Atelier has created a space for art to engage masses
I don’t sleep,” smiles Kuljeet Singh, Assistant Professor in the Department of English, University of Delhi. Though humorously said, managing as vast a repertoire of activities as he does certainly requires some superhuman qualities. Singh is the Founder and Creative Director of the Delhi-based theatre group Atelier Theatre Company, which completes 10 years in January 2014.
Apart from the intriguing French name, what sets apart Atelier is its passion to connect with the masses. One of the most active theatre companies of Delhi, Atelier is, as its founder says, “A theatre company specifically creating and performing for public.” The Professor describes it as “an umbrella organisation”, the result of “mutual passion of a few like-minded artists” who were looking for a platform where “they could learn, unlearn, create, curate, collaborate and perform.” Atelier literally means “an artists’ studio” in French, Singh enlightens. The ‘moving arms’ logo on Atelier’s website suggests movement and space. Atelier creates a neutral space for all people and all artistic expressions.
The veteran thespian’s interest in theatre goes back to his college days. So much so, that he even chose history of theatre on the campus of University of Delhi as his dissertation thesis for MPhil. “I tried to construct the history of campus theatre from 1924 and for my doctorate thesis I am focussing on the shift from colonial to indigenous theatre,” he says.
The theatre aficionado with a strong interest in visual arts, performance and film studies, dabbles in various other mediums, too. He played a significant cameo in the National Award winning film Amu directed by acclaimed director Shonali Bose who also won the Global Film-making Award at the Sundance Festival 2012 for the film. Singh also played a key role in Interval directed by Vikrant Sharad Nigam. The film was based on a compilation of short stories by Saddat Hassan Manto.
“I finished shooting for Margarita with a Straw, directed by Shonali Bose recently.” Singh again has a cameo in this film which stars Kalki Kochelin in a defining role. The film is already stirring up quite a storm with its unique subject of a super intelligent woman trapped in a disabled body.
After honing his skills under the tutelage of the most respected names in theatre circles including M.K. Raina, Surendra Sharma, Roysten Abel, Avatar Sahni, Anna-Helena McLean and V.K. Sharma, Singh launched his own company on January 14, 2004.
“The first five years were real-time struggle for commitment, space, funding and programming,” recalls Singh. But he remained undaunted, as even today the struggle continues. “People came, joined, left and the process continued for long and still goes on.”
For the Professor these years of struggle have been a period of learning. “Slowly things settled down and today almost after 10 years when I look back, I feel as if an age was spent building and nourishing the company,” he reminisces.
Atelier has three major units working towards promoting the mandate of the organisation, “connecting theatre with masses”, says Singh. The first is the Campus Theatre which brings the youth connect. Perhaps, Singh’s profession as a teacher and his own theatrical roots make this unit of primary importance. “Atelier Theatre is enriched with the energy and ideas of the youth, especially from the University circuit,” he says acknowledging their contribution.
Annually, Atelier organises a theatre festival, Atelier’s Campus Theatre Festival (ACT), which is Asia’s largest theatre fiesta, focussing on theatre on the university campus, says Singh expanding on their efforts to tap young talent. “This festival showcases more than 35 performances and runs for 16 days across eight venues in Delhi and NCR region.” In 2011, Atelier held the sixth episode of the festival and its team is working towards the seventh episode scheduled for February, 2014.
Atelier extends its professional expertise to college theatre groups. “We also direct plays for college theatres and in the last three years, I have directed a few major production for several colleges,” informs Singh. These included Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Janki Devi Memorial College; Sakina: Rehearsing Manto in the Times of Gang Rape for IP College; MantoRang, Mahabhoj and Antigone for SGTB Khalsa College. Singh is the Cultural Convenor of The Theatre Society at SGTB Khalsa College.
Children’s varied expressions find a platform at Atelier under its Theatre in Education (TIE) unit. “My dream project is to create a full-fledged Children’s Repertory Company comprising children and adults as a part of our TIE unit”, says the Professor. Explaining his vision he adds, “Theatre is education. The process of making a play is extremely educative.”
TIE works with school children on creative learning. “This was our primary work when we started and it has become the backbone of Atelier as a group,” observes Singh. Atelier has a panel of experts and qualified practitioners with almost a decade of experience working with children, and engages school children from class IV upwards through workshops, talks, theatre performances and festivals, throughout the year.
Bachpan, a children’s theatre festival, is an offshoot of the TIE programme.Under this, Atelier invites teams from different schools to practice and perform for a zonal round and the selected teams then present their productions at the grand finale at a professional space. “We are presently working with 48 schools in the NCR region,” Singh gives a glimpse of its popularity.
Atelier Repertory Company (ARC), the third significant unit of Atelier, formally commenced operations in 2010. “Begun with three permanent artists, the number is eight currently,” Singh elaborates on the professional theatre branch. “We create four professional productions annually and stage around 50 public performances of them in Delhi and upcountry,” he adds.
As for the audience, “Atelier is a consortium of people from all walks of life, for its mission is to connect with the masses. Theatre has that connecting energy,” smiles the Professor. Talking about the performers he explains, “As far as performers are concerned, mostly practitioners and seldom college students become a part of the repertory’s work. But when it’s a commissioned project by a college or an institute, generally, their own students act.”
Theatre workshops form a part of Atelier’s repertory. Prof Singh has designed a unique nine-day programme called Tale of an Idiot to unleash the potential of the participants. “The participants devise their own tales and create brief pieces for performance on the last day for parents, friends and relatives,” Singh explains the format.
For Singh there is a sense of personal enjoyment and achievement in conducting these programmes, as he says, “every time I manage to extract the best from the participants”.
Discussing his future vision for the theatre company Singh notes, “I see Atelier as primarily a theatre company touring India and subsequently going international with its productions. What defines Atelier from other theatre groups in India is its structured and all-round work.” The anniversary year will be a platform to showcase this.