House of Variety
at a glance
Post-Globalization, Patna’s cultural vibrancy gradually declined. However, the soul of artistic expression remained alive, awaiting revival. Regent Theatre, spanning two generations remained a haven for quality cinema, adapting to the evolving entertainment landscape.
Enter Suman Sinha, a visionary inspired by his uncle Shivendra Sinha, who was a luminary in performing arts nurtured by Jagdish Chandra Mathur (ICS), the then Culture Secretary of Bihar. Shivendra Sinha was sent on a Govt of India Scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts from where he graduated in the year 1957. Shivendra Sinha’s dream and vision found its outlet in his nephew Suman Sinha.
Suman Sinha envisioned reviving the glory of entertainment in Patna with a renewed zeal and determination. He collaborated with veteran theatre and film actor Vineet Kumar, a fearless thinker and committed to the cause of theatre for close to five decades. Vineet Kumar identified the right people to join this collaboration and gave a road map to progress, an endeavor culminating in the creation of House of Variety.
Vineet Kumar and his close associate from National School of Drama (NSD) Punj Prakash, took upon the responsibility to gauge, understand and disseminate the current state of art and culture in Bihar and Patna in particular. They decided to organize a month-long workshop in acting with master classes from 8th December 2022. The workshop announcement received an overwhelming response of over 200 applicants, out of which 70 were selected.
As a result of this exercise Suman Sinha, Vineet Kumar and Punj Prakash came to the conclusion that there was an imperative need of the hour to do something for the youth of Bihar who were both passionate and enthusiastic and waiting to be groomed for the theatre. Here on, the trio moved ahead whole heartedly in the direction of creating an art and culture center House of Variety.
Robin Das; a veteran artist, teacher, film and tv actor and above all one of the best theatre designers of the country was roped in to give physical shape to this idea. Robin Das designed the entire space with great attention to detail, on the first floor of the adjacent building of Regent Theatre, namely THE HUB. To execute this project, he worked with Sharan Pratap Singh, an architect from Patna and Punj Prakash, a talented and tenacious theatre actor, director who played a pivotal role in overseeing the completion of the space.
Sauti Chakraborty, another graduate of the NSD, who is also a very gifted technological stalwart in the field of auditorium light and sound, gave detailed inputs and helped equip this compact auditorium. He, alongside Robin Das made sure that House of Variety is studded with a state-of-the-art technology. Under their advice and supervision, plans were executed by a team of technical experts from NSD.
House of Variety comprises a flexible technical cell for varied performing arts and an annex for diverse activities. Impeccable design and cutting-edge technology promise to transport audiences back in time. The seating capacity is small but luxurious. It definitely stands as a testament to the lost magical world, offering a diverse array of performances including theatre, poetry, musical soirees, podcasts, dance, book readings and more.
Spearheaded by Suman Sinha, Vineet Kumar, Punj Prakash and Shweta Sinha as trustees, House of Variety is poised to rekindle the enchantment of culture, inviting patrons to celebrate this cultural renaissance.
