Rangakarmee’s studio theatre, Binodini Keya Mancha, began hosting programmes regularly this year, offering an alternative venue for groups willing to experiment. It recently presented the Kolkata debut of a young Bangladeshi troupe, Bangalok, who we can predict will soon become a popular name here. Sayik Siddiquee, their soloist-director, has recomposed
Broadway blockbusters that ran for over 1000 shows half a century ago staged a comeback in local hands recently. However, the fact that popularity has no bearing on lasting relevance proved itself in the appeal of one production and the ho-hum response generated by the other. John Patrick dramatized The
Violence has become so ubiquitous in our day-to-day lives that, shamefully, it ceases to appal us as it should. I think of innocents killed during elections in this state; I think of young people beaten up by middle-class moral police in this city. And I see that after a few
Both of the most prolific writers for the Bengali theatre today have composed plays on the oppression of women starring three famous female characters in each. Tirthankar Chanda takes the metatheatrical route in Nandipat’s Ārshi, where a contemporary woman dramatist drafts a script showing the sexist attitudes of male directors
Two modern classics in Bengali avatars, about famous artists at the ends of their lives, exemplify the polar opposites of theatrical transference. Jadavpur Manthan merits plaudits for choosing Ibsen’s final testament, When We Dead Awaken, neglected because it transcends his usual realistic perimeters. A double ovation because Rajib Bardhan opts
Good that regional-language theatres have discovered the stageability of original drama by Indians in English, once regarded as infra-dig. Among them, of course, the academically-certified poster boy is Mahesh Dattani, but we wish that groups opted for the best of his many plays rather than the ordinary ones. Meanwhile, Dattani
Whoever says that English theatre in Kolkata has dropped into the doldrums has either not seen the glorious musicals helmed by the Lai Roy family or believes (erroneously) that school productions cannot match regular theatre. The Lai Roy hallmark guarantees the highest standard of excellence in English musicals anywhere in
Seventy years ago, a small band of dedicated young theatre enthusiasts left the Indian People’s Theatre Association and formed a new group, Bohurupee. Little did they imagine that they would become known as the pioneers of the “group theatre” movement in Bengal (it did not exist as such in 1948,
The paucity of local organizations sponsoring shows from outside Kolkata makes us greet any such new initiative enthusiastically. Knack Productions may feel disheartened by the low turnout for Akvarious Productions’ Internal Affairs from Mumbai, but any fresh venture needs time to establish itself as theatre-friendly in the public consciousness. Besides,
This is a tribute to theatre teachers on Teachers Day, looking at the new plays by two groups training young learners in the live form that best inculcates teamwork and incorporates all the arts of creative expression. We welcome the Hindi debut of schoolteacher Anindita Banerji, who had so far
“Dance theatre” is a term much abused, to label any relatively large-scale dance spectacle. In fact, it is pretty obvious that all dance performances, even short and solo, are by nature theatrical. True dance-theatre, therefore, applies only to composite works where both arts operate in equal measure, where not only
Courtroom drama can succeed only on the bedrock of perfect plausibility – unless, of course, the director consciously applies a stylized approach right through, say, for satirical objectives. Two perennial classics of the genre, now running in new productions, demand attention to credible detailing. Agatha Christie’s Witness for the
