2016-2020

The last five years of this journey has seen our whanau grow more, be more diverse, retain our core while be embellished with many new talents and committed members.

The very fact that in the last five years I directed only one of the shows, speaks volume for the growth of the company. In fact, other than some high-level producer related functions, I was able to have a generally hands-off role. That is my biggest satisfaction and a sense of personal achievement! Contrarily, one would say that the organisation has become so independent of me that I have lost my clout – that is a dangerous phenomenon in a South Asian context! So much so that I auditioned and did not get a role – not once but twice! This is so different from the “who you know not what you know” world that I come from! Anyway, enough lamenting.

2016 was Sananda’s debut as a director for Prayas. I would say though that she had long been fulfilling this role in a de facto way. Tanika Gupta’s Love N Stuff was a cleverly written comedy – a two-hander that we converted into a multiple cast show. Mustaq and Sudeepta gelled so very well in the lead roles supported by an array of outstanding performers. The set was quite unique with some 23 old sofas of various sizes curiously arranged and put together by Tim Booth. We had a collection of approximately 36 – all gathered from various good homes that wanted to rid themselves of these fading possessions and retain only their memories. Throughout the season, we made valiant efforts to find new homes for them – charities, free to family et al. In the end, the pack out was exceedingly long for Sandeep, me and our small team of volunteers – arranging about 15 of them delivered to various homes around Auckland and unloading the rest at someone’s garage at wee hours of the morning, only to come back next weekend and take them to the Henderson inorganic waste collection centre. A load of 450kg. Well sometimes art can be a heavy burden! This year we were notably joined by a young Porvi Fomra.

Swabhoomi in 2017 became was quite a landmark. The cast would be given various themes/outlines from which they workshopped and developed their own little pieces. The concept and the ideas were Ahi’s who directed the show with Sananda and Nona’s assistance. As a producer, I found this piece of work as an important document chronicling the history of Indians in Aotearoa from 1810 through some extraordinary tales of many ordinary people in the last 200 plus years. A big cast, some beautiful images and compositions. In the end a very satisfying, inspiring, and successful production. Many plays bear its message through metaphors. Ahi used soil and potato farming. The old Pukekohe farmer would harvest potatoes which bore some poignant emotional significance. However, by the third night, the actors got ever so animated with their emotive actions while harvesting the potatoes from underneath the soil laid in a layer barely six-inch-deep heaps along the stage, that it had the soil dust fly and spoil some of the newly installed stage curtain fabric. A summon by the venue manager during the dark night day, a few arguments, some introspection, and a revised instruction of less intensive agricultural harvesting on stage resolved the issue. I can count three particularly important harvests out of this show – the multi-talented Iyer sisters and the dependable Sneha Shetty.

Dara in 2018 was a big production – our first attempt at doing a period play. Originally a Pakistani play written in Urdu, we came across the English adaptation by the National Theatre of the UK and loved it. Apart from other challenges of the Moghul settings, costume formed an especially important part – very well-conceived, sourced and managed by Padma. Shahjahan’s crown was sourced all the way from Karachi – a few logistic issues, delays, tension, frantic search for alternatives and then it arrives in time for the opening night. The emperor is crowned after all.

Dara was genuinely wide canvas ambitious and challenging project. The sufi and the rich classical music inspirations had largely been developed under the soundcheck project (an initiative through Albert Eden Local Board) led by Dhruv Mody – the fakir in loincloth.

2019 was a genuine watershed year for Prayas. Our collaboration with the Auckland Theatre Company for A Fine Balance at the Q. A huge learning curve for us to see how a mainstream production works. Without their expertise we would never have been able to scale up in this way – 3 weeks, 25 shows and over 8,750 new audience. Interestingly we had been offered a financial share but were nervous to take the punt. In the end, as the number suggests it was financially remarkably successful too. Hmmm. But the good news is that we hope to repeat such collaboration soon and this time we can be bold and confident.

Another initiative First World Problem (developed by Ahi and Agaram in 2018 with extraordinarily little time and basically no money.) has become an annual event in our and Basement Theatre calendar. Starting in 2018 shortly after the Dara season, we are now planning FWP3.0 for 2021. For me, the most impressive part of this project is the amount of wide-ranging creative work it churns out – concept, writing, scripting, development, and production. On an average at least 20-25 individual pieces of work each time. Sananda is an efficient curator and adopted this as her own pet project for the last few years.

Throughout the last five years, we have always tried to make time for the community events. To me it makes us stay grounded and make better connection with the society at large. Whenever approached, we were able to help – the White Nights event at Lopdell House in 2016 and Samaroh 2017 at the Sandringham Reserve as part of the Whanui programme: Auckland Arts Festival! And that Bollywood Screen Test in Sandringham in 2016 (Neighbourhood Arts Programme for the Albert Eden Local Board) was such good fun!  The public including some shopkeepers took it very seriously and why not if they are convinced it being a chance to act alongside Sharukh Khan!

As we have grown, gained in expertise and experience, we realise more how at the core of our success has been the collective enthusiasm and commitment. How the many industry professionals and experts have collaborated and generously shared their knowledge to enhance our products. Acknowledging that we felt motivated to reciprocate by investing on training – organising free workshops on acting, dramaturgy and performance in 2017 and then followed up in our 2019 programme with the Children’s Performance Workshop.

We will long remember our 15^th Anniversary, simply because it is in 2020! However, let’s say not for COVID19 but for Prayas15 – looking in the horizon of future we are well prepared with our new logo, our strategic plans, our brand-new mission and vision. Art is an essential part of social wellbeing and Prayas will play its part in the coming years!