Bengaluru’s cultural landscape of limited spaces and growing pains 

Bengaluru's cultural landscape faces challenges with inadequate, expensive performance spaces, prompting artists to seek alternatives.

A couple of months ago, VASP Theatre, an emerging troupe in Bengaluru, was in for a surprise when they landed at Kalagrama Auditorium in Malatahalli, managed by the Kannada and Culture Department. The auditorium had been double-booked with a dance group scheduled to perform on the same day. VASP had reserved the auditorium well in advance with a deposit. However, they had to eventually cancel the show and refund money to all those who had booked tickets. Worse, the wait to get the refund of the advance from the Department was several weeks.

This incident underscores a more significant issue plaguing Bengaluru’s cultural landscape — grossly inadequate performance spaces for a bourgeoning city. Even as the population and expanse grow, and with it a richer cultural scene and a growing interest among the youth in theatre, music, dance, and various art forms, there are too few affordable performance spaces.

Amidst these challenges, Ravindra Kalakshetra, the nerve centre of cultural activities in Bengaluru, turned 60. Situated on J.C. Road in the heart of Bengaluru, it was built by the government way back in 1963. Since then, there has been no similar publicly-funded facility to match it in terms of seating capacity, connectivity, and affordability. Back then, Bengaluru’s population was 12,92,000, according to the United Nations - World Population Prospects. In 2023, it ballooned to 1,36,08,000, an increase of 953%.

A recent ₹24 crore proposal for the renovation of Ravindra Kalakshetra has now been put on hold following a protest by theatre activists and artists on the grounds that it does not focus on what the artistic community and audience really need. Sreenivas G. Kappanna, one of Bengaluru’s senior theatre artists, says that performance spaces must cater to their audience and artists rather than turning them into commercial spaces.

“Cinemas focus on comfort, such as air-conditioners, seating, and other amenities that a commercial space requires. But a performance space should focus on affordability and creating good technical support for artists,” he said. In fact, the effort to make it “plush” has backfired, he argues. “Ravindra Kalakshetra is one of the best auditoriums in south India; it used to have great wing space, very good acoustics, and one of the biggest stages. However, a couple of years ago the department decided to put in air-conditioners. The ducts ruined the acoustics of the entire space,” he adds

With the installation of the ACs also came a massive increase in rent, due to which many theatre, dance, and music troupes decided to perform without the AC. There has also been a fall in performances at the auditorium over the years, and it mainly hosts government events. “The government must stop investing in amenities that are not required by artists and should focus on increasing cultural activities in the space,” he argues. In 2015, the rent used to be anywhere between ₹1,000 and ₹3,000 per show, depending on the event per show. It is now between ₹7,850 and ₹9,420.

Currently, Bengaluru has close to 25 auditoriums, both government-run and private, that actively host cultural events. Prestige Srihari Khoday Centre for Performing Arts, on Kanakapura Road, is the most expensive space at ₹6.5 lakh per day..