the current state of affairs of our Tiatros. It is sickening to see the vulgarity in our Tiatros increasing by leaps and bounds, this sickening state is brought by the few vulgar comedians who are responsible to desecrate the otherwise decent Konkani Stage. I have seen with my own eyes so many times some of the families attending the Tiatros, in order to prevent their children from watching the dirty and vulgar comedy instead walked out from the hall in the middle of the Tiatros. After my interaction with many Tiatro goers, I got information that many of the regular Tiatro goers are refusing to patronise these because of cheap vulgar comedy and hence there is a boycott going on our Tiatros. I was informed thru telephonic conversation recently by one Priest stationed in UK to do something to stop this vulgarity leading to sin. My reply to that Goan priest was simple that I am doing whatever best I can to hammer into the minds of these few comedians to read the writings on the wall, that is overwhelming majority of the Tiatro goers comprising the decent ones are opposing the vulgarity in any form in our Tiatros leading to the downfall of this over 125 years old beautiful art. Some of these guilty comedians are boasting saying they are in demand because audience like this type of comedy. But let me ask these comedians, which is that audience? What is their class and quality? They are equally worst as these vulgarists are. In view of this, what good they can perform to improve the quality of our Tiatros? These cheap comedians even in UK during their Shows disgraced the fair image of our Tiatros by performing vulgar comedy of course to the chagrin of the decent attendees. Though I am doing whatever I can to stop this vulgarity thru my writings but one man cannot control the world. There should be unified efforts from all the like minded writers and activists to campaign very hard against this vulgarity because the vulgarity in our Tiatros will surely kill our Tiatros. In order to save our Tiatros we must put an end to vulgarity in our Tiatros otherwise vulgarity in our Tiatros will put end to our Tiatros. As it is the level of our Tiatrtos is gone down very much, most of the recent Tiatros are "pochpochit", to pen down a good Tiatro you need lot of knowledge and to acquire it you have to have time. Now we see some directors are staging two Tiatros per year without applying their minds seriously to dish out something extra ordinary. These tin pot writers and directors are only interested in fattening the number of their productions but not on the quality of their Tiatros.
Recently in Mapusa one Tiatro of the topmost Tiatrist was cancelled at the last minute because hardly 50 tickets were sold, then on the next day for the Tiatro of another top Tiatrist, only half the hall attended and for another Tiatro of another top director hardly 25 attendees watched this Tiatro. If this trend continues then the future of our Tiatros is precarious and the government wants this only to happen because Tiatrists are exposing the misdeeds of the government. To curtail the power of the Tiatrists, the government according to my observation has with silly excuse of repairs, the Kala Academy Hall stopped for renting for Tiatros. If this hall was in such a dangerous condition, how the government gave it for IFFI programme?
Now is the right time all the Tiatrists in unison must take up this issue with the concerned authority while Tiatr Academy of Goa must not ignore it because of the doles it is getting from the government..
A.Veronica Fernandes..
A.Veronica Fernandes..