Curtains are up after a two-year, pandemic-induced hiatus for the art scene in the city. With the surge in the number of live performances, plays and various other art forms, artists, performing arts professionals and entertainment platforms are seeing a good response from the public. A few hope for an even better situation in the days to come.
After the easing of lockdown restrictions and the entertainment industry opening up, the audience reception for out-of-home entertainment experiences has been encouraging, with consumers wanting to experience their favourite forms of entertainment across genres - theatre, comedy or music. This year, after the waning of the third wave, theatre enthusiasts are looking to step out and enjoy the art form once again, live, on-stage and in its full glory.
“We had a play recently at Alliance Francaise de Bangalore and I didn’t expect it to be a housefull event, especially during a time when it is anticipated that a fourth wave of pandemic is approaching. But it was overwhelming to see such a positive response from the theatre lovers in the city,” said Spatica Ramanujam, actor, playwright and director. “I think people are wanting back the live connection. They are happy to share a space with others physically. Definitely, for theatre, it’s great that again we are able to present live before the audience. After all, live streaming, zoom events and such are never the same. We have several such plays lined up over the weeks. We hope to get a similar response from the audience,” she added.
Since the start of 2022, BookMyShow, a leading entertainment destination, has hosted over 2,000 plays across various genres, languages and age groups in different cities of India with more than 2,00,000 tickets sold, thus reinforcing the audience’s desire for quality out-of-home entertainment experiences, said Anil Makhija, COO – Live Entertainment and Venues, BookMyShow.
India’s growing appetite and interest for live events has created a massive demand in the industry for diverse and compelling shows across genres, languages and geographies. “In April 2022 itself, consumer transactions for live entertainment have witnessed a whopping 31% increase from March levels surpassing them significantly. We are hopeful that this trend continues on an upward trajectory as entertainment enthusiasts continue to step out for live shows across formats on-ground,” added Mr. Makhija.
