For most of its 50 years, Lakeview's Rangmanch Collective staged its plays at 8:30 pm on weekdays, in a hall that was rarely more than half full. Two years ago, the group tried something simple: Sunday matinees at 4 pm, with tickets at half the old price.
Attendance has tripled. Families now bring children, and many older residents who avoided late evenings have returned.
"We used to blame television, then phones, for empty seats," said director Sudha Rao, who joined the group as a college student in the 1980s. "Maybe the problem was just our timing."
What else changed
- Shorter plays, under 90 minutes, with no interval.
- A "pay what you can" row for students.
- A ten-minute talk with the cast after each show.
- Plays in Hindi and English on alternate months.
The group has also opened workshops for teenagers on Saturday mornings. Several of the young participants now act in the matinees.
Its current production, a comedy about a family trying to sell an old scooter, has been extended by three weeks after full houses. Ms Rao says the group is not chasing big audiences. "We want people to leave talking to each other," she said. "That is what theatre is for."
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