Drama or Theatre has been an integral part of all societies worldwide through centuries. There is enough proof that theatre activities have slowly and steadily assisted in shaping the social and political architecture of organizations, cities, and countries. Governments and corporations in most countries recognize the role of theatre in society and have provided support to enable this inter-active art form to prosper.

In today's impersonal world of cine and TV, inculcating a habit of Theatre viewing can be a good balancer and a unique intimate form of family entertainment. Theatre active families develop a very different social outlook and theatre active organizations (schools, colleges, councils and corporates) more than often stand out against competition. Corporates have very successfully used theatre workshops for enhancing team-building and communication skills.

Our city of Delhi unfortunately has inadequate opportunities for good and professional Drama productions and presentations. Audiences are unknowingly accepting amateur local performances and clamour to see the star-tour groups from Mumbai. Lack of professional drama groups, good auditoriums, and apathy of the corporate world is responsible for this state. We could imagine a day when there would be 25 fully-fitted auditoriums in Delhi and equal number of professional Theatre Companies performing plays in them year round, and provide a West-End and Broadway cultural environment right here in Delhi. Sons and daughters of our soil would then stay back right here in our beautiful city and make a career in theatre performances rather than run towards the hellish glitters of Bollywood.

A healthy corporate participation in the Theatre activities does hold several benefits for the organizational image and brands. Company's philanthropic involvement in the social cause enhances the corporate visibility among the community, while a brand association reaches not only the captive viewers but also to the public through the wider advertisement reach.

NATWA's Considerations & Plans:

NATWA Theatre Society, has been created by some eminent theatre persons and highly dedicated set of people from the corporate world. The primary objective of this group is to professionalise the theatre scene in the capital and generate employment opportunities for trained Actors and other Theatre Professionals. Theatre is widely acclaimed as an actors' medium, and the joy for the spectators is very different than any other form of entertainment. It is common knowledge in India today, that most trained theatre actors are forced to seek employment in fields that do not directly relate to their field of specialization. Bright young individuals who out of sheer love for the medium, spend the best part of their lives training themselves in a theatre discipline, end up in an alien employment market instead.

Many may argue that a lot of theatre gets done in the Capital and the theatre going public is not complaining. While it is true that the major theatres in the city are usually booked and audiences also fill the auditoriums on the weekends, however two aspects need to be emphasized: One, the plight of a professional actor in the city; and second, the quality of entertainment that the people are getting in the name of theatre. A trained theatre actor of Delhi has three options: Either she/he catches a train to Mumbai to spend the rest of her/his life in sub-human conditions, as the supply/demand equation in that city is highly distorted despite large number of films and even larger number of TV serials; Or she/he seeks employment in other fields, completely unrelated or at best nominally related to her/his real vocation; Or, worst still, she/he stays back to struggle to earn in the hopelessly amateurish theatre scene in the capital. All three options available to an actor only condemn her/him to scavenge for monies with no or poor job satisfaction. As for the quality of theatrical entertainment, nobody has attempted to seriously analyse the public response. In fact due to the current theatre scene, the spectators are the worst victims. If they are not complaining, it is because there is no forum where they can air their views, and because they probably do not have any immediate memory of simple joy of watching good theatre.

NATWA endeavors to suitably remunerate its actors and make him/her responsible for creating quality entertainment for the public. In due course, this National Theatre Workers Alliance intends revolutionising the Theatre scene in Delhi and help raising the quality expectations of the theatre going public itself. NATWA Plans to mount a good theatrical performance in Delhi every two to three months for the forthcoming twelve months. Slowly NATWA shall build a repertory of its own which would be continuously performing for the capital's public. In due course NATWA shall involve the viewing public in the theatre related discussion through online and live panel discussion, 'theatre lovers club' etc. with a dedicated website. Based on its concerted actions, NATWA envisages a substantial change in the viewing public's attitude towards theatre while giving actors a serious opportunity to make a career in theatre itself.

NATWA's Corporate Partnership Program

NATWA would be seeking long-term partnership and collaboration with Delhi's corporate world and other relevant organizations that share the dream of giving good theatre to an informed public. The collaborations shall be restricted and managed such that there are no conflicts between various partners. By becoming a corporate sponsor of NATWA Theatre Society, individual organizations will have the opportunity to support the arts by contributing to NATWA's artistic and educational outreach programs while enhancing company's philanthropic involvement in the community and building corporate visibility among targeted audiences. NATWA's Corporate Partnership Program is committed to delivering valuable sponsorship benefits to the participating organizations. These programs could act as effective communication and marketing tools for the corporates while delivering opportunities for entertaining clients and employees, which include VIP seating, and invitations to special events and previews. NATWA shall proudly publish and announce its collaborators at every opportunity.