Megan Kimball has interviewed Radhika Bharat Ram and Ritu R. Chandra.
What is Theatre for a Cause:
Based in Delhi, India, Theatre for a Cause is a group of like-minded people who love Theatre and everything that goes with it. In 2015, Ritu R. Chandra, a performer and the founder of Theatre for a Cause, was asked to create a production for the school of the blind in Delhi; the rewarding experience of this event led Ritu to form this small theatre group. (Theatre for a Cause, webpage, 2020).
Theatre for A Cause Mission
Through Theatre, this group raises funds for the underprivileged and creates awareness about various social issues. While it is their endeavor to bring varied and diverse artistic programs to new and current audiences alike, they also want to engage with the community and work on society’s most pressing issues (Theatre for a Cause, webpage, 2020).
The Interview
Megan Kimball (MK): Your web page has a wonderful narrative of how the group got started. Could you tell me something about your backstory that I wouldn’t find on your web page?
Radhika Bharat Ram (RBR): I’ll let Ritu take over for that one. She’s the one who was right there from the beginning.
Ritu R. Chandra (RRC): I got into theater by chance, with no initial intention to pursue it. That was about 25 years ago. In 2015, we were asked to produce a show with the children of the blind school in Delhi. I had to script everything in Hindi, select the actors, and direct the play. Directing children who couldn’t see was challenging—giving instructions like, ‘move your arm to the right or left,’ was difficult yet very rewarding. To this day, it’s the best thing I’ve done in theater. That show was a milestone, shaping how we moved forward.
RBR: It was a musical, and they all danced, and I was there just as a spectator. I remember that time. And I mean, there wasn’t anyone in the audience who wasn’t crying. I mean, we were all just, you know, including my daughter, my daughter must have been six or something. She was watching that and just in tears, saying, well, how wonderful they are? I mean, like, you know, they put everyone else to shame and just look at how beautifully they’ve done it.
RRC: That event happened in 2015. After that, we began producing shows for different causes. Radhika joined me from then on, and together, we started working with a foundation, producing more shows as a team.
RBR: Over time, we were approached by groups that had trained women from economically weaker sections, helping them become cab drivers—a rare opportunity for women in India. They later asked us to create a musical fundraiser for them. That’s really when our journey as a theater group, working together on such productions, began and grew.
RRC: After forming our core team, we each took on designated roles while collaborating closely. I acted and directed, and Rebecca, who couldn’t join us today, sang. Together, we started a trust called Theater for a Cause. Our first production for the foundation was so popular that we repeated it and then partnered with a cancer awareness group for subsequent shows.
RBR: This group helped women in villages understand cervical cancer, which is one of the most prevalent yet preventable cancers in India. Many in rural areas are still unaware. We partnered with them for over two years, producing four rounds of shows to raise awareness during that period.
RRC: Ever since then, we’ve been in the pandemic, waiting to get back onto the stage, but we really can’t. As a result, our organization, Theater for a Cause, has focused on our core mission: doing theater only to support causes that help people. These causes may benefit individuals with physical or mental challenges, as well as women and men from lower-income sections. Overall, our endeavor is to help sections of society. Unlike groups that operate for profit, we stage professional shows, host fundraisers, and ensure that all proceeds go directly to support these causes—we ourselves don’t keep any of it.
RBR: Last year, we planned an April show to raise funds for a spinal rehabilitation center serving patients with spinal injuries, whether from accidents or other causes. This nonprofit offers free care to those abandoned by their families, often arriving with severe bed sores and in very sad conditions. The staff, especially the woman in charge, treats patients like family—many tell me she gives them more love than anyone else ever has. With our fundraising, the center survived the pandemic. In gratitude, they prepared music, learned instruments and English songs, and were set to join us for the finale. We looked forward to it, but unfortunately, we couldn’t stage the show. We hope to do it someday. Megan, would you like to ask specific questions?
MK: This is fascinating. When you feel a pause coming, just let me know and I’ll continue with the questions. I do have specific questions. But this is all fascinating and great.
RBR: When the pandemic started here, we saw how sudden lockdowns affected migrant laborers. Many were left on the streets, and as everyone was trying to help, we noticed a general gloom. Since we couldn’t perform on stage, we decided to raise funds and lift spirits in a different way. We collaborated again with the Blind Relief Association, which had begun cooking food for migrant laborers because their school was closed.
