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An innate need for expression has led mankind to develop various forms of art, be it dance, theatre or the art of singing. It covers a wide range of human endeavours that it is almost more an attitude than an activity. The ancients believed that each art was governed by its own muse, and had its own rules and regulations, but all of them were united by a common motivation to describe the universe and our place in it. They were methods of understanding the mysteries of existence, and as such, they themselves took on the aura of those mysteries. As a result, they were each aspects of religious activity. The performing arts were initially parts of religious rituals among the ancient Greek community, which was the first to establish the theatre as an art form. It emerged in India in the 2nd century B.CE. in the Sanskrit language, whose rules and regulations were mentioned in Bharata Muni’s Natyashastra. With the various invasions and stages of history that the country went through, theatre eventually evolved in India. The kind of theatre performed right after the Muslim invasion from the north, was different from those that were performed during the British occupation of India or post-Independence India. It is significant that such an ancient art form thrives in this country even to this day.
Here is a list of a few theatre groups from India:
I. Nandikar
Where : Kolkata
Having been at the forefront of the National Theatre Movement, Nandikar, a theatre group from Bengal, was established in the year 1960. Doyens of Bengali theatre, Ajitesh Bandopadhyay and Asit Bandopadhyay along with a pool of young theatre artists came together and formed this group. The group comprises of theatre aficionados like Ajoy Ganguly, Satyan Mitra, Dipen Sengupta, and was later joined by Keya Chakraborty, Bibhas Chakraborty, Chinmoy Roy and Rudraprasad Sengupta. In the initial days, the group mainly produced adaptations of non-Indian plays like Natyakarer Sandhane Chhati Charitra (Luigi Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author), Manjari Amer Manjari (Chekhov’s Cherry Orchard), Jokhan Eka (Arnold Wesker’s Roots), Sher Afgan (Pirandello’s Henry IV) and Tin Poyshar Pala (Bertolt Brecht’s Threepenny Opera). To this day, Nandikar has produced about 80 plays. Some of its productions like Tin Poysar Pala, Bhalomanush, Football and Antigone have been performed for more than 400 nights each.
Where: Pune
Aasakta Kalamanch is a Pune-based theatre group which produces plays in Hindi, Marathi and English. Initially begun as a non-profit organisation in 2003, it now produces contemporary theatres. It is headed by Mohit Takalkar. They have worked incessantly to support young performing artists to come together and experiment with new theatrical forms and techniques. Sachin Kundalkar was the first playwright of the group and his play Chhotyasha Suttit was appreciated by the critics. In 2017, they performed their play Gajab Kahani, at Aadyam’s (a creative initiative by the Aditya Birla Group) third season. In 2018, the group performed their play Tichi Satra Prakarne at IAPAR International Theatre Festival. Notable alumni of the group include Radhika Apte, Sagar Deshmukh, Pradeep Vaidya, Ashish Mehta, Varun Narvekar, Sarang Sathaye, and Omkar Govardhan.
III. Koothu-P-Pattarai
Where : Chennai
Koothu-P-Pattarai is a prominent theatre group based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It has produced plays for 31 years. The group provides its actors with training in acting, folk dance, martial arts, yoga and music. Their theatre language incorporates elements of dance, folk theatre, improvisation using mime, music and martial arts so that space, movement and choreography become as important to the action as literary content or dialogue. The style of theatre they practise has been described in The Hindu newspaper as “an intense physicality coupled with powerful ideas”. This style is a reflection of the alternative Tamil theatre movement. The director for this group, Na Muthuswamy, is the recipient of the Sangeet Natak Academi Award from the Government of India.
Where : Bangalore
The Artrightis Theatre Group was established in Bangalore, in 2013 by author and theatre artist Sharmin Ali, who brought together a group of amateur and professional theatre enthusiasts. They have staged numerous plays around Bangalore. The most famous shows by ART-RIGHT-IS include Chutzpah and EREBUS- darkness personified, which were showcased in Bangalore with widespread critical acclaim.
Where : New Delhi
Pierrot’s Troupe is an internationally-renowned theatre group based in New Delhi, which was formed in 1989. The group performs original plays in Hindi, English and Urdu. It has produced more than 2000 shows, mostly in Delhi as well as in other parts of India. Pierrot’s Troupe is led by playwright and director M. Sayeed Alam, who has written and directed all of their plays, and also acts in most of them. Some of their most popular plays include Ghalib in New Delhi (Hindi comedy), Cut Cut Cut (Hindi comedy), Big B (English comedy), Maulana Azad (Urdu monologue), K. L. Saigal (Hindi musical), Ghalib (Urdu musical), Massage (Hindi comedy) and 1947 (Urdu).
Where : Chennai
The Madras Players is the oldest English-language theatre group in Chennai. It has staged over 240 theatre productions over more than 50 years. They started out as a group of young theatre enthusiasts, mostly students, who were members of a play-reading group established by the British Council to promote English language theatre. In the late sixties and early seventies, we attempted English translations of works by Indian playwrights. These plays were successful and well received by our audiences because of their relevance. Between 1963 and 1970, Girish Karnad was working in Madras and was an active member of our group as an actor, director and translator. The Madras Players is focused on encouraging English plays on Indian themes.
In 1955, the British Council first hosted Robert Newton’s Othello featuring a mix of British and Indian actors. Shortly after, the Madras Dramatic Society closed down, and bequeathed most of their props and make-up equipment to The Madras Players founding members N. S. Yamuna and Gayathri (Grace) Krishnaswamy. The group members in the early 1960s included Thambi Kadambavan, Ammu Mathew, Girish Karnad and Stewart Melluish. In their early days, the group staged British works from Terrence Rattigan, Shakespeare, Ibsen, Osborne with the help of directors like John Shepherd and Peter Coe. Noted performers for the Players in this period include comedian Naushir Ratnagar, back-stage artist Mithran Devanesan and voice-artist P.C. Ramakrishna. The Players’ notable theatre productions include adaptations of Vijay Tendulkar’s Kanyadaan, Shreekumar Varma’s Midnight Hotel and Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana. The group’s longest running play was the 2007 adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s novel Five Point Someone.
VII. The Kohinoor Theatre
Where : Assam
The Kohinoor Theatre is a mobile theatre group from the north-eastern state of Assam, founded by Sri Ratan Lahkar in 1976. Ratan Lahkar based his theatres on Indian and Assamese culture, as well as some plays of Shakespeare. He has significantly contributed to the mass appeal of his troupe by recreating James Cameroon’s Titanic on stage. Kohinoor Theatre is the only Assamese mobile theatre group to have performed at the National School of Drama in New Delhi. Some plays produced by them include Chakrabehu, Edin Tumi Ahibay, Erabator Sur, Mukti, DSP Durga and others.
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