Today is a big day for theatre practitioners across the globe. Designated by the International Theatre Institute in 1961, World Theatre Day celebrates the importance of theatre arts and their impact on life. It also conveys a message to the governments, politicians, institutions, and stakeholders around the world who have not yet realised the value of theatre to the people. As cliché as it may sound, theatre remains the mirror of a society and showcases the rich tradition and culture of a nation.
On this occasion, some well known practitioners of the art form tell Sunday POST about the impact of theatre, its present status and how it brought about changes at local as well as global level.
‘Play is like a colourful capsule’
Natya Chetana founder Subodh Patnaik says, “The Natyashastra, a 2,500-year-old work of dramatic theory written by Bharat Muni says, theatre came into existence to show the conflict between ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ and to make ‘right’ the winner at the end. That cause can be social, political, economical or environmental. Samundra Manthan or churning of the ocean is an example. The main objective of the theatre is to raise questions in the mind of the audience. So, I believe the theatre performances in rural areas have inculcated values in people. For example, the enactment of Ramayana or Mahabharata in villages and the messages these Hindu Epics convey has enriched the rural lives.”
Elaborating more, Patnaik, the only theatre man from Odisha to tour all continents, says, “Theatre is like a colourful capsule. It looks attractive from outside but the content is always bitter. But, it cures the disease only after getting dissolved in our stomach. Similarly, people are drawn towards theatre for its entertainment quotient but get a strong message once the show is over.”
On the impact of theatre he says, “Theatre played an important role in the Russian and French revolution. It is a theatre that also paved the way for the historic German unification. Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) also played a crucial part during the Indian Freedom Movement. In our case, we have felt the impact during our cycle expedition. So much so, that we were also hounded by the police and supporters of industries for exposing the flaws in the system.”
‘Theatre of realism will return’
Internationally acclaimed director Probir Guha from Kolkata is an established figure in the Indian theatre circle. Known for his experimental theatre with various marginalised groups such as landless peasants, juvenile offenders and socially and politically relevant plays, Guha’s work has been lauded by leading minds in world theatre like Peter Brook, Jerzy Grotowski and Eugenio Barba.
Talking about theatre’s influence on society, the Sangeet Natak Akademi winner says, “Theatre alone can’t bring about any social or political changes. It is one of the factors that can motivate people to transform or revolutionise a system. Whether it is Russia, France or Germany, theatre played the role of a catalyst to mobilise public opinion. In fact, the form was originated to make people differentiate between good and bad. Theatre always draws people’s attention towards the faults in an establishment, which unfortunately is missing at the moment. However, some troupes in Bihar, Jharkhand, Delhi, Maharashtra and West Bengal are still making people aware of various issues. This sort of awakening through theatre has just started in Kerala. Hope, this will continue.”
Speaking about Odisha’s theatre scene, the founder of Alternative Living Theatre says, “I have conducted quite a few workshops here but never seen this protest culture developing in Odisha. Most of the troupes here prefer to do mainstream theatres in auditoriums. People are more peace-loving here.
Perhaps, they lack political consciousness. For example, they have to think about livelihood issues, they must think about what would be consequences of the Ukraine crisis on people here in Bhubaneswar. You have to take to the street to do protest theatre. I am not seeing this culture developing here and in several states of India.”
Is he pessimistic about the future of theatre of Realism in India? To this query, Guha retorts, “Not at all. I think this slump is temporary. It will make a comeback. People like Praveen Gunjan in Bihar, Asmita’s Arvind Gaur in Delhi and Atul Pethe in Maharashtra are doing good, innovative and realistic theatre. It will catch up with others and we need not worry.”
‘Theatre creates a civilised ambience’
Dolgovind Rath, a committed theatre practitioner of Odisha and an alumnus of National School of Drama, has been conducting workshops across India to promote theatre art among the youths.
He says theatre has always given the common man his voice and encouraged him to question the ruling class. History is replete with examples of theatre playing significant roles in revolutions.
“To name a few that brought social order into a disciplined and ethical approach to life like industrial revolutions, the French Revolution, Russian Revolution/Bolshevik Revolution, the American war of Independence, Italian Renaissance and Indian freedom movement. All these movements were rooted in the rise of mass protest against the then rulers through the intensive move of philosophers like Montesquieu, Rousseau, Voltaire, Plato, Socrates and Aristotle to secure the freedom of living. Back home, we have Vasa, Shri Harsh, Bhaba Bhuti, Shudrak, Budhayan and Kalidas, Bharat, Bharatendu Harishchandra, Prasaad, Devaki Nandan Khatri, Mohan Rakesh, Vijay Tendulkar, Dharmveer Bharati, Girish Kannad, Chandrasekhar Kambar, K.N. Panikar, Ebrahim Alkazi and Ratan Thiyam. All these revered personalities chanted the hymn of revolutionary creative force that turned the global scenario into a civilised atmosphere,” he added.
Making all the difference
The art of theatre has always been in forefront when it comes to protest and revolution across the world. Here is a close look at a few major events that were triggered by theatre and the people involved with dramaturgy.
Fall of Berlin Wall
East and West Germany became one state again following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Significantly, it marked the symbolic end of the Cold War. But not many know that the Alexanderplatz demonstration, one of the largest in the history of the German Democratic Republic, had been planned by actors and directors from leading East German theatres. They invited playwrights and actors to address the crowds, alongside dissidents and politicians which paved the path to German unification.
Russian Revolution
Konstantin Stanislavski , the co-founder of the famous Moscow Art Theatre is one of the most pioneering thinkers in modern theatre. He laid the foundations of modern opera and gave instant popularity to the works of playwrights and writers like Maksim Gorki and Anton Chekhov. Stanislavski could not separate the theatre from its social context. He viewed theatre as a medium with great social and educational significance. During the civil unrest leading up to the first Russian revolution in 1905, Stanislavski courageously reflected social issues on the stage. Twelve years later, during the Red October of 1917, Bolshevism had swept through Russia and the Soviet Union was established. Following the October Revolution in 1917 until the early 1930s, Russian artistes produced massive spectacles, circus-theatres, living newspapers, and agitprop dramas, employing both realistic techniques and explicit theatricality in order to engage a new proletarian audience.
French Revolution
The French theatre of the late 18th century functioned as a forum for political expression and debate and during this period, society and art became highly politicised. The French took great national pride in their theatres. Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, Count of Mirabeau was a leader of the early stages of the French Revolution. He rose to the top of the French political hierarchy in the years 1789–1791 and acquired the reputation of a voice of the people. In addressing the National Assembly in early 1791, his declaration sums up the role of theatre in the French Revolution. It suggests, the revolutionary governments used theatre to promote republican ideology and morality. According to F. W. J. Hemmings, in the plays produced in Paris between 1793 and 1794, over two-thirds conveyed a political message.
Indian Independence Movement and IPTA
Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) came into existence at the backdrop of World War II and Bengal famine. The objective was to represent the crises of the time through the medium of theatre and help people understand their rights and duties. Artistes who felt the need to be part of the political process and play a role in India’s Freedom Struggle, chose to use creativity to popularise nationalism. IPTA fueled this sentiment, arguing in favour of the need for artistes to stop limiting themselves to ‘art for art’s sake’.
Utpal Dutt’s Revolutionary Theatre
Actor, director and playwright Utpal Dutt is a pioneering figure in Modern Indian theatre. His Little Theatre Group staged many English, Shakespearean and Brecht plays before it immersed itself completely in highly political and radical theatre. He used theatre as a tool to educate the masses and considered it to be a theatre of revolution. For Dutt, the common was always more important than all the intelligentsia put together. He used theatre to
expose wrongdoings of the state.
Bijay Mandal, OP