Baby Charles

Charles, what prompted your decision to set up Medai, The Stage in Chennai?

Actually, there are a couple of reasons I started Medai. Firstly, it was with the intent to enable a neutral space for the performing arts in the city; a space that would be easily accessible for everyone. There are spaces in the city which are built out of cultural centres, embassies, et al; I feel spaces like that are limiting and restrictive to a new audience. With Medai, I wanted to create a space that was accessible in the true sense of the word; for anyone and everyone keen to share and express their art. In addition, I have always been inspired by the idea of a black box, especially when I travelled abroad for shows, I’d experience art in these spaces. Let’s just say Medai was brewing within for a while and finally I was able to bring a new black box to Chennai.

What a fantastic name for a black box theatre. In a certain way, Medai is so inclusive in its very name itself…

Thank you! Medai's tagline is “A stage for all" which is also inclusive. Our intent is to break boundaries and enable all forms of arts and artistes take on the stage and make it their own.

Charles, you have a background in theatre, right? What were some of the aspects you kept in mind while setting up Medai and do those values dictate the way you run the place too?

I started my stint in theatre as a member, backstage. I also used to assist in other aspects of theatre that included ushering in the audience, sound execution, etc. And as time went by, I began to develop an interest in lighting and wanted to learn everything about it.

While creating Medai, I was very particular about how the space should be built; I was keen that every aspect of its construct must support the performer and the audience to enable a quality experience.

In my career as a theatre person, I have travelled to different venues and spent a lot of time thinking about how an arts space needs to be built. At Medai, we have customized the ceilings, the grids, equipment, seating, etc.

What according to you is the role of lights in enhancing a performance?

Lights is a tool to tell a story. Lights guides you to stay focussed and set the mood for a performance. Lights make the scene feel better. Over and above all, lights add a sense of aesthetics to the stage.

You have also been handling lights and lighting for dance? How different is lighting for dance versus lighting for theatre?

In classical dance, abhinaya (art of expression) is very important so I make sure to light the expressions of a dancer in a way that they are visible to the audience; the foot movements are important as well and the lights have an important role to play here.

In classical-based dance performances, there also tends to be a sync between dance and music. Much the same way, the lights too need to be in sync with the music and dance. That's how the magic happens.

I can also just light the hand when there are mudras; or when a dancer walks through a path I can highlight just the path as well and that creates a better sense of visuals for the audience.

In theatre, you can use lights and play more with shadows; there is an opportunity to experiment with a certain method of lighting.

I’m a lighting designer who works with English and Tamil plays. I also light for dance shows in classical forms like Odissi, Kathak and also for performances at places like the Isha Foundation for their Mahashivaratri festival. I also work with comics like Alexander Babu, Kenny Sebastian, Aravind SA and Kanan Gill. In addition, I also do the Motta Maadi Music and the Margazhiyil Makkal Issai and some specials on the OTT platform.