Over two months, around 400 Indian groups selected for the Eighth international Theatre Olympics are crisscrossing the country, performing in 17 cities. The logistics and finances involved boggle the mind, […]

Last week I cited the mega-statistics of the Theatre Olympics. Today I discuss the foreign entries that I saw. But before that, some general criticism. First, to point out the

The Maimansingha Gitikā (more accurately Palagan, the performance genre to which they belong), form the source for two invigorating Bengali productions. Naye Natuya’s eponymously-titled show has even made it to

Original Indian drama in English offered two excellent visiting exemplars recently, their content and style at completely opposite poles. Nilanjan Choudhury’s The Square Root of a Sonnet, by Centre for

Traumatic incidents that saturate the daily news have found their way into Bengali domestic drama. Besides, not only does Oihik’s new play, Like Comment Share, bear an unusual title that

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

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

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

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

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