They were feeding hundreds of people a day and needed rations like lentils and rice. They reached out and asked if we could do something. We thought music, which connects everyone and brings hope, would help. So, we launched the Sing for a Cause Challenge. We asked people to sing songs, and for each song, donors would contribute. It was phenomenal people from every continent joined in. The first challenge was with Abba songs, performed in all sorts of languages, including Chiquita in Spanish. The initiative brought incredible joy, with people worldwide contributing by playing instruments, singing, dancing, and more. We continued to a second round, which was also hugely successful, featuring songs from musicals and even reciting poems. We really enjoyed it, helped many people, and were fortunate to make a difference.
RRC: Before the pandemic, we wanted our production to include both children with spinal injuries and destitute girls who had been trafficked. It was all set up, though some doubted it was possible. Despite ongoing uncertainty—especially with a new pandemic wave in India—people remain in need and eager to participate. It’s great to see that everyone wants to be involved; it makes the effort more meaningful.
MK: So, what are your community outreach strategies? How do you announce that these productions are coming? How do people come and get involved? Would you say it’s like Facebook or social media? flyers?
RBR: A bit of everything, I think. Okay. Yeah, word of mouth. A lot of word of mouth. Facebook, yes. Social media. Yes, putting up posters asking people to audition. We’ve been growing a team, and, as I said, it’s not for the money. So, people who’ve been coming in are, you know, professionals, and we have lawyers and doctors and all sorts of people on board who take their time and come and, you know, so. Yeah, it’s been. That’s how we reached out; I think through a lot of word of mouth as well.
RRC: We call for auditions whenever we have a production schedule. And we’ll get the word out to people. I mean, you know, we get enough people, and we have the auditions, and then we’re able to make a good selection. It works very well.
RBR: So much talent out there. It’s wonderful.
MK: So, it says on your web page that the organization has been an in-house school team for over 20 years, working with children, parents, teachers, and the school for the blind. Can you tell me more about that? How do you get the parents involved? And how do you get the students involved? And how do you keep them involved?
RRC: Like I said, I got involved in theater by chance. And this happened when my girls were in school. And they were very young. They were about seven years old, and I was asked to do something for the children —very nervous, very scared. So, I got involved with the school for children, not the blind school, blind school. Then I got involved in 2015 for the production called Cushey a sauce. But before that, for 20 years, I’ve been involved in studying schoolchildren, and then it became, you know, bigger. And then we have big productions, and we just grew by Mira, who was part of those productions. So, our kids were all in the same school, and that’s the way we grew up.
RBR: And the blind school, one of us —the third member who’s not here today —she’s on the board of directors, is it of the blind school, you know, so she is very actively involved with the school, and that’s how it connects.
MK: Was there a predecessor to Theater for a Cause’s work with people with disabilities? Who were some of the predecessors of foregrounding disability as a social issue in India?
RRC: I think we evolved blind school we were asked to do the production okay this somewhere felt that one had the capability of doing something like that none of them we just evolved that you know, we it’s not like we had the strategy but now we plan and we want to work only for the course we are very clear about so we’ve evolved now this the situation and we have the theater for a course trust and that’s how we will move forward.
RBR: I don’t think we’ve heard of anyone else, or there’s been a predecessor in this. I don’t think we’ve ever, you know, even heard about anybody doing anything similar, you know. And I, yeah, I don’t know. I haven’t heard of anyone doing this —not like a not-for-profit theater group, you know. I think, as far as I know — I mean, maybe I’m mistaken — but I don’t know.
MK: So, when you work for these causes, how do you make the necessary accommodations, as you mentioned with the blind school? How do you work with movement, etc.?
RRC: Put your arm here, but you know that those were sort of the accommodations you made, so that you could make the adjustments for them on stage, so they could be set safely, I’m guessing, for one thing, as well as be successful in doing the production.
Yeah, so you know, we normally have these, you know, the people who are part of the cause come together with us for the finale. Before that, we had a regular full-scale production, which is the way we work now. And then, in the end, let’s say we are raising funds for the Spinal Injury Center, and they will come in their wheelchairs and whatever manner they can and be part of the production, so you know, maybe they’re in the auditorium. Keep it very simple. I was assisted by two teachers from the school, and I think, at the end of it or very quickly, I realized they were children. So, what if they can’t see, but they can understand, and all their needs and wants —and you know, everything — is like all other children of that age. So, once I had that in my mind, sorted, I was able to deal with them very naturally and very easily. You know, I could even scold them, or I could say, ‘It stands straight; don’t sit like that, don’t do that, don’t talk.’ I, you know, initially I was a bit nervous. I was not sure how much I could interact with them and how much I could discipline them. But very quickly realize, I mean, they could be on their phones—they can’t see—but they’re on their phones. So obviously the phones have something special on them when you know they would watch TV, they can’t watch, but they can hear. So, they will be normal. They love good music. We would always begin the session with a nice tip number, and they would dance and clap, and, you know, then we would warm up and carry on. So, my assumption is that children are children, whether they can see or not, and that they can’t walk. And these children don’t feel sorry for themselves. That’s the biggest thing that, you know, I realized, one doesn’t have to feel sorry for them. One doesn’t have to pity them. They’re happy children, they’re happy with their lot. They know, you know, that this is it; they are very well adjusted to their situation, and they enjoy every day. That’s a big, big thing that I learned. They were very happy and very comfortable with who and what they were.
MK: Would you say the audience was receptive to seeing the visually impaired actors on stage? Was this a general audience, along with friends, family, and actors? The audience is people who want to support the cause along with their family and friends, correct?
RBR: Yeah. Are you referring to the audience for the show at the blind school, or to the general audience for all our shows? I guess you could say both.
Yes. But for all the shows, it’s open to the public —it’s open to everyone. So, of course, maybe in the first one or two shows, it was mainly friends and family and well-wishes. You know, after some time, it became a theater. You know, it was a theater crowd. We did it mostly in this area, which is like the theatre hub in Delhi, so you had walk-ins —you had people who had no idea what they were going to go in for, because, you know, musicals are rare in India. And you know, it was just, you know, got their fancy, and some of them would just walk in. Some will do it for the cause, of course, but many just came for the sake of theater and got a wonderful response. We’ve had it in Delhi. And we’ve had it in Gurgaon, which is Paul’s in Haryana, but it’s on the outskirts of Delhi. So, it’s different. It’s got a different sort of audience —younger and more educated, more professional, I would say —and so we’ve had varied responses, both great. But, you know, you know, at some places, of course, we have people singing along and tapping along and dancing along, and other places.
It depends on the play. We’ve done one based on Freddie Mercury’s music — Queen —so you had a different clientele for that, and you had a different audience for Abba, which spans all age groups. And so, your kids get onto you know, these, like, six-to-seventeen-year-olds who came, like, so fondly remembering those times. And so yeah, we’ve had a mixed audience, and it’s all we’ve had a great response.
RRC: You know, we always sell tickets because we want to fundraise. And to cover costs, we do have certain ways out without a begging bowl —we’re looking for free makeup, free costumes, and free everything. But at the end of the day, there are some expenses. So, we always sell tickets and try to allocate any sponsorship money to the cause we’re supporting. Otherwise, you know, what is the point? Because they need money, they need to be known, they need money, they need awareness, and they need people to then help them and support them in the future. That’s our basic endeavor.
MK: Wow, that’s great! What is your typical production calendar? I ask this based on the US models I am familiar with. It’s musicals, as far as I understand, but how do you select the musicals that will be on your production calendar?
RRC: I don’t know. I think I like musicals, which have universal appeal. I limited my scope of musicals. I don’t get into Western classical and stuff like that. But the music, as soon as you know, like Freddie Mercury, has universal appeal. Abba has universal appeal. The next one that we’re going to bring out is also going to be, you know, music with universal appeal. So that’s the way we plan it. We have live singing always. We have a choir, we select the singers, and then they practice separately. We have actors who practice separately, and an audiovisual that runs in the background —you know, it’s a full package. Because in India, it’s important to make the entertainment worth everybody’s while.
MK: That’s interesting. You mentioned the pandemic a bit. How have you stayed connected with the public? I’m guessing it’s all online. Have you guys been using Zoom for your productions because you can’t get together in person?
RRC: No, we were not on Zoom — no productions on Zoom —but we try to bring out videos featuring certain bits of the team, not the whole team ever. But we then find pub, you know, put these videos out there for people to see. That’s the way she was —very important to remain connected to your team. We have a good team. It’s also important to stay connected with your audience. So that is, you know, we do these videos with music and dance and whatever, and we put those out —maybe we try to do one every six weeks. Your resources are limited over here. So, it’s not like you can get on Zoom and have a large production and, you know, that kind of rehearsal and must sell it. People are not going to buy; they will come spend money only to see a production site. So, there are different challenges when you’re working in India.
MK: What’s next for Theater for a Cause?
RRC: I don’t know when we can be on stage. Last year, we were very hopeful that we would be on stage. This January, January of 2021. The triple A is not now; I think we’re going to wait for the third wave. See if it comes. How bad is it? What’s going to happen? And then I don’t think we’ll be on stage before next January or February. That’s the feeling I get. And yeah, we’re thinking we haven’t decided what we’re going to do. We brainstorm about some thoughts.
MK: That is so great. And I’ve got a more complete understanding of your program and organization. Is there any additional information you would like to share?
RRC: It’s a small organization. It’s three people at the moment. And I’m not sure we’re going to increase the Members of this trust. I mean, as of now, I can’t think of anybody. And we have to, you know, it’s been a year and a half, and it’s been very difficult. We barely got our trust in place, and we were thrown off the ground.
RBR: So now, it’s not that easy to raise funds, you know, I mean, it’s, difficult for the organizations for the causes for those people to raise funds, you know, and then so, so they, you know, they come to us, and then for us to go and try and raise funds, it’s not easy. I mean, they do realize that it’s probably like a cost of what 3,540 people of us, you know, who are out there, as, as I said, from different walks of life, you know, all give up that good four to five months, we meet, like, twice a week, you know, for four hours a time. And we do that all for the cause. I mean, there is, you know, of course, for the love of the art, and the theater, and music, and all of that, but the only thing that we get in return, and the real high that we get at the end of it is the fact that that money goes to help somebody. So, you know, when it makes a difference to them. And when they turn around, they tell us how many camps they’ve been able to run. Because of that, and how many people they’ve been able to vaccinate, or how many cab drivers they’ve been able to vaccinate, or how many surgeries they’ve been able to do at the rehab center. It’s just, I think that what gets us together, as you said, how do you advertise and how does, you know, it’s, it’s that which gets the people there, because we’re all really all of us just there for, you know, to be able to use your creativity to help somebody.
RRC: I think that goes for the whole team. I mean, the team loves the art, they love to, you know, to be able to sing and act and dance and whatever. But it’s also very satisfying that in the end of all this, whatever money you’re raising is going towards a very good cause. Because, like I said earlier, most people, you know, from different walks of life—engineers, doctors, lawyers—they don’t really do it for the money. Because, in any case, we are not in a position to pay a high fee; you know, we can barely manage to raise enough funds for the cause. So, it’s not like we have a flood of funds or people are giving us huge donations. It’s a struggle because we’re always out, and we have to keep going from pillar to post to get the money.
MK: Thank you so much for this great information about your organization. Thank you for your time.
RRC and RBR: Anytime. If you need any more information, please do not hesitate to let us know.
Sources Cited/Bibliography
About Us. Theatre For A Cause, 2020, https://www.t-fac.org/about-us/.
Chandra, Rita R. Personal interview. 21 July 2021.
Columbia University School of Public Health. Ten Lessons from Our Pandemic Year, 15 Mar 2021, https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/public-health-now/news/ten-lessons-our-pandemic-year
Farcas, Stephanie Barton. Disability and Theatre: A Practical Manual For Inclusion In The Arts. New York, Routledge, 2017.
Newnham, Nicole and James LeBrecht, directors and producers. Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution. Netflix, 2020.
Ram, Radhika B. Personal interview. 26 July 2021.
Theatre For A Cause, 2020, https://www.t-fac.org
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About Ritu R. Chandra
Ritu R. Chandra is director and producer at Theatre for A Cause.
About Megan Kimball
Megan Kimball is a Theatre Studies Professor at Cal State Fullerton. Being diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder did not stop Megan from pursuing her passion for getting an MFA in Theatre Pedagogy from Loyola Marymount and teaching the arts in the classroom. When she is not teaching, she spends her time acting as an advocate for the theatre of disability and being a full-time patron of the arts herself.
About Radhika Bharat Ram
Radhika Bharat Ram is a philanthropist and part of the core team for Theatre for A Cause.