Tiatr began 1892 in Mumbai, with just the help of a petromax lamp. In Goa, tiatr would take place in ‘mattovs’ which were make shift stages. “There were also no tiatr during lent till about thirty five years ago,” informs veteran tiatrist Platilda Dias. Apparently, the season of remorse didn’t allow entertainment to be part of the decorum. “The parishioners too wouldn’t venture out to see tiatr during this time,” she recalls.
“However, Young Stars of Goa, the only troupe of Goan tiatrists, would travel to Bombay for tiatr during lent as Bombay still had tiatr during lent,” she adds almost in the same breath. Then again, Bombay had halls too. Hence tiatr were held throughout the year..
The village of Goa had tiatr seasons, courtesy the 40 days of lent and the mercy of the madd paus, the indicator of the end of the monsoons at the fag end of October. Attempts to have tiatr earlier in October as well as later in May were high risk given the heavy monsoon showers. Hence November, December and January hosted maximum tiatr. This was one big season of tiatr that took place in Goa.
“The season post easter was called Pascam. It was a small season of about a month and a half, lasting till about the end of the may holiday of children in schools,” octogenarian Titta Preto fills in. Given that this was a small season, not many would release their new shows during this period except for the very innovative C Alvares who could afford to do so.
Then again, apart from maybe Alvares, tiatrists would produce a tiatr per year. Now, however technology has taken things to another level; not to mention the availability of halls and electricity with generator sets that come on within seconds without disrupting the tiatr underway. Nonetheless, given these added perks since then, as far as popular commercial tiatrists of the day are concerned, while the average remains two tiatr productions per year, even three have been attempted by few able directors.
Contrasting from those times however, veterans like C D Silva and Titta Pretto also clearly remember tiatrists allowing each other to have their own tiatr and not releasing shows to overlap others. Popular directors of this previous era like C Alvares, Boyer, Jacinto Vaz and Remi Colaco would share their tiatr releases giving each a month and even act for each other and support every tiatr that came up. The present day tiatrists defend the current overlapping trends by pointing out that in those earlier times tiatrists were also few, and that’s why shorter seasons could accommodate all tiatr directors.
BOX
Releasing this November
Kallem Mazor
Builder II – Comedian Sandeep Ambe
Strike – Comedian Agostinho
Hawaldar
Munne
Tuzo-i dis yetolo
