Theatre groups opt for crowdfunding to give wings to their creative ventures

Theatre groups of Nagpur are pushing the boundaries of creative medium with their fresh outlook and edgier takes on myriad issues. In order to add wings to creative dreams, artistes are now trying to avoid subsidy from corporates, instead opting for crowdfunding which is a medium of generating funds from people to support their theatrical endeavours. In fact, short filmmakers have also joined the bandwagon and are taking the crowd-funding route.Read on as we trace this emerging trend in city’s entertainment realm...
Provides great platform
Crowdfunding is becoming a popular medium especially among the first-timers who don’t want their creativity to get hampered as corporates who invest a lot of money, generally tend to dictate the process. Echoing this thought, theatre personality Shailesh Narwade adds, “I recently staged a Hindi play — Bachate Raho — at Dr Vasantrao Deshpande Hall. The play was based on water conservation. We had 33 school children acting in the play. Their costumes and other properties required for the play were bought through crowdfunding. I found this option a viable one instead of approaching the corporates as they tend to demand for creative control, which I shall never allow. I was able to raise 60 per cent of my total budget through crowdfunding .” He goes on to add, “After my first successful attempt, I’m now all set to direct a full-fledged Marathi film through crowdfunding.”
A direct reach
Many also feel it is a great medium to directly reach out to people and raise funds to promote one’s creative campaign. Quite naturally, even short film makers are going the crowdfunding way. Nishant Roy Bombarde who shot his National Award winning short film Daaravtha in Amgaon village of Gondia recently, had to struggle to raise funds for the 30-minute-long short film because people whom he approached were hesitant to invest as the subject veered around homosexuality. Nishant who later found solace in crowdfunding elaborates, “The film was based on an adolescent boy who discovers his sexuality and is torn between patriarchal upbringing and his natural urge. After months of rejection, I signed up for various crowdfunding websites and it worked. Within a few months, I raised 50 per cent of my targeted fund, which was a decent amount to start shooting my film. It also helped my work reach directly to the audience and build a connect with them.”
The flipside
Though crowdfunding has worked wonders for many, for some this technique has failed miserably. Theatre personality Vikash Khurana feels crowdfunding did not work for him due to lack of awareness among the people in Nagpur. He adds, “The biggest challenge in crowdfunding is raising the initial amount that is essential to kick-start the project and also to attract more and more donors. I couldn’t gather a decent initial amount which resulted in decrease in number of donors as they felt there’s no point contributing to a venture which has lesser chances of meeting the target. But I have not lost hope in this new-age technique and I shall soon give it a second try for my upcoming plays.”