Theatre of India
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Theatre of India is one of the most ancient forms of theatre and it features a detailed textual, sculptural, and dramatic effects which emerged in mid first millennium BC.[1][2] Like in the areas of music and dance, the Indian theatre is also defined by the dramatic performance based on the concept of Nritya, which is a Sanskrit word for drama but encompasses dramatic narrative, virtuosic dance, and music.[3][2] Historically, Indian theatre has exerted influence beyond its borders, reaching ancient China and other countries in the Far East.
With the Islamic conquests that began in the 10th and 11th centuries, theatre was discouraged or forbidden entirely.[4] Later, in an attempt to re-assert indigenous values and ideas, village theatre was encouraged across the subcontinent, developing in a large number of regional languages from the 15th to the 19th centuries.[5] Modern Indian theatre developed during the period of colonial rule under the British Empire, from the mid-19th century until the mid-20th.[6]
From the last half of the 19th century, theatres in India experienced a boost in numbers and practice. After Indian independence in 1947, theatres spread throughout India as one of the means of entertainment. As a diverse, multi-cultural nation, the theatre of India cannot be reduced to a single, homogenous trend.
In contemporary India, the major competition with its theatre is that represented by growing
History of Indian theatre
Sanskrit theatre
The history of the origin of theatre in India is highly controversial.
Early dating
According to some scholars, Indian theatre emerged in the 15th century BC. Vedic text such as
The dating of
Natyashastra, dated earliest to 200 BC, although mentions various teachers and call them acharya but doesn't name them, but it still ends with a reference to a lost treatise of dramatist Kohala.[10]
Late dating
According to scholars who insist on late dating, Sanskrit theatre emerged in the 2nd century BCE and flourished between the 1st century CE and the 10th, which was a period of relative peace in the
The earliest-surviving fragments of
However, although there are no surviving fragments of any drama prior to this date, it is possible that early Buddhist literature provides the earliest evidence for the existence of Indian theater. The
The major source of evidence for Sanskrit theatre is
An appreciation for the stagecraft and classic Sanskrit drama was seen as an essential part of a sophisticated world view, by the end of the seventh century.[19] Under the patronage of royal courts, performers belonged to professional companies that were directed by a stage manager (sutradhara), who may also have acted.[20] This task was thought of as being analogous to that of a puppeteer—the literal meaning of "sutradhara" is "holder of the strings or threads".[15] The performers were trained rigorously in vocal and physical technique.[21] There were no prohibitions against female performers; companies were all-male, all-female, and of mixed gender. Certain sentiments were considered inappropriate for men to enact, however, and were thought better suited to women. Some performers played characters their own age, while others played ages different from their own (whether younger or older). Of all the elements of theatre, the Treatise gives most attention to acting (abhinaya), which consists of two styles: realistic (lokadharmi) and conventional (natyadharmi), though the major focus is on the latter.[22]
Its drama is regarded as the highest achievement of
The next great Indian dramatist was
According to some scholars the earliest form of the classical theatre of India was the
Theatre in medieval India
Mid twelfth century – eighteenth century India's artistic identity is deeply routed within its social, economical, cultural, and religious views. For this reason it is essential to understand Indian cultural practices as they relate directly to performers and performances of this time. Performances including dance, music, and text are an expression of devotion for the Indian culture, so when looking at 'theatre' of this time a broader definition must be ascribed to the word.[26]
Based on the understanding that performing arts are audience-oriented and must continuously adapt to the socio-cultural landscape of their patronage. Northern India managed to retain their cultural traditions in spite of the new Turko-Persian influences. The early thirteenth century marked this change for the Indian culture, 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.[26]
The commonplace to find performers was in urban centers, because it was there they were able to find work to support themselves. Large temples where home to musical and theatrical shows.[26]
A Bharata Natyshatra also known as the śāstra was written to list costumes, gestures, positions of the body, and make up. It also lists plots that were weighed unsuitable and it also the most completed document. Most of Indian theatre had no scenery. There was usually a few props like a brass lamp.
When the concept of "Theatrical Art" was introduced medieval India was narrating poems. Bhakti poetry became popular.
During medieval India Bhavabhuti was a famous dramatist, he had three portent plays Malati-Madhava, Magviracharita and the Uttar Ramacharita.
Theatre in India under the British
Under British colonial rule, modern Indian theatre began when a theatre was started in
The British believed that the Indian actors were mystical creatures. They believed they brought them luck and prosperity. The emergent modern Indian theater, which is also referred to as Native theater, features a theatrical approach that has been viewed as an intersection of Indian social space with Western theater formats and conventions.[31] The resulting theatrical space is described to be existing at the material, symbolic, and discursive levels. To resist its use by Indians as an instrument of protest against colonial rule, the British Government imposed the Dramatic Performances Act in 1876.
Indian theatre after Independence (1947–1992)
Improvisation
Many improvisational actors also work as scripted actors and "improv" techniques are often taught in standard acting classes. The basic skills of listening, clarity, confidence, and performing instinctively and spontaneously are considered important skills for actors to develop.
Improvisational Theatre in India is largely used for educational, interventional and entertainment purposes. The traces of Improvisational theatre in India dates back to the 1990s with the advent of
In the late 1960s Badal Sircar introduced a new form of political theatre called the Third Theatre. Badal Sarkar's anti-establishment experimental theatre created a new genre of social enlightenment. He formed his first Third Theatre Group satabdi, in the year 1967. They used to perform Drama written by Badal Sircar in Anganmancha (theatre in the courtyard) in the Third Theatre form that break away from the tradition of One point view of the Proscenium and urged on the taking theatre to the people.
Improvisational Theatre groups in India:
Improvisational Theatre forms practiced in India:
- Playback theatre
- Theatre of the Oppressed
- Forum theatre
Notable theatres in India in different Indian languages and regions
Notable people
Ancient Indian playwrights
- Bhāsa
- Bhavabhuti
- Kalidasa
- Bharata Muni
Playwrights working under British rule
- Vishnudas Bhave
- Jaishankar Bhojak 'Sundari'
- Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
- Govind Ballal Deval
- Michael Madhusudan Dutt
- Girish Chandra Ghosh
- Annasaheb Kirloskar
- Bhartendu Harishchandra
- Dinabandhu Mitra
- Jaishankar Prasad
- Dwijendralal Ray
- Rabindranath Tagore
Post-Independence theatre-makers
Notable theatre directors:
- Ebrahim Alkazi
- K.V. Akshara
- Nadira Babbar
- Ram Gopal Bajaj
- Ajitesh Bandopadhyay
- Sisir Bhaduri
- Suresh Bhardwaj
- Bijon Bhattacharya
- Raj Bisaria
- Manish Joshi Bismil
- Bibhash Chakraborty
- Chandradasan
- Soumitra Chatterjee
- Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry
- Satyadev Dubey
- Utpal Dutta
- Arvind Gaur
- Sachin Gupta
- Safdar Hashmi
- Shafi Inamdar
- Nemi Chandra Jain
- Shyamanand Jalan
- Prithviraj Kapoor
- Shashi Kapoor
- B.V. Karanth
- Bansi Kaul
- Kader Khan
- Mohan Maharishi
- Ramesh Mehta
- Shaoli Mitra
- Sombhu Mitra
- Shankar Nag
- Balraj Pandit
- Kavalam Narayana Panicker
- Mrityunjay Prabhakar
- Prasanna
- Rathna Shekar Reddy
- Rudraprasad Sengupta
- B.M. Shah
- Naseeruddin Shah
- Gursharan Singh
- Badal Sircar
- Deepan Sivaraman
- Anjan Srivastav
- K.V. Subbanna
- Habib Tanvir Bhopal
- Ratan Thiyam
- Amitesh Grover
- Kumara Varma
- Sankar Venkateswaran
Notable playwrights
- Gurazada Apparao(Telugu)
- Abhimanyu (Malayalam)
- Satish Alekar (Marathi)
- Rambriksh Benipuri (Hindi)
- Datta Bhagat (Marathi)
- Dharamvir Bharati (Hindi)
- Bijon Bhattacharya (Bangla)
- Anupama Chandrasekhar (English)
- Mohit Chattopadhyay (Bangla)
- Asif Currimbhoy (English)
- Gurcharan Das (English)
- Mahesh Dattani (English)
- Swadesh Deepak (Hindi)
- Govind Purushottam Deshpande (Marathi)
- Utpal Datta (Bangla)
- Utpal Dutt (Bangla)
- Mahesh Elkunchwar (Marathi)
- Sachin Gupta (Hindi)
- Hasan Imam(Hindi)
- Rajesh Joshi (Hindi)
- Sharad Joshi (Hindi)
- T. P. Kailasam (Kannada, English)
- Sriranga(Kannada)
- Samsa (Kannada)
- Chandrashekhara Kambara (Kannada)
- Prithviraj Kapoor (Hindi), (Urdu), (Pashto), (Bangla)
- Girish Karnad (Kannada)
- Kader Khan (Urdu)
- Tulsi Lahiri (Bangla)
- Sajitha Madathil (Malayalam)
- Ramesh Mehta (Urdu)
- Piyush Mishra (Hindi)
- Manoj Mitra (Bengali)
- Torit Mitra (Bengali)
- Narendra Mohan (Hindi)
- Arun Mukherjee (Bangla)
- Manjula Padmanabhan (English)
- Samkutty Pattomkary (Malayalam)
- Vayala Vasudevan Pillai ( Malayalam)
- Mohan Rakesh (Hindi)
- Bhisham Sahni (Hindi)
- Badal Sarkar(Bengali)
- Sarveshwar Dayal Saxena (Hindi)
- B. M. Shah (Urdu)
- Partap Sharma (English)
- Gopal Sharman (English)
- Javed Siddiqui (Urdu)
- Harcharan Singh (Punjabi)
- Hrishikesh Sulabh
- Rajesh Talwar (English)
- Habib Tanvir ( Hindi/ Urdu )
- Vijay Tendulkar (Marathi)
- Shreekumar Varma (English)
- Surendra Verma (Hindi)
- Asghar Wajahat (Urdu)
- Naren Weiss (English)
Forms of Indian theatre
Traditional Indian theatre
Urdu/Hindustani Theatre
Urdu Drama evolved from the prevailing dramatic traditions of North India shaping Rahas or Raas as practiced by exponents like Wajid Ali Shah, Nawab of Awadh. His dramatic experiments led to the famous Inder Sabha of Agha Hasan Amanat and later this tradition took the shape of Parsi theatre. Yahudi Ki Ladki (The Jew's Daughter) by Agha Hashar Kashmiri is culmination of this tradition.
Among all the languages Urdu (which was called Hindi by early writers), along with Gujrati, Marathi and Bengali theatres have kept flourishing and demand for its writers and artists has not subsided by the drama aficionados. All the early gems of Urdu Theatre (performed by Parsi Companies) were made into films. Great works like those by Shakespeare have influenced Modern Urdu tradition to a large extent when Indian, Iranian, Turkish stories and folk was adapted for stage with heavy doses of Urdu Poetry. In modern times writers like Imtiaz Ali Taj, Rafi Peer, Krishan Chander, Manto, Upender Nath Ashk, Ghulam Rabbani, Prof. Mujeeb and many others shaped this tradition.
While Prof Hasan, Ghulam Jeelani, J.N. Kaushal, Shameem Hanfi, Jameel Shaidayi etc. belong to the old generation, contemporary writers like Mujeeb Khan, Javed Siddiqui, Sayeed Alam, Danish Iqbal, Anis Azmi, Aftab Hasnain, Aslam Parvez, Anis Javed, Iqbal Niyazi, Syed Sahil Agha and Zaheer Anwar are few post modern playwrights actively contributing in the field of Urdu Drama.
Zaheer Anwar has kept the flag of Urdu Theatre flying in Kolkata. Unlike the writers of previous generation, Danish iqbal and Zaheer do not write bookish Plays but their work is a product of vigorous performing tradition. Iqbal Niyazi of Mumbai has written several plays in Urdu. His play, "Aur Kitne Jalyanwala BaughU??" won National award other awards. Hence this is the only generation after Amanat and Agha Hashr who actually write for stage and not for libraries.
An upcoming group Aatrangi Pitaara Foundation is actively performing and saving Hindustani Theatre. Their presentation of Anti-National Ghalib[32] written by Danish Iqbal has been well received by the Delhi Theatre enthusiasts. Leading the group, Keshav Raina is developing more Hindustani shows showcasing the rich history and heritage of India.
Indian puppet theatre
Yakshagana is a popular semi-classical theatre art from coastal Karnataka. It uses rich costumes, music, dance, and dialogue. Puppet shows in parts of Karnataka uses all these elements of yakshagana to depict stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Indian street theatre
- Jan Natya Manch(JANAM)
Mobile theatre
Mobile theatres are a kind of popular theatre form that exist mainly in Assam[citation needed]. For staging their plays, theatre groups travel different places with their casts, singers, musicians, dancers and entire crew. Even the tent and chairs for the audience are carried with them. Mobile theatre was first staged on 2 October 1963 in Pathsala, Assam. Achyut Lahkar is known as the father of mobile theatre.[33]
Mobile theatre in Salempur Deoria Eastern Uttar Pradesh is over 900 times played on stage within fifteen years. sanskritiksangam.com is a leading cultural organisation that has been promoting rich Indian culture through regional artists based in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Since its establishment in 2005, One of its most popular classical-Musical-Dance Drama creation Sanskritik Sangam Salempur, Meghdoot Ki Puravanchal Yatra[34] in Bhojpuri an adaptation of Kalidasa's Meghdootam has done a record 96 shows in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Rishikesh, Agra, Varanasi, Patna, Sonpur Mela Gorakhpur, near by areas in eastern UP among others. The creations has won many awards and recognitions for its team through leading organisations Its creations revolve around famous mythological and historical personalities and stories like, Ramayana (7 to 9 days play) 56 places, and 9 days in Surinaam,Guyana, Trinidad &Tobago iof caribbion countries Bhagwata (7 days play) two places, Kabir (32 places), Harishchandra Taramati, (32 Places), Utho Ahilya (36 places) and Sri Krishna (Three places). And also perform popular plays from Hindi literature including Kaptan Sahab (31), Court Marshall (1), Saiyyan Bhaye Kotwal (22), Muvaavaje (2), Bakari (2), Bade Bhai Saheb (63), Kafan(12), Bholaram ka jeev (17), Satgati (2), Boodhi kaaki (3), kakha ga kaa chakkar (7), Jago grahak jaago (3) etc. among other presentations based on famous literary geniuses like Munshi Premchand, Bhikaari Thakur, etc.Manvendra Tripathi as a Director of this team handling the institution .
Notable awards and festivals
Awards
- Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
- Theatre Pasta Theatre Awards
- Kalidas Samman
Festivals of theatre in India
- Prithvi Theatre Festival (Prithvi Festival), held every year since its inception on 3 November, the birth anniversary of its legendary founder Prithviraj Kapoor
- Bharat Rang Mahotsav, NSD, New Delhi
- Jairangam - Jaipur Theatre Festival, Jaipur
- Nandikar's National Theatre Festival
- Purple Umbrella Theater Festival, New Delhi
Notable groups and companies
- Aasakta Kalamanch
- Bhoomika Theatre Group
- Chilsag Chillies Theatre Company
- Dramanon
- Indian People's Theatre Association
- Kerala People's Arts Club
- Manch Theatre
- The Madras Players
- Nandikar
- Ninasam
- Platform for Action in Creative Theater
- Prithvi Theatre
- Rangayana
- Ranga Shankara
- Samahaara
- Theatre Arts Workshop (TAW)
- Theatre Formation Paribartak
- WeMove Theatre
Notable theatres
- Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata (Ranu Mukherjee Mancha)
- Circle Theatre Company (2003)
- Girish Mancha
- Kalidasa Kalakendram
- National School of Drama
- Rabindra Sadan
- Star Theatre
- Surabhi (theatre group)
Notable practitioners who have moved from theatre to films
- Mohan Agashe
- Sadashiv Amrapurkar
- Shabana Azmi
- Raj Babbar
- Manoj Bajpayee
- Paran Bandyopadhyay
- Surangana Bandyopadhyay
- Bratya Basu
- Tanikella Bharani
- Suresh Bhardwaj
- Anirban Bhattacharya
- Seema Biswas
- Soumitra Chatterjee
- Prashant Damle
- Deepak Dobriyal
- Utpal Dutt
- Vikram Gokhale
- Neena Gupta
- Rajendra Gupta
- A. K. Hangal
- Rohini Hattangadi
- Shafi Inamdar
- Bharat Jadhav
- Brijendra Kala
- Dada Kondke
- Shahid Kapoor
- Prithviraj Kapoor
- Raj Kapoor
- Shammi Kapoor
- Shashi Kapoor
- Pankaj Kapur
- Girish Karnad
- Satish Kaushik
- Kader Khan
- Shah Rukh Khan
- Kulbhushan Kharbanda
- Anupam Kher
- Swanand Kirkire
- Shriram Lagoo
- Sajitha Madathil
- Shilpi Marwaha
- Piyush Mishra
- Sohrab Modi
- Ananth Nag
- Shankar Nag
- Alok Nath
- Nana Patekar
- Smita Patil
- Om Puri
Training
- Alchemy Academy of Performing Arts
- Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts
- National School of Drama
- Madhya Pradesh School of Drama
See also
References
- ISBN 978-81-208-1234-5.
- ^ ISBN 9788120752122.
- ISBN 9781138838055.
- ^ a b Brandon (1997, 72) and Richmond (1998, 516).
- ^ Brandon (1997, 72), Richmond (1998, 516), and Richmond, Swann, and Zarrilli (1993, 12).
- ^ Richmond (1998, 516) and Richmond, Swann, and Zarrilli (1993, 13).
- ISBN 978-81-317-1120-0.
- ^ ISBN 978-81-7017-221-5.
- S2CID 162591934.
- ISBN 978-81-208-1057-0.
- ^ Brandon (1996, 70) and Richmond (1998, 516).
- ^ Richmond, Swann, and Zarrilli (1993, 21).
- ^ Brandon (1981, xvii) and (1998, 516–517).
- ^ a b Richmond (1998, 516).
- ^ a b c d Richmond (1998, 517).
- ^ Rachel Van M. Baumer and James R. Brandon (ed.), Sanskrit Drama in Performance (University of Hawaii Press, 1981), pp.11
- ^ Sanskrit Drama in Performance, p.11
- ISBN 978-93-87067-54-7.
- S2CID 161625091.
- ^ Brandon (1981, xvii) and Richmond (1998, 517).
- ^ Richmond (1998, 518).
- ^ Richmond (1998, 518). The literal meaning of abhinaya is "to carry forwards".
- ^ a b Brandon (1981, xvii).
- ^ Richmond, Swann, and Zarrilli (1993, 12).
- ^ ISBN 9781111348304.
- ^ S2CID 161625091.
- ^ a b Banham (1998, 1051).
- ^ Chandaraju, Aruna (10 May 2013). "He was ahead of his times". The Hindu. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
- ^ "pranaism: తెలుగు నాటకరంగ ప్రముఖుల ఫోటోలు (సశేషం)". Pranaism.blogspot.in. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
- ^ Article in Eenadu "Eenadu - the Heart and Soul of AndhraPradesh". Archived from the original on 11 October 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
- ISBN 978-1847183033.
- ^ Rezvi, Ali Fraz (20 August 2022). "Ghalib has been called back to the court!". The Patriot.
- ^ "Screen salute to mobile theatre pioneer".[dead link]
- ^ "1.MEGHDOOT KI POORVANCHAL YATRA - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
Notes
- Gautama Buddha) had a drama performed for another king. This would be as early as the 5th century BCE, but the event is only described in much later texts, from the 3rd–4th centuries CE.[17]
Sources
- Banham, Martin, ed. 1998. The Cambridge Guide to Theatre. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. ISBN 0-521-43437-8.
- Brandon, James R. 1981. Introduction. In Baumer and Brandon (1981, xvii–xx).
- ---, ed. 1997. The Cambridge Guide to Asian Theatre.' 2nd, rev. ed. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. ISBN 978-0-521-58822-5.
- Brockett, Oscar G. and Franklin J. Hildy. 2003. History of the Theatre. Ninth edition, International edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. ISBN 0-205-41050-2.
- Baumer, Rachel Van M., and James R. Brandon, eds. 1981. Sanskrit Theatre in Performance. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1993. ISBN 978-81-208-0772-3.
- Richmond, Farley. 1998. "India." In Banham (1998, 516–525).
- Richmond, Farley P., Darius L. Swann, and Phillip B. Zarrilli, eds. 1993. Indian Theatre: Traditions of Performance. U of Hawaii P. ISBN 978-0-8248-1322-2.
- Sharma, Shrikrishna, ed. 1996. Rangkarmi. Cultural Societies of Rajasthan. (1996, 139)
Further reading
- Indian Drama in English by Ananda Lal, IWE Online, 13 May 2022.
- Wilson, Horace Hayman (tr. from the Original Sanskrit) (1827). Select Specimens of the Theatre of the Hindus. V.Holcroft at The Asiatic Press, Calcutta.
- Dhanamjaya; Haas, George C.O. (tr. from Sanskrit by) (1912). The Dasarupa or Treatise on Ten Forms of Drama – A Treatise on Hindu Dramaturgy. Columbia University.
- Coomaraswamy, Ananda Kentish (tr by); Duggirala, Gopala Kristnayya (tr by) (1917). The Mirror of Gesture – Being the Abhinaya Darpana of Nandikeśvara. Harvard University Press.
- The Indian theatre, by Mulk Raj Bansal, Published by D. Dobson, 1950.
- Theatre in India, by Balwant Gargi. Published by Theatre Arts Books, 1962.
- A panorama of theatre in India, by Som Benegal. Published by Popular Prakashan [for] Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), 1968.
- Roy, Pinaki. "ISBN 978-93-5207-560-7). Eds. Sarkar, J., and U. De. New Delhi: Authors Press, 2017. pp. 287–300.
- Indian Theatre: Traditions of Performance, by Farley P. Richmond, Darius L. Swann, Phillip B. Zarrilli. Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1993. ISBN 81-208-0981-5.
- Indian theatre: theatre of origin, theatre of freedom, by Ralph Yarrow. Routledge, 2001. ISBN 0-7007-1412-X.
- The Oxford companion to Indian theatre, by Ananda Lal. Oxford University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-19-564446-8.
- jagrancityplus
- A History of the Jana Natya Manch: Plays for the People" by Arjun Ghosh; Published by SAGE Publications India, New Delhi; 2012