On World Theatre Day today, actor Piyush Mishra, who has been part of the stage for four decades, says that the joy of performing a play is unparalleled compared to cinema. “Usmein maza aata hai kyunki live interaction hota hai. Cinema mein aap audience tak camera ke through pahuchte hain, toh live interaction ho hi nahin paata. Also, unlike cinema, theatre has a scope for rehearsals. You can rehearse for at least two months to improve and experiment with your performance,” says Mishra.

Reflecting on his journey, the 62-year-old recalls his humble beginnings: “In the earlier days, I even did theatre without getting paid. But, aaj kal theatre mein paisa hai. Gone are the days when big producers didn’t put their money into it. Having said that, paisa nahin hota hai toh hum bahut complaint karte hain. Lekin jab paisa aa jaata hai, hum sochte hain ki ab toh paise se sab ho jayega... production value badh jayegi... Kahin na kahin paisa aate hi theatre pradooshit (polluted) ho jaata hai. I’ve seen that for 40 years.”

Despite the challenges, Mishra is optimistic about the future of theatre. “I don’t think theatre is any less appreciated now. [Theatre ka scope] pehle se badh gaya hai,” he says, adding, “It is a live art, woh kabhi marr nahin sakti. Kareeb 120 saal pehle, cinema kahan tha? Par theatre tha... Shakespeare (William Shakespeare; English playwright) ke waqt se hai.”