As Goans settled abroad, Goa’s unique dramatic form, tiatr also travelled with
them thanks to its ardent supporters and promoters like Tony Gonsalves from
Divar, now a resident of Wembley in the UKDaniel F de Souza / The Goan 08 June
2013
Goa’s humble tiatr has traversed the world, from Africa to the Middle East, and
now London and Canada as well, thanks to its ardent supporters and
promoters.One such is Goan expatriate from Divar, Tony Gonsalves (now living in
Wembley in the UK), an avid tiatr fan, who along with his brother, Felix
Gonsalves, the Chairman of ‘Wembley Goans UK’ a social and cultural club that
facilitates the staging of tiatr in the continent of Europe.Daniel F de Souza:
Does tiatr find an audience in Europe? What are the logistics involved in
putting up a tiatr abroad? And is it really worth the trouble?Tony Gonsalves:
Once a year, I stage four shows of every tiatr I promote in the UK. It’s a big
responsibility involving a lot of money. With no government support whatsoever,
it is up to the promoter to foot the entire bill for professional fees, visas,
tickets, food, accommodation and other incidentals. I fly the entire troupe
including the musicians and hire a four-bedroom apartment complete with a cook.
My family, my brother Felix, friends and well-wishers also help by
accommodating a few artistes. Sometimes, we do not even break even or recover
our expenses, but our love for Goan culture and the joy on the faces of the
Goans settled here who yearn for their beloved homeland and mother-tongue keeps
us going. Tiatr definitely enjoys a greater response than the musicals, with
the shows being held on weekends and the Wembley Hall with a seating capacity
of 600 packed to full capacity with tiatr lovers.DD: With visas for an entire
troupe and long-distance travel involved, how long does the planning process
take?TG: I generally put in my papers with the British embassy for processing
of the travel visas etc at least one month in advance. The processing is
smooth with no harassment, whatsoever. So far I have not faced any problem with
the authorities in the UK or in any of the other countries where I have been
promoting tiatr like Spain, Portugal, Canada, etc.DD: The entire process sounds
like a complex one. How did you get into the promotion of tiatr in the UK and
beyond?TG: We migrated to the United Kingdom in the early nineties and settled
at Wembley. Being avid fans of tiatr and since there was a considerable Goan
presence in Wembley, in 2004 we embarked on the idea of staging a musical show
in the UK with Lorna, Ben Evangelisto, Norman Cardozo on the keyboards and
others and staged four shows in London, two in Spain and one show each in
Portugal and Canada. Since then I have been endeavouring to stage at least one
tiatr in London each year. This July, I will be fl ying Constantine Crasto’s
troupe to the UK. I also plan to take tiatr to Australia soon and I am in the
process of doing my homework and working out the logistics of staging tiatr in
Sydney and in Melbourne.Previous StoryVillage tiatr: the womb of the
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