ON A regular evening in the city, theatre artistes can be seen rehearsing their trade in rented halls, classrooms, or at improvised studio spaces, often after their work hours. The city has historically been associated with theatre, through folk traditions and formal training institutions.Yet, for countless practitioners today, sustenance just through theatre has become an ordeal due to shrinking audience, rising costs, and limited venues.“Today, to get the audience to watch a performer is really, really challenging,” says Dr P. S. Chari, director of Vadodara’s oldest-running theatre group, Triveni. Chari has been associated with theatre practice and education in Vadodara for nearly four decades.Financial sustainability remains a major barrier for many artists. Jay Merchant, a Vadodara-based theatre practitioner and acting trainer, notes that theatre alone can no longer sustain livelihoods.“I don’t know anyone in Vadodara who can run their household through just theatre,” says Merchant. “Even modest production requires significant investment. A production costs around ₹1 to ₹1.25 lakh. The hall rent can itself go up to ₹30,000–35,000 and rehearsal spaces cost another ₹10,000–15,000. And after that one has to still account for technicians, actors, lights and costumes.”Recovering these costs through ticket sales is difficult. Merchant says local productions rarely cross 50–60% occupancy, even after sustained promotion.“If a well-known actor from Mumbai performs, the auditorium fills up immediately,” he says. “But when local groups perform, audiences are often hesitant to spend money on tickets.”Story continues below this adChari says the slowdown in Vadodara’s theatre scene has been building over decades. “By the 1990s, theatre had lost its sheen. It could not cope with new media challenges… All the plays before the 1980s had some social message. After that, most plays were largely driven by entertainment, and particularly a sense of humour became necessary.”Chari also points to structural limitations within the city’s theatre ecosystem, and referrs to the absence of smaller, more viable venues. The disruption, he adds, intensified during the pandemic. “The most dangerous and deadly blow was the Covid-19 pandemic…”Kalapi Dholakia, who has been running Jhanvi Kala Vrund since 1991, says, “Between 1992 and 2005, there was much more theatre happening in Vadodara… in the last decade, especially, it has reduced significantly.”Dholakia says his group now stages only up to three productions a year. Audience turnout can also fluctuate due to factors such as cricket matches, board examinations or wedding seasons, he adds.Story continues below this adAccess to performance venues remains another persistent challenge. Many artists say securing auditoriums, particularly for the weekends, has become increasingly difficult.Kiran Patel, an actor and producer associated with KASV Films, says, “If we want to stage a play, we often have to choose odd days because weekends are already booked months in advance,” he says. “Those venues are frequently occupied by touring productions from Mumbai.” Patel believes smaller venues could significantly improve the situation for local groups.“A 200-seat mini theatre will make a huge difference,” he says. “Large halls are difficult to fill, but smaller spaces would allow local productions to run more regularly.”Meanwhile, director Kiran Patil, who develops productions in Vadodara but launches them in Mumbai’s Gujarati theatre circuit, says star power continues to shape audience choices.Story continues below this ad“Gujarati theatre audiences still follow names,” he says. “They come for the actor rather than the script.”Also, some theatre practitioners say the lack of regular opportunities in Vadodara has also pushed artists toward competition and festival circuits in other cities.“Many productions developed here end up travelling to theatre competitions or cultural festivals in Mumbai and other cities because that is where groups can find regular platforms and larger audiences,” Patil says.At the Department of Dramatics of the Maharaja Sayajirao University, around 20 to 22 students graduate every year, Prof Trilok Singh, who has been teaching there since 2008, said.Story continues below this ad“While around 20 students graduate every year, hardly two or three stay back in Vadodara,” Singh says. “Most migrate to Mumbai or other cities where they find opportunities.”Singh says only 5-19% continue with theatre alone while the rest prefer television, web series or cinema alongside theatre. The department itself stages around 40 to 45 productions annually as part of its academic programme.Meanwhile, some do not shy away from experimenting with formats that they feel are more viable for today’s audience.Rohit Prajapati, founder of Geet Theatre, says, “Two-hour plays are rare now,” he says. “Most productions are about an hour, or even 30-minute one-act plays.” “People often prefer comedy because it offers easy entertainment,” says Dholakia, adding that lighter themes tend to attract larger audience.Story continues below this adApsara Iyengar, founder of Applause Vadodara, says her collective staged 46 performances and events last year. These included stage productions, storytelling, street plays, and commissioned performances.(Nishant Bal is an intern at The Indian Express, Ahmedabad)