Stages of Life: Indian Theatre Autobiographies (2025)

Stages of Life: Indian Theatre Autobiographies, Chapter 1

Chapter 1, "Pioneers to Professionals: A Retrospective of the Parsi Theatre," narrates the evolution of the theatre between 1853 and 1931. It is excerpted from the 2013 revised edition of the book. The book was published originally by Permanent Black in India and republished by Anthem Press in the UK. It is also available as an ebook from Anthem.

Modern Indian Theatre: A Reader edited by Nandi Bhatia

Asian Theatre Journal, 2011

Some writings pertaining to contemporary Theater in India

Theatres of Independence: Drama, Theory, and Urban Performance in Indian since 1947; Poetics, Plays, and Performances: The Politics of Modern Indian Theatre

Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, 2006

Review of: Indian Drama in English: The Beginnings

Asian Theatre Journal, 2022

Theatre Research and Publication in India: An Overview of the Post-independence Period

Theatre Research International, 2010

This article offers an overview of theatre research and publication in India. It comes in two parts. The first examines theatre research post-independence (1947) up until the 1990s – a period of new economic thinking and a liberalization of sociocultural values. The second focuses on theatre research and publications from 2000 onwards, identifying ways in which more recent scholarship has been concerned with the concept of modernity in theory and practice; has begun to address questions of form, style, space and performativity; and has explored urgent social issues. What emerges in this overview is a feel for how complex the field of theatre research is in India given its multiculturalism. In concluding it draws attention to current and future challenges for theatre and theatre scholarship posed by issues such as globalization, communalism, terrorism and religious fundamentalism.

A CRITICAL OVERVIEW OF THE EVOLUTION OF INDIAN THEATRE AND THE DEPICTION OF FEMINIST CONCERNS

Indian writers have written excellent prose, composed poems and written in English for more than a century, but it was not earlier than the thirties and forties that a suitable and systematic attempt was made to view their output as an independent literature and not a mere part of Anglo-Indian literature. It is, however, only after Independence that the volume of Indian writing in English has gone up considerably, and the need for its critical evaluation has become more urgent than ever before. When it comes to the early form of theatre, it featured various kinds of performances, often in the narrative form with singing, dancing, and reciting. The first significant contribution to Indian theatre was made by Bharata Muni, who authored the thirty-six books of "The Natyashastra". It is a theoretical description of theatrical performance, elucidating its style and motion. While the amateur movement gave way to the drama school theatre, towards the turn of the century, some existing active troupes turned into semi-professional drama schools with the help of amateurs. They continued to keep the theatre scene operative. Prayoga Ranga (Bangalore), Lokadharmi (Kochi) and Sopanam (Trivandrum) are examples of this trend. This article attempts to encapsulate the evolutional of Indian literary landscape with special emphasis on the evolution and growth of theatre and women playwrights. Traditionally women have never had, nor were allowed a voice of their own. "Because a woman has patience, she is not allowed to speak; And she never learns the words" is said by the narrator in the play Mangalam by Poile Sengupta. One of the major concerns of this study is to analyse a new trend in theatre-the Theatre of Protest and showcase its relevance in the plays of Poile Sengupta, one of the foremost contemporary Indian playwrights.

Theatre as Social Critique in Select Nineteenth-Century Indian Plays

Theatre as Social Critique, 2023

As an imitation of actions, theatre is representational. Different aspects of performative arts like theatre are a reflection of the contemporary age in which they are written and performed. Theatre in Calcutta, India, in the nineteenth century started being influenced by the colonial and European models. The changes brought in by colonial modernity are major tropes in many of the plays of that time. Colonial modernity brought English education, western liberal ideas and new lifestyle, which attracted the youth and made them criticize the old and traditional ways. Krishnamohan Bandyopadhyay's (also spelt as Krishna Mohana Banerjea) The Persecuted and Michael Madhusudan Dutt's Ekei Ki Bole Sabbhyata? [Is This Called Civilization?] are two plays that represent the so-called colonial modernity and show how changes were taking place in the society in the colonial period in Bengal. The characters from two generations, the older following the traditional ways and the younger ones following Englishness, depict a confrontation of two civilizations. Ideologies, worldviews and new habits are formed among the youths, which are despised by the elders. The plays, thus, question the modern ways, that, if they really mean a civilization. This article attempts to show how the plays can be read as social critique at par with comedy of humours and comedy of manners.

Theatre as Social Critique: Reflections in Select Nineteenth-Century Indian Plays

SCHOLARS: Journal of Arts & Humanities, 2022

As an imitation of actions, theatre is representational. Different aspects of performative arts like theatre are a reflection of the contemporary age in which they are written and performed. Theatre in Calcutta, India, in the nineteenth century started being influenced by the colonial and European models. The changes brought in by colonial modernity are major tropes in many of the plays of that time. Colonial modernity brought English education, western liberal ideas and new lifestyle, which attracted the youth and made them criticize the old and traditional ways. Krishnamohan Bandyopadhyay’s (also spelt as Krishna Mohana Banerjea) The Persecuted and Michael Madhusudan Dutt’s Ekei Ki Bole Sabbhyata? [Is This Called Civilization?] are two plays that represent the so-called colonial modernity and show how changes were taking place in the society in the colonial period in Bengal. The characters from two generations, the older following the traditional ways and the younger ones followin...

2019. (with Aparna Dharwadker and Vinay Dharwadker). "The Playwright and the Stage," translation of Mohan Rakesh's "Natkar aura Rangmanc," in A Poetics of Modernity: Indian Theatre Theory, 1860 to the Present. Ed. Aparna Dharwadker. Delhi: Oxford University Press.

The Playwright and the Stage, 2019

The theatre and classical India: some availability issues

Philosophy East and West

Quite apart from urgencies arising within the theatre as an enterprise, it is independently necessary to bring the tools of speech act theory to bear on the theatre. This paper begins by redescribing the foundational moves of that theory in terms of drawing successive core-supplement boundaries – Austin’s first move demarcates a propositional core from a spoken-performative supplement; his second move, generalizing performativity over all speaking, demarcates a spoken (illocutionary) core from an active (perlocutionary) supplement. A third move, proposed here, extends this strategy of expanding the core in a performative direction. So extended, the central theoretical concern of speech act theory converges with what one major tradition articulates, both practically and conceptually, as the way forward for theatrical performance. That tradition – which has travelled from Stanislavski’s Russia, via Grotowski’s Poland, to Badal Sircar’s India – is in the business of giving democracy theatrical teeth. While Sircar does not explicitly claim a classical Indian ancestry for his work, serious Indology will find it easy to place him in that context.

5 THE CONCEPT OF MODERN THEATRE AND THEATRICALITY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO INDIAN THEATRE

Life is a long journey of our emotions, sentiments, happiness and grief. Our life hangs between love and joy on one hand and sorrow and pathos on the other. Modern Indian theatre is the real voice of mankind. It comprises not only art, literature, music and dance but also reflects our day to day life. If has a rich treatise since 2000 BC to the 4 th century A.D. the great playwright Bharat Muni pioneered the concept in his writing " Natyashastra ". India has the rich honour to give this treatise to the world. According to the historians Oscar Brockett and Franklin Hildy – " In a theatre rituals typically include elements that entertain or give pleasures, such as costumes and masks as well as skilled performers. As societies grew more complex, these spectacular elements began to be acted out under non-ritualistic conditions. As this occured the first step towards theatre as an autonomous activity were being taken. " (1) All the above said elements are keys to modern Indian theatre. It can easily be traced back to the religions and ritualism of the Aryans. From epic theatre (stories of the Ramayan and the Mahabharat) to the theatre of modern era it is a rich saga of a journey of modern Indian drama and theatre. The earliest form of Indian theatre was the Sanskrit theatre. (2) It gave a divine origin to the Indian theatre contributing it to the Natyaveda created by Lord Brahma. It emerged sometimes between 2 nd century BC and the I century AD and flourished between the I century and the 10 th , which was a period of relative peace in the history of India during with hundreds of plays were written. (03) According to the legends after defeating demons the gods performed their victory in dramatic art. Our rich ancient culture with multi-religions and rituals along with

The Origins of Indian Drama in English: Playwrights of the Pre-independence Era

QUEST, 2023

The rich tradition of the Indian theatre dates back atleast to 5000 years. The earliest book on dramaturgy NatyaSastrawas written by Bharataan Indian sage who unraveled the hidden connections between performance and religion, culture and mysticism. Also he spoke about the profound physical, metaphysical and spiritual affiliations embedded in this realm. Bharata in his NatyaSastra says that Gods are never so pleased on being worshipped with scents and garlands as they are delighted with the performance of drama. A host of playwrights who were primarily satisfied writing short-plays took to writing as it was meant for the purpose of reading. Their choice of writing was social themes with more preference, history next and at last allegory. It can be observed in a common glance that most of the playwrights were not serious enough to avail the source from the rich Sanskrit drama; probably they felt a new language had to find its roots from the native land. And so, Sri Aurobindo adopts the Elizabethan model, Kailasam had a strong interest in fashioning his play in the Shakespearean mould, BharathiSarabai was influenced by Yeats and many followed neither The East nor The West, but had their own way in the making of a play. Some had the interest to draw the source from ancient myths and legends.

Indian Drama in English During the Post-Independence Period

The present paper discusses the meaning, origin and development of drama in India. The main focus lies on important Indian playwrightsin English. Drama is a composite art. Which involves playwright, the actors audience etc, on the stage. Hence it has its own problem where as other forms like prose, poetry are free. Indian English playwrights could solve these problems and enacted their play abroad.

"Theatre in Colonial India: Play-House of Power" and "Performing Women, Performing Womanhood" (Review)

Theatre Research International, 2012

Review of "Theatre in Colonial India: Play-House of Power. Edited by Lata Singh. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2009 and Performing women, Performing womanhood: Theatre, Politics and Dissent in North India by Nandi Bhatia. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2010.

Memory and the written testimony: the actresses of the public theatre in Calcutta in the 19th 20th century

Letrônica, 2018

Modern theatrical performances in Bengali language in Calcutta, the capital of British colonial rule, thrived from the mid-nineteenth century though they did not include women performers till 1874. The story of the early actresses is difficult to trace due to a lack of evidence in contemporary sources. So though a researcher is vaguely aware of their significance and contribution to Indian theatre, they have remained shadowy figures – nameless except for those few who have left a written testimony of their lives and activities. It is my intention through the study of this primary material and the scattered references to these legendary actresses in vernacular journals and memoirs, to recreate the stories of some of these divas and draw a connection between testimony and lasting memory. ***Memória e testemunho escrito: as atrizes do teatro público em Calcutá nos séculos XIX e XX***As representações teatrais modernas na língua bengali em Calcutá, a capital do governo colonial britânic...

Playhouses, Pandals, and Publics: Theatrical Formation in Colonial Madras

Pure Entertainment: Parsi Theatre, Gender, and Performance - published by Primus Books, 2024

This essay focuses on the coalescence of Company Drama from the multiple strands of theatrical production that preceded it. I argue that the long century from 1783 to 1889 saw major changes in the theatrical culture of urban Madras. Tamil Company Drama arose at the end of the period following substantial activity in three distinct sectors: anglophone theatre, Tamil drama, and Parsi theatre.

"It's the Story of Our Own Village": a Journey in Indian Street Theater

Theater 38:1, pp. 76-91, 2008

I was thirteen hours late to my first performance by a street theater troupe. Two cars of my overnight train from Delhi had derailed, so I arrived in Gaya, in the middle of Bihar, India's poorest and most lawless state, not in the morning as scheduled, but after sundown. Night travel in Gaya is ill-advised -the region is notorious for kidnapping and highway robbery -but the theater company I'd come to see was performing in a village still thirty-odd miles distant, so I pressed on. On dark roads I took the last shared auto rickshaw to a small market town, where a friend picked me up on his motorcycle and sped me to the venue. Between mango groves we turned off the road into a concrete complex, the office of a rural development organization, and parked next to a large meeting hall. Inside, a play was under way.

A Theatre of their Own: Indian Women Playwrights and Directors in Perspective

IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2014

That every individual is a performer in one way or the other, has preserved theatre from the threats of extinction and initiated its consistent progress. Theatre acts on a given moment and speaks directly to the audience; hence it has proved to be an effective medium of expression. Theatre has been among many other things propagandist, interventionist and also liberating. But it has also been criticized for not holding enough space for women to express themselves. The present paper addresses this issue in the light of Indian theatre, which has a long tradition but for the most of time remained a male preserve. It makes an incisive reading of the feminist theatre and goes on to critically look at the evolution of 'womanist dramaturgy' in the Indian context, in opposition to not just the male tradition but also the western feminist theatre. Exploring through the aesthetics put forward by the Indian women playwrights and directors, the paper tries to find or create a theatre of their own for the Indian women theatre practitioners, which ceases to be just a theatre of protest and ultimately establishes itself as a theatre of emancipation and of identity.

Amnesia of Caste and Gender? A Cultural History of Modern Marathi Theatre

Part of the research project on Early Modern Marathi theatre, the paper examines whether the texts of plays and the Natya Vyavahara or the actual world of theatre did exhibit an amnesia of caste and gender. It argues that there was no such amnesia and the theatre was very much alive to the caste and gender related tensions then prevalent in the Maharashtrian society.