SMART: Year 2020 - 2021

‘SMART During COVID-19’: In response to the pandemic and to meet the needs of the theatre community who were greatly impacted by the multiple lockdowns, restrictions on public gathering, and calls for social distancing, SMART went online and designed two programmes – a series of conversations about concerns of the theatre community titled SMART In the Round; and an online workshop designed to understand the current context and enable participants to practice theatre in changing times. 

SMART IN THE ROUND: September to December 2020

SMART In the Round is a series of curated conversations on creativity, culture and context. This series, the first online activity under SMART, is built on the seven years of SMART’s experience of working with theatre groups from across India’s diverse language, regional and disciplinary contexts. The series hosts conversations that address topics of concern and relevance to the theatre community.

SMART In the Round #1: Fear, Funding and Freedom of Expression: Artistic Freedom in 2020
Tuesday, September 29, 2020 | 06:30 PM | Zoom and Facebook
Panelists: Aditi Mangaldas, Bose Krishnamachari, Purva Naresh, and Sambhaji Bhagat, in conversation with Vinutha Mallya (Moderator).

The term ‘artistic freedom’ is often treated like an abstract concept. What does artistic freedom mean now, when many freedoms are under threat? In this panel, Vinutha, a journalist/editor speaks with Aditi (dancer, choreographer), Bose (artist, curator), Purva (playwright, director), and Sambhaji (activist, playwright, balladeer), representing different forms, who review artistic freedom in relation to the process of creating and presenting art. They discuss the influence of supporters and collaborators on it; the legal framework within which it is practised; the obligations of artists in exercising artistic freedom as well as the risks and consequences while doing so; the support systems artists can count on; how artists can build stronger networks of solidarity; and much more.

SMART In the Round #2: Why We Do What We Do - A conversation between Deepika Arwind and Maya Krishna Rao
Sunday, December 20, 2020 | 06:00 PM | Zoom and Facebook
Panelists: Deepika Arwind and Maya Krishna Rao

SMART hosts a freewheeling conversation between Deepika Arwind, Bangalore-based poet, playwright and theatre practitioner, and the Artistic Director of The Lost Post Initiative and Maya Krishna Rao, theatre artist and teacher. They talk about what inspires them as artists, the questions, values and desires that drive their work, and how they imagine moving into the future as we approach the final bend of a difficult year.

SMART ONLINE WORKSHOP: December 2020
December 02, 03 and 04, 2020 | 11:00 AM to 04:00 PM | Zoom
The SMART Online Workshop titled Practicing Theatre in Changing Contexts which was open to theatre groups from all over India, explored ways and means of coping, and strategising, during these unprecedented times. Over three days, it encouraged participants to collectively engage in innovative thinking for the transformed futures we will inhabit, covering reflecting on one’s specific context and the current environment; revisiting the group’s vision and core values; evaluating their specific circumstances and options; dreaming and exploring future possibilities for the group; and sharing and receiving valuable feedback and suggestions from other practitioners.

Facilitators: Arundhati Ghosh, Ashish Mehta, Menaka Rodriguez, Neel Chaudhuri, Sameera Iyengar, Sudhanva Deshpande and Sunil Shanbag.

Participants: The workshop was attended by ten theatre groups with 18 participants. The groups were from Bangalore (Karnataka), Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu), Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh/Telangana), New Delhi and Palakkad (Kerala). All participants had committed to the full duration of the workshop.

‘SMART During COVID-19’ in FY 2020-21 was funded by the International Relief Fund of the German Federal Foreign Office, the Goethe-Institut, and other partners: www.goethe.de/relieffund.