Indian Theatre Forum to launch SMART programme

SMART is a capacity building programme which will equip theatre groups with a roadmap called a Strategic Plan to achieve practical objectives

To promote management programme in theatre, the Indian Theatre Forum will be launching first of its kind SMART module in India for theatre students. The programme is expected to be launched in January 2015 and the students who want to make a career as a 'actor-managers' in theatre management can submit their application by September 30, 2014.

SMART is a capacity building programme which will equip theatre groups with a roadmap called a Strategic Plan to enable them achieve the practical objectives connected with reality, but not constrained by it. SMART is specifically tailored to serve the realities of Indian theatre.

The programme is designed under the guidance of Prof. Milena Šešic of cultural and media studies, University of Arts, Belgrade Serbia in three phases to develop better theatre managerial skills.

The phase 1 of the programme includes a 10-day residential workshop on creating a Strategic plan. The phase 2 will include 6 months of working and implementing the Strategic Plan developed in phase 1. The final phase will be a 2-day residential workshop where the Strategic plan created and implemented in phase 1 and 2 will be presented to other participants.

Sanjana Kapoor, who is one of the facilitators of the programme, says there was a desperate need to have a programme like this in India.

“There exists many lacunas in our theatre world which prevents the possibility of taking up theatre as a profession. And for many years there was a desperate need, to have some form of formal training in this field,” she says.

The SMART programme is built upon the experience and knowledge of the theatre community and includes some of the prominent names who are pioneers in their respective fields of theatre and arts management in India.

Sanjana feels that it's the right time to launch this programme as the urban theatre today has nurtured a younger generation who is keenly looking at a life in theatre.

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Shruti Vyas

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