Window
Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 25.7.21
Street
Theatre
The other day I participated in a webinar on Street
Theatre along with theatre person and author Sudhanya Despande and Sourav Gupta
of Central University of Koraput, Odisha.
Street Theatre is a form of theatre which is
presented normally in an outdoor space in a public area without a specific paying audience. It is a much direct, brief and concise theatrical expression.
The objective is to convey a particular idea or to portray a significant
meaning. It is a direct, intimate and effective means of dramaturgy.
The
logistics of doing street theatre necessitate simple costumes and props, and
often there is little or no amplification of sound, with actors depending on
their natural vocal and physical ability. This issue with sound and the fact
that it has to attract and retain the attention of the public has necessitated
its extensive use of physical theatre including dance and mime. Slapstick
comedy and chorus are some other tools that street theatre often uses.
Though the concept and major
elements of street theatre has been there in Indian performing art culture for
ages, origin of the pre-modern form can be traced back to the mid-nineteenth
century. It could be found in different regions of India in different name and
form with local variations: ‘Rahs’ in Punjab, ‘Nautanki’ in Uttar Pradesh,
Jatra in Bengal, Odisha and Assam, ‘Beedi Nataka’ in Karnataka, Path Natika’ in
Maharastra.
Street Theatre in its modern form
has been developed and popularized by the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA)
- the country’s first organized political theatre movement that emerged in the
1940s and formally formed on May 25, 1943 in Bombay (now, Mumbai).
It was Badal Sircar who attempted to
theorize the nuances and objectives of street theatre through his seminal book Third Theatre. He also held workshops to
disseminate his concept and ideas all over the country.
Safdar Hashmi’s Jana Natya Manch
(Janam) formed in 1973, carried forward the people-focused, protest-themed
street theatre movement though the tone was political and left ideology driven.
Political street theatre in India
experienced a surge after the murder of Safdar Hashmi during performance of the
play Hallabol on January 1, 1989 at the
outskirt of Delhi.
Besides being used as a form of
protest, Street theatre’s capacity to forge a connect with people made it a
tool for promotion of ideas and practices for social development. Promotion of
health and wellness, good social practices were attempted with government
support and funding. After independence both the Union and State governments
formed publicity departments to spread awareness about issues concerning development and schemes of
the government thereof. Directorate of Field Publicity (established in 1953)
and Song and Drama Division (established in 1960) by the Union government took
lead in this. State governments followed. They used the street theatre form for
this purpose. A large number of NGOs developed and presented street theatres as
a strategy to engage with these issues in sync with government programmes.
Presently Street theatre is also
been utilized for purely entertainment and commercial purpose. There are
companies with whom one can book performances for social occasions- like
birthdays, kitty parties, etc.
So, from ‘protest’ to ‘promotion’
to ‘entertainment’ – street theatre has now different avatars. But the soul of
street theatre will always remain in the passionate protest against any form of
oppression and injustice.
Rocking
Chair and Retirement
I have a
fascination for rocking chair. My favourite wish in the big bucket of wish list
was to lie down on one with a book in hand, slightly rocking and then then
dozing off. As I am moving closer to my retirement- I increasingly see myself
doing this.
There is a saying
in Odia that if a patient wants something intensely, the doctor eventually
