Module 2

Indian Theatre
Content:
 Origin of Indian Theatre and its Evolution
oSanskrit Theatre
oFolk Theatre
oMedieval Theatre
oNationalist Theatre
oGroup Theatres
 Contemporary Indian Theatre Forms in Practice
o Third Theatre
o Alternative Living Theatre
o SAGs (Social Action Groups)
Cont.
• Notable Indian theatre personalities
o Mahesh Dattani
o Vijaya Mehta
o Veenapani Chawla
o Sanjoy Ganguly
o Ebrahim Alkazi
o Habib Tanvir
Indian theatre: Origin

• The history of theatre in India can be traced back to the

15th century BC.
• Though Indian theatre was very unique, it started
because of the same reason for which other theatres
across the world started.
• Indians praised their gods using this noble art form.
Cont.
• The early evidence of theatre in India was derived from
the ancient Buddhist literature and the Buddhist
philosopher Asvaghosa, who composed the Buddha
Charitha. He is believed to be the first Sanskrit
dramatist.
• Though theatre in India might have started as early as
the 15th century BC, it flourished from the 2nd century
BC with the Sanskrit theatre.
• The Vedas do not offer us much information on this
topic, although some portions are composed in the
Indian Theatre - Features
• Acting, conversation, poetry, and music are all used in
Indian theatre. It began as a narrative form of art in which
recitations, dance, and song were used to convey local
history, society ethos, and so on.
• Traditional theatrical forms are nearly always performed
during religious festivals, ceremonial offerings, meetings,
and prayers. It portrays ordinary people's habits, beliefs,
social knowledge, and feelings. It's a mash-up of
entertainment and religious observances.
• There are six main elements of theatre, viz., Plot, Character,
Thought, Diction, Music and Spectacle.
• Indian Theatre can be divided into Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit Theatre
Sanskrit Theatre: Origin

• The Indian dramatic tradition was influenced by the

dramatic elements found in the Vedas, in dialogue
hymns and Vedic rituals.
• Thus, it is in the Vedic era (1500 – 1000 BCE) that we see
dramatic elements that will come to define drama in the
years to come and eventually usher in a genre known as
Indian Classical Drama as we know it.
• Even the epics, such as the Mahabharata support the
existence of performers or nata as early as 400 CE.
Cont.
• However, the most extant treatise on Indian drama is
the Natyashastra by Bharatamuni, which emerged in 3rd
CE.
• Bharata ascribes a divine origin to the dramatic
tradition, which highlights its Vedic religious beginnings.
• The very existence of such a text suggests that it was
the culmination of a fairly long process of dramatic
development taking place at that time.
Indian classical drama and Greek drama: Similarities
and differences
The Greek invasion of the Indian subcontinent has led a
few critics to assert a Greek influence on Indian drama.
Similarities:
There are some similarities such as-
• the plot being mainly centered on historical, mythical
figures,
• the division of the Play into Acts and Scenes,
• use of the Chorus, etc demonstrate this Greek influence
on all drama
Cont.
Differences:
• Indian tradition has the added element of supernatural
figures such as gods and goddesses that populate the
world of drama,
• the absence of tragedy in the Indian dramatic tradition,
• Greek drama’s adherence to the Three Unities of time,
place and action is not strictly observed in Indian drama
where the action shifts from earthly spaces to heavenly
ones, taking place across many years as well
• dance and song are an important part of Indian drama
and which are not found in the Greek counterpart
Some features of Sanskrit theatre:

• Purpose:

According to the Natyashastra, a dramatic work’s

purpose was to provide not just entertainment and
pleasure but instruction and spiritual liberation.
That’s why Sanskrit drama does not have a tragic
ending because in Hindu cosmology, death is not the
end but a means to either achieve spiritual liberation
from the cycle of life or be reborn till it is achieved.
Emphasis on sentiment:

The Rasa or the aesthetic sentiment is an important

aspect of Sanskrit theatre, and can be defined as the
audience’s refined emotional response evoked by a play
Rasa can be explained as a blissful aesthetic experience
achieved via drama, and is seen as Sanskrit drama’s
highest purpose.
Cont.
Natyashastra concentrates on two themes: rasa and the
ways of expressing rasa.
There are four methods to communicate sentiments
according to Natyashastra:
Gestures (Angik): acting through the movement of
various bodily parts.
Oral (Vachik): dialogue-based acting.
Spiritual (Satwik): expressionsused to indicate spirituality.
Properties (Aharya): The play's materials, such as colors,
clothes, and decorations. All of these are stated directly
in relation to the play's topic.
Classification of plays:

Natyashastra mentions 10 different types of plays in

Sanskrit tradition.
Anka, Bhana, Dima, Ihamgra, Nataka, Prahasana,
Prakarana, Svakarna, Vithi, and Vyayog.
Only two of them are elaborated: Nataka and Prakarna.
Nataka are plays based on myths and heroic tales, and
the Prakarana are plays based on fictitious stories and
where less important characters are dominant.
Plot structure:
1.Sanskrit drama’s idealized plot structure consists of five
transitions that lead to a final culmination of the events
depicted.
2.The first is the “origin” (mukha), which states the seeds or
the beginning of the plot
3.The second is the “incident” (pratimukha), which develops
the plotline further by showing both good and bad events
4.The third is “germ” (garbha) where good actions/events
seem to lead towards the “aim” (phala)
5.The fourth is “crisis” (vimarsa) where bad actions/events
seem to outweigh the good and strays away from the “aim”
6.The fifth is “completion” (nirvahana) that brings together all
the different narratives in the play to a definitive conclusion.
Stage Properties

• In his Natya Shastra, Bharata also describes how to manage

the stage. The play's essential elements have been deemed
to be dance and music. There is also a reference to the
desirable qualities found in the actor (abhineta).
• The various terms used in Sanskrit for stage are natyagriha,
natyamandapa, preksagriha or preksagara.
• Plays for the governing classes were traditionally performed
in forts or temples, while those for the ordinary people may
be performed anywhere, including on journeys.
Cont.
• Natya Shastra refers to squarish-shaped theatres. Other
volumes discuss various types of stages and galleries,
among other topics.
• There were two-story stages. The heavenly sphere was
portrayed on the top floor, while the earthly sphere was
represented on the lower floor.
• Curtains were employed to enhance the play's
effect. Masks, on the other hand, were not utilized.
Royal stage
• Music halls, temple precincts, and gardens were used as places
for the performance of plays.
• The ancient Indian kings had pleasure gardens, theatres and
music halls connected to their spacious palaces, usually for their
amusement.
• The audience consisted of men of education, culture and artistic
sense, such as kings, queens, ministers, court poets and
courtiers.
• The halls were decorated in a unique manner, furnished with
flowers, and jewelled pillars.
• The king used to seat in the middle of the auditorium. Seats for
the members of the royal family were provided in the
Cont.
• Stages are said to have been built in continuation of the
open courtyard, linking the tank or shed in the temple
and the palace.
• Most of the well known temples of India had
natamandiras where dancers and actors propitiated the
gods and goddesses through the depiction of their art.
• The stage was temporarily built and its equipments
were thus very simple.
Bilingual nature:

One of the unique aspects of Sanskrit drama is its

bilingual nature.
The protagonists who belonged to the upper castes
such as Brahmins and Kshatriyas spoke in Sanskrit
whereas characters from other sections of society such
as soldiers, servants, women and children etc. spoke in
the various Prakrit languages.
Composition of actors:

• Unlike the ban on female actors in European classical

drama, the Sanskritic tradition did not have such
prohibitions that required male actors to perform the
role of female leads, and
• Theatre could be performed by men alone, women
alone or a mix of both, depending on the plot.
Limitations
The audience was mostly limited to a refined circle of
upper castes such as the royalty, aristocrats, Brahmins
and Kshatriyas since they were educated in Sanskrit
unlike the masses who did not possess the knowledge
of elite Sanskrit language
Natyashastra states that the ideal spectators should be
educated and noble men, all four castes could watch a
play as long as they were seated separately
Such barriers limited the extent of popularization of
Sanskrit drama amongst the masses.
Playwrights
Sanskrit drama is defined by the works of dramatists
such as Sudraka, Bhasa, Bhavbhuti, Harsha, and
Kalidasa to name a few. They have survived through
thousands of years because of their literary prowess in
depicting characters, settings, plots in their own
individualistic way. Almost all the great Sanskrit
playwrights benefitted from royal patronage or were
part of royal households or even of kings
Some of the recent Sanskrit playwrights include-
Manmohan Acharya (Arjuna Pratijnaa, Shrita-kamalam,
Pada-pallavam, Divya-Jayadevam, Pingalaa, Mrtyuh,
Sthitaprajnah, Tantra-mahasaktih, Purva-sakuntalam,
Uttara sakuntalam and Raavanah); Vidyadhar
Shastri (Purnanandam, Kalidainyam and Durbala Balam)
Bhasa
• Bhasa (3rd- 4th CE) was a Sanskrit playwright, preceding
Kalidasa, believed to have lived in the city of Ujjain, M.P.
• Bhasa’s works saw the light of the day in 1909 when the
play Swapnavasavadatta (Vision of Vasavadatta) was
discovered by Pandit Anandalvar of the Archaeological
Survey of Mysore. In 1913 a total of thirteen plays were
discovered in an old library in Thiruvananthapuram
(Trivandrum) by T Ganapati Shastri.
• Bhasa drew his inspiration from epics such as the
Mahabharata, the Ramayana, the Purana and semi-historical
legends and figures
• Bhasa’s plays do not follow the Natyashastra very strictly,
even breaking dramatic conventions. This has led some
critics to conclude that Bhasa’s plays were written before
Cont.
• Swapnavasavadatta is his most famous play that depicts
the story of King Udayana, who must choose between
marrying for love his beloved Vasavadatta or the
daughter of a neighboring king, Princess Padmavati, for
political gain. In the play Bhasa combines romance with
political intrigue creating a new kind of drama. Along
with traditional dramas, Bhasa also wrote short plays,
one act plays, and monologues.
• Among the many dramatic conventions that Bhasa
broke was depicting a tragic ending in his plays.
Both Uru-bhanga (Breaking of the
Thighs) and Karnabhara (Karna’s Task), which deal
with the stories of Duryodhana and Karna respectively,
end on tragic notes. Unlike others, he treats these
characters with sympathy.
Sudraka
• Sudraka, literally translated as the little servant, was a poet-
king who lived in Ujjain in the 2nd CE
• He is well known for his Prakarana
play, Mrichchhakatika (The Little Clay Cart), which is an
extended version of Bhasa’s incomplete play Charudattam
(Charudatta)
• The ten act play tells the love story of a Brahmin
merchant, Charudatta and a courtesan Vasantasenâ, whose
union is thwarted by a jealous suitor
• It offers an interesting and realistic picture of urban society
and the complex social structure of that time.
• His other plays include Vinavasavadatta, and a Bhana (short
Bhavbhuti
• Bhavabhuti, a major dramatist of the later Sanskrit dramatic
period, was the court poet of King Yashovarman of Kannauj, in
north India in 8th CE
• He too wrote plays based on the Ramayana, such as
the Mahaviracharita (Exploits of a Great Hero), which depicts the
early life of Rama and Uttaramcharita (The Latter History of
Rama), which shows the final years of Rama’s life as written in
the Uttara Kanda of the Ramayana. Both the plays consist of
seven acts written in the Nataka style.
• His third drama, Malatimadhava (Malati and Madhava), is a
Prakarana play centered on the love story of Malati, the
daughter of a minister and Madhavya, her beloved. The use of
the supernatural makes this play a one of a kind drama that
skillfully combines romance with horror.
• He is known for completely doing away with the vidusaka and
Kalidasa
• Kalidasa was a Sanskrit playwright belonging to the
period of 4th-5th century. He is believed to be a courtier
under Chandragupta II
• His plays and poetry are primarily based on the Vedas,
the Ramayaṇa, the Mahabharata and the Puraṇas.
• His works include notable plays, such
as Mālavikāgnimitram (Pertaining
to Mâlavikâ and Agnimitra),
and Vikramorvasiyam (Pertaining
to Vikrama and Urvashi). He also wrote epic poems such
as Raghuvamsa (Dynasty of Raghu)
and Kumârasambhava (Birth of ‘Kumara’ or
Subrahmanya) along with Khandakavyas (minor poems)
Folk Theatre
Features

• Folk Theatre is a composite art form in India with a

fusion of elements from music, dance, mime,
versification, epic and ballad recitation, graphic and
plastic arts, religion and festival peasantry.
• Besides providing mass entertainment, it helps Indian
society as indigenous tools of interpersonal, inter-group
and inter-village communication for ages.
• Folk theatre has been used extensively in India to
propagate critical social, political and cultural issues in
the form of theatrical messages to create awareness
Cont.

• As an indigenous form it breaks all kinds of formal

barriers of human communication and appeals directly
to the people.
• Folk theatres grew out of the situations, experiences,
and analysis of the actors who are themselves villagers.
• They created their own dramas out of their own
collective analysis of their immediate situation and the
deeper structures in which they are embedded.
• This art is a genuine expression of the people.
Origin:
• Historically speaking, it was during the 15th -16th
century that the folk theatre emerged forcefully in
different regions.
• It used different languages, the languages of the
regions in which it emerged.
• Initially these were purely devotional in nature and
typically revolved around religion, local legends and
mythology.
• Later, with changing times, it became more secular in
content and began to focus on folk stories of romance
and valor and biographical accounts of local heroes.
Types
• Indian folk theatre can be broadly divided into two
broad categories — religious and secular — giving rise
to the Ritual Theatre and Theatre of Entertainment
respectively
• The two forms thrived together, mutually influencing
each other. Most often the folk and traditional forms are
mainly narrative or vocal, i.e. singing and recitation-
based like Ramlila, Rasleela, Nautanki and Swang,
without any complicated gestures or movements and
elements of dance.
• While most of these theatrical styles have their own
unique form dependent on their local customs, they
differ from one another in execution, staging, costume,
Cont.
• The south Indian forms emphasize on dance forms like
Kathakali and Krishnattam of Kerala and actually qualify as
dance dramas, while the north Indian forms emphasize on
songs, like the Khyal of Rajasthan, the Maach of Madhya
Pradesh, the Nautanki of Uttar Pradesh and the Swang of
Punjab.
• The Jaatra of Bengal stress on dialogues in their execution,
and Tamasha of Maharashtra and the Bhavai of Gujarat
emphasize on comedy and satire.
• Puppet theatre also flourished at many places in India-
Shadow (Gombeyatta of Karnataka, Ravana Chhaya of
Orissa), Glove (Gopalila of Orissa, Pavai Koothu of Tamil
Cont.
• Dramatic art can also be found in some of the solo
forms of Indian classical dance, like Bharat Natyam,
Katthak, Odissi and Mohiniattam, and folk dances like
the Gambhira and Purulia Chhau of Bengal, Seraikella
Chhau of Bihar and Mayurbhanj Chhau of Orissa.
• Dramatic content is even woven into the ritual
ceremonies in some areas, particularly those of Kerala,
with its Mudiyettu and Teyyam.
Famous folk theatres in India
Bhand Pather
• Traditional theatre form of Kashmir
• A unique combination of dance, music, and acting
• Music is provided with Surnai, Nagaara, and Dhol
• It is usually held in open spaces.
• There are no predetermined scripts. Innovativeness is also a
unique feature of this form of play
• These stories commemorate the lives of rishis (Sufi Sages,
both Hindus and Muslims). This shows the secular
character of this play
Saang/Swang

• It is a folk dance–theatre form in Rajasthan, Haryana,

Uttar Pradesh, and Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh.
• It is considered as the most ancient folk theatre form of
India
• Two important styles of Swang are: Rohtak and Haathras
• Nautanki and Tamasha originated from this folk dance
theatre
Nautanki

• It is associated with the state of Uttar Pradesh

• Famous centers of this theatre form are Kanpur,
Lucknow, and Haathras.
• Only Men could play a part in this folk dance theatre
initially. However, these days even woman are allowed
• Gulab Bai of Kanpur is a famous artist of this school
Raasleela
• It is based exclusively on Lord Krishna legends
• Some believe that it was Nand Das who wrote the initial
plays based on the life of Krishna.
• This theatre is famous in the regions of Mathura,
Vrindavana in Uttar Pradesh, especially during the
festivals of Krishna Janmashtami and Holi
Bhavai
• It is a traditional theatre form of Gujarat
• The centers of this form are Kutch and Kathiawar.
• In this theatre form, both devotional and romantic
sentiments are used.
Jatra
• This form was born and nurtured in Bengal
• It became popular due to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
influence
• The earlier form of Jatra was musical.
• Dialogues were added at a later stage.
• Fairs in honor of gods, or religious
rituals and ceremonies are also conducted.
Maach
• It is a traditional theatre form of Madhya Pradesh
• Songs are given more prominence than the dialogues
• The tunes of this theatre form are known as Rangat.
Bhaona
• This theatre form originated in Assam
• Practiced in Assam, Bengal, Odisha, Mathura, and
Brindavan
• The story begins in Sanskrit and then either Brajboli or
Assamese is used.
Tamasha
• Traditional folk theatre of Maharashtra
• The female actress is the chief exponent of dance
movements in the play
• She is referred to as Murki
Dashavatar
• Theatre form of Goa and Konkan regions
• The performers personify the ten incarnations of Lord
Vishnu
• These performers wear masks of wood
Mudiyettu
• Traditional folk theatre of Kerala
• It is primarily performed in the Kali temples of Kerala
• It depicts the triumph of Goddess Bhadrakali over the
Asura Darika.
Koodiyaattam

• Traditional theatre form of Kerala

• This theatre form is based on Sanskrit theatre traditions
• There is more emphasis on hand gestures and eye
movements in this theatre form technique
Yakshagana
• Traditional theatre form of Karnataka
• In this theatre form- dance, music, dialogue, costume,
make-up, and stage techniques are combined to form a
unique style and form
• It is based on the mythological stories and Puranas
• The most popular episodes are from the Mahabharata
• Yakshagana shows are traditionally presented from dusk
to dawn.
• Kabuki, a regional theatre in Japan is much similar in its
structure and performance to Yakshagana.
Burra Katha
• It is an oral storytelling technique performed in villages
of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
• The troupe consists of one main performer and two co-
performers.
• It is a narrative entertainment that consists of prayers,
solo drama, dance, songs, poems and jokes
• The topic will be either a Hindu mythological story
(Jangam Katha) or a contemporary social issue
Indian Medieval Theatre
Theatre in Medieval India
• In the early 13th century, Indian culture marked a
change, where Sanskrit dramas and stage craft had
been previously revered by the elites, it was now no
longer relevant.
• This was due to the invading cultures that began to
dominate and did not appreciate or understand, and
since they did not understand the Sanskrit language it
could no longer be held in such a high regard, and as a
consequence many theatre artist suffered from neglect.
• Bhavabhuti is also associated with medieval India,
who was a famous dramatist. He had written three plays
Malati-Madhava, Magviracharita and the Uttar
Introduction of classical dance drama
• Theatre in medieval India witnessed a new genre of
Indian drama with the introduction and popularity of
Indian classical dance drama.
• In this classical genre of Indian theatre, style, idea, logic,
and above all dramatic development- all gained a
typical shape amidst the artistic expression through
music, songs and mudraas.
• Theatre in medieval India gradually became quite a
thriving personification and of course a refined
embodiment of the realities of life through dance, music
and poise.
• The introduction of "Loknatya“ (folk theatre) during the
Role of Religion in Medieval Indian Theatre
• Religion played a pivotal role in shaping the medieval
Indian theatre as devotional plays, mythological plays
and other religious plays reverberated the aura of Bhakti
Movement in the timeline of Indian theatre.
• When the concept of "Theatrical Art" was introduced,
medieval India was narrating poems. Bhakti poetry
(devotional poems) became popular.
• This altering tradition and the ever-changing Indian
culture, art and folklore, has supported India in standing
apart with her rich heritage and civilization.
Nationalist Theatre in India
Nationalism in Indian theatre
• Nationalism in Indian theatre has played a major role
towards making people aware of the social, economic and
cultural change.
• Indian theatre has always catered to the need of making
people aware of the social happenings through innovative
and interesting play scripts and narratives.
• The beginnings of a 'national' theatre could be seen in the
latter half of the nineteenth century
• Theatre became deeply entrenched in nationalist thought
and its accompanying contradictions with the production of
a number of anti- colonial plays, e.g., in Bengal theatre Nil
Darpan (The Indigo Mirror, 1860), written by Dinabandhu
Mitra, and in Harishchandra's plays in the Hindi belt, in
Cont.
• These plays attracted the attention of the British
government and were partially responsible for the
passage of the Dramatic Performances Act of 1876.
• Emerging soon after the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 and
the Bengal Indigo cultivator Revolt, 1860, the political
themes in these plays showed seeds of discontentment
even before the formation of a full-blown movement
of Indian nationalism.
• For nineteenth century Bengal, national theatre meant a
critique of colonialism that ultimately relied on colonial
models including architecture, stage design, and the
proscenium arch.
Cont.
• The anti-colonial sentiment, which intensified during the early
decades of the twentieth century, brought along with it a
renewed nationalistic energy in theatre that was often encoded
in mythological and historical plays, as seen in the plays of
Radheyshyam Kathavachak and Jayshankar Prasad in Hindi
theatre, respectively, right through the 1920s and 1930s.
• Suffused with a spirit of a revivalist Hinduism, the 'national'
in mythological plays, dominant in Hindi and Marathi theatre,
included the consolidation of religious values and dharma
(moral duty) towards the nation that demanded anti-colonial
action.
• Simultaneously, though, drama saw the development of a strong
social vision that addressed class issues and themes, shaped the
visions of a national theatre.
• With the rise of Left movements in the 1940s, the idea of a
Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA)
• IPTA is the short form for Indian People’s Theatre
Association. In the Hindi belt it is called Bhartiya Jan
Natya Sangh, in Assam and West Bengal, Bhartiya Gana
Natya Sangh (Gana Sanskriti Sangh)and in Andhra
Pradesh, Praja Natya Mandali.
• The mission statement of IPTA is ‘People’s Theatre Stars
the People’. The symbol/logo designed by the famous
painter Chitta Prasad is a drummer (nagara vadak),
which is a reminder of one of the oldest medium of
communication.
• IPTA was established at the national level on May 25,
1943 in Bombay (now Mumbai). The Government of
Cont.

• IPTA came into existence on May 25, 1943 at the

National Conference at the Marwari School in Bombay.
• It was attended by creative artists from all over the
country.
• In his Presidential Address, Professor Hiren Mukherjee
gave a call to all those present: “Come writer and the
artist, come actor and the play-wright, come all who
work by hand or by brain,dedicate yourselves to the
task of building a brave new world of freedom and
social justice.”
Cont.
• The history of IPTA runs parallel to the people’s cultural
movement in the country and relates to the independence
movements.
• The origin of IPTA followed the first Progressive Writer’s
Association Conference in 1936, the Establishment of Youth
Cultural Institute at Calcutta in 1940, and setting up of the
People’s Theatre at Bangalore by Anil De’ Silva of Sri Lanka in
1941. Anil De’ Silva assisted in formation of IPTA in Bombay in
1942.
• Various progressive cultural troupes, theatre groups and other
progressive cultural activists came together spontaneously and
at their own initiative for the formation of IPTA.
• The name People’s Theatre was suggested by the renowned
Cont.
• The devastating man-made famine of Bengal in 1942
inspired many a progressive writers and artists.
• One of them was Binoy Roy who organized Bengal
Cultural Squad to sensitize about the impact of famine
on the people and to collect money to support the
victims.
• The Squad traveled through the breadth of the country
presenting their choir ‘Bhookha Hai Bengal’ created by
Vamik Jaunpuri and other songs and plays.
• Musician Prem Dhawan , drum player Dashrath Lal,
singer Reva Roy, actress Usha Dutt were also a part of
the Squad.
Cont.
• Motivated by the Squad, several cultural groups were
formed, including the Agra Cultural Squad.
• When these groups became effective in their regions, a
need was felt to organize them at the national level.
• Ideologically these groups were inspired by the left
movement and the then General Secretary of the
Communist Party of India, P.C. Joshi, played an instrumental
role to bring these groups on a common forum.
• General Secrtetary of Progressive Writers’ Association Sajjad
Zaheer also contributed a lot.
• The Indian People’s Theatre Association was thus born.
Cont.
• IPTA’s cultural movement portrayed contemporary
reality through visual art, traditional art forms with
modern thought.
• It created awareness for socio-political change.
• The members of IPTA who favoured Art for life (Kala
Jeevan Ke Liye) developed a new vision towards arts and
aesthetics. They established a new definition of the
relationship between art, artists and the audience.
• IPTA absorbed the live elements of Indian culture,
established relationship with the progressive assets of
Group Theatres
About
• The Indian People's Theatre Association dispersed in 1947. However,
the principal members continued to carry its legacy by forming
several groups with similar ideology.
• Ahindra Chowdhuri, Sombhu Mitra and Tripti Mitra were the leading
members of the group Bohurupee. Raktakarabi, Tahar Nam Ti
Ranjana, Char Adhyay (written by Rabindranath Tagore) were some of
the earlier productions of Bohurupee.
• Utpal Dutt led another faction of artists and went to create classics
like Tiner Talowar and Kallol.
• In 1950s and 1960s, many critically acclaimed productions were
staged, which used international literature including the works
of Anton Chekhov, Luigi Pirandello, Henrik Ibsen and Bertolt Brecht.
• According to one critic, the productions had the "right mix of
democratic politics — with certain groups drifting towards a
revolutionary rhetoric — and humane ideals, based on literature
drawn from the world over".
• Notable group theatres include the Little Theatre Group, Gandharba,
Theatre Commune, Amulya Natyagosthi, Calcutta Theatre, Nandikar.