The discussion on greenroom is very interesting. Painting the make-up room 'green' does not make it a green room. Actually it means, clean, fresh like green (not colour) and changing. According to Natya-Saastra, we have :neypathya: were actors are made up and dressed. An enclosed, spacious, exclusive, clean, serene and quite place is neypathya.
V.P.Dhananjayan
USA
Beware of the 'Green eyed monster' called jealousy! We have enough of cats, claws and meows in the dance scene -- do we need a room too in that colour! Of course green has very good associations too -- nothing as beautiful as the lush green fields swaying in the breeze, the tender shoots on the plants, or the beautiful 'pacha make-up' for dance. But certainly not a Bright Green for a Room where one has to get ready for a performance.
A light pleasant shade which can brighten your spirits and also reflect the light should be good enough. More important are the other facilities like good lighting, privacy where one is not constantly disturbed, uninterrupted power supply, comfortable chairs, tables, life-size mirrors (not one but many), attached bathrooms, dustbins, etc. And the room shouldn't be too faaaaaaaar away from the stage.
However good the facilities may be, the grass will always seem to be greener on the other side, no?!!!
-S. Janaki
Chennai
Green is associated with ENVY. As such, painting the green room in dark green colour is not correct. Whatever colour is soothing to the eyes of the artistes and the make-up men can be used. Further, while doing make-up, bright lights are used, which probably nullify the effect of the colur of the walls.
- G Vaidyanathan
Nagpur - 440015
I totally accept the fact that a green room should have only light colours. What ever be the reason for the name, the green colour by it self absorbs light and makes the dancers face look dark. More than anything, the green colour is usually attributed to Bheebatsa rasa (the emotion of disgust)!!!!!!!. hence I fully endorse that the green room should not be painted Green.
- Dwaritha Vaidhyanathan
Trichy
The latest joke in Hyderabad is that the green room of the Rabindra Bharati (a national theatre) has been painted a vivid, loud and dirty green(even the fans!) All efforts to stem this in the beginning fell on deaf ears of an insensitive officiladom. Now the green room is really 'Green' which in turn absorbs all the light, making make-up an ordeal.
- We urgently need mass support on this issue, since Ravindra Bharati is a place we all have performed or will perform.
- We also need ideas on what the interior colours of a green room should be.
- Ananda Shankar Jayant
Hyderabad
There is one more point to be stressed. There are nine pictures of emotions (Navarasas) placed on this green room at Rabindra Bharathi. With the experience of performing in various international stages like Taiwan, America, France and Reunion island there was some or the other fault in all the green rooms I have visited and performed. Let us have a discussion on the common strategies to be maintained in constructing an auditorium. What kind of basic facilities are required to an artiste to present an excellent performance.
What should be the size of the stage, theatre, postion of audience and position of green room, what should be the colour and many other things.
- P.Srinivas
Nrityanjali Academy
I appreciate your concern and efforts at restoring the beauty of the Rabindra Bharati. I fully endorse your view that the Green Room of a theatre which has the rich history of having provided platform for great many artistes and legends should carry the tradition and cannot afford certainly to be painted with GREEN!! Let our memories alone stay green!! I have pleasure in joining the cause with you to do the needful. Tell me how I can lend my support?
- Malini Ganesh
It is my experience that a milky off-white green room is most flattering for Indian skin tones. Also, the chairs in the green room of Ravindra Bharati truly belong to a dentist's cubicle. Can ordinary chairs please replace these state of the art ones in which you cannot sit while you do your own make-up. Is someone listening?!!!
- Geeta Chandran (recently performed at Ravindra Bharati)
New Delhi
The green that's most ideal to human eyes is mid-way between foliage green and sap green. That's the average hue of nature as a whole and the most abundant too, as the pigment chlorophyll is green.
It's the photosynthetic pigment that gives us all the food. We also say "all flesh is ultimately green" and "all life is bottled sunshine".
- C. P. Unnikrishnan
What is needed is a concerted effort to improve the facilities which are common to all artistes. In any green room the logical colour to be used is any neutral colour such as beige, off white, cream etc essentially so that light is not absorbed by these colours and the artiste putting on makeup has the correct lighting while doing so. Any dark colour on the walls absorbs light and only makes the room dark and dingy. Many reasons have been suggested as to why a green room is called so.
- A corruption of the word 'Scene room' where the screens were kept
- During Shakespeare's times the room was painted green so that the artiste could rest his eyes (though what shade of green is never mentioned)
- Because plays took place outside on the village green
- Because the room was walled with green baize for sound proofing
- Because the artificial green grass (carpet) was stored there, etc
All these are merely conjectures. Trying to take these out of context and paint a dressing room a vivid green is not right. Yes I agree with Srinivas that this has to be viewed holistically but this can happen when a new theatre is built.
With the existing facilities the least we can do is not mar it further on a mere whim of a few misinformed individuals.
What is needed is that such decisions which affects the artistes should involve a few well informed artistes from the fields of theatre, dance music etc so that the right decision is taken early on before funds are wasted.
Yes I agree Ravindra Bharati needs better lights, sound and seating (the new seats too are bad!) We as artistes need to get together to protect it, as a national theatre is the legacy of every artiste not just a few officials.
- Ananda Shankar Jayant
Hyderabad
