History
The theatre group has inherited a legacy and
is considered to be one among the traditional art forms of Andhra Pradesh. Many
compare it with Kuchipudi, the traditional dance form of Andhra Pradesh, and
say that the Surabhi genre of theatre arts has become the pride of Andhra.
The Surabhi theatre took its roots in the
village called Surabhi (originally called Sorugu) in the Kadapa district of AP
in the year 1885. “Till then our ancestors were into the art of Tholu
Bommalata (a shadow show using puppets made of leather). In the year 1885,
they were invited to host a live drama by the village elders of Surabhi on the
occasion of a wedding. Our ancestors transformed the play ‘Keechaka Vadham’
which was till then depicted using leather puppets, to a live drama. That was
the beginning of the theatre movement and our family settled down in Surabhi.
And that’s how the drama company came to be known as Surabhi Natakalu Company,”
says Babji. The Surabhi theatre group is made up of one family and the baton of
stage shows has been transferred from one generation to another. What started
off in a modest way in 1885 has over 3,000 family members working in the
Surabhi theatre at present. Over the years, due to logistic problems, the group
has split into a number of smaller theatre groups. Today, there are about few Surabhi Theatre groups are running.
The family-run concept makes the theatre
company a unique one. A member of the family is probably baptised into the
realms of stage acting on the day he or she is born, and the tenure ends with
his or her death. “Everything is done within the family. One is taught to act,
sing, play some musical item, prepare the sets and handle the lights. It is a
family profession and everyone should be an all-rounder. To keep it as a
close-knit family, even the marriages are performed within the larger family.
Getting into acting does not mean that studies should be neglected. The present
generation is well educated and a few of them are doing their M.Phil in theatre
arts,” says he.
The Surabhi theatre is unique in its style
when compared to other theatre companies. It’s a genre on its own. Its visual
and special effects makes it stand out from the rest. A lot of importance is
given to the sets, lighting and special effects.
“Most of our plays are based on mythological
stories and Puranas. And that needs creation of huge sets. We have to
effectively depict scenes like Vasudeva carrying Lord Krishna across the Yamuna
to Gokulam or Krishna taming the five-headed
serpent Kalindi or the killing of Kamsa on the stage. The depiction calls for
effective costume designs and sets and timely synchronisation of the special
effects in combination with the light arrangements,” says Mr. Babji. If Surabhi
theatre were to be described in one word, it would be ‘a visual treat’.Despite
inheriting a legacy, the Surabhi theatre has been struggling to make both ends
meet. The expenditure has gone up by a 1,000 times, but the collection and the
patronage has dwindled over the years. “At the moment, to remake a set, the
minimum expenditure would be Rs.2 lakhs compared to Rs.2,000 a couple of
decades ago. On the contrary, the collections have not improved. Cinema,
television and other forms of entertainment have eaten into our medium. In the
present day, more than the collections, we need patrons and sponsors. The
success of any entertainment show depends on the sponsors. Earlier, it was the
Rajahs and Maharajahs who were our sponsors. In the current scenario, we need
some support from the corporate world for a decent survival,” laments he. Mr.
Babji says that the Surabhi theatre received a fillip from B.V. Karanth, the
former Director of National School of Drama, who took the theatre to the
national and international audience by conducting national level workshops and
exposing Surabhi at various theatre festivals across the country. The theatre
also received a boost from the former Director of Department of Culture K.V.
Ramanachary and the present Director R. Kavitha Prasad. “Mr. Prasad set up a
theatre complex at the Public Gardens in Hyderabad
and has allowed us to stage our shows throughout the year,” he informed.
But the ‘boss’ of Surabhi feels that the
government has to draw a concrete plan for the survival of the art form, in the
long run.
Surabhi Theatre is famous for its Padya Natakam (The classical verse
play) performances adorned with colorful illusionary backgrounds, sets and
trick scenes. The interesting thing about this troupe is that all
artists/technicians of this troupe are from one family, dedicated their lives
to drama. There are no age limitations or retirements for the artists of this
family
The troup Surabhi is a small world by it self. With in-built democratic
principles and administration. The families of artists live on the other side
of the theatre structure in small apartments built for them. Women and children
have always been integral part of its productions. There is a seperate workshop
to produce sets and other necessary objects. The artists do moulding, curtain
painting, cut-out designs, and other works by themselves. Surabhi takes
resource to a lot of gimmicks, recreating old worl charm on stage. The audience
witness to their delight, Lord Vishnu materialising on the stage to bless a
devotee and Narada traversing through the air, rendering 'Narayana Keertana.'
Gatotkacha pours fire in stage and Krishna
dances on Kaliya, the five headed sanke.
Children, as they watch their elders’ performance, learn themselves and they
are ready to play the role anytime. Almost all artists are technicians too.
Women not only play female and male roles too. It would excite the audience
that the audience can watch different age groups of artists in the same play
that the babies, children, youth, middle aged and old, are all from one family.
There are different roles regarding the drama such as making the stage,
curtains, stitching, painting, making of the wigs, ornaments, designing
costumes, electrical works, lighting works, etc., All these roles are performed
by the family.
Surabhi Parnika Varma D/O Surabhi jayachandra Varma and Harika, She started her performances from her 3rd month
The principle of success of the exiting plays is the team work. Audience
could see only two artists performing on the stage; but behind the screens,
there would be the whole family thats working out to make the instant set on
the next scene.
Surabhi involved into new vistas of
experimentation with a purpose to put its huge popularity into effective use
for addressing social issues in the rural areas of Andhra Pradesh.
MORE INFORMATION:::::
Children ARAMGETRAMS with Elders blessings, Culture of SURABHI
Surabhi Jayachandra Varma M.B.A, received Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Purskar Award – 2016 from Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi.
