Kala Academy’s clumsy seating, AC take centre stage in report to CM

Panaji: The viewer-performer intimacy is lost with the removal of the front row at the Kala Academy auditorium, said the task force examining the facility’s deficiencies. The task force submitted its report to CM Pramod Sawant on Thursday.“For any drama, the ‘A’ row allows one to be close to the stage. If they decided to convert the auditorium into a cinema hall — where distance is very important — then the ‘Z’ row becomes important,” task force chairperson Vijay Kenkre told TOI.He added, “The A row needs to be restored because in a theatre show, the intimacy between the audience and performers is mandatory.”This was one of the many problems highlighted by the task force in its report. It also highlights issues such as the positioning of the AC duct, sound and lighting problems, and carpeted wings that hinder set movement, among others.“What is the use of the carpet in the wings when we cannot slide the set? Initially, the space was kept free on either side because that enabled us to slide the set. Now we cannot do that,” he said.He further said that a tender will be floated for the repairs of the open-air auditorium, which collapsed two years ago. “There are financial aspects that we will not interfere with. However, we will see to it that Kala Academy gets the status that it earlier had,” Kenkre said.Speaking at the secretariat on Thursday, Sawant confirmed the report’s submission. He said that a meeting will be held on Friday to discuss the details of the report.Formed in Oct 2024, the task force includes representatives from the PWD, Entertainment Society of Goa, Kala Academy, and Kala Rakhonn Mand. It was constituted by Sawant to assess Kala Academy’s infrastructure and recommend improvements.Prior to submitting the report, the task force conducted a detailed inspection of the Kala Academy premises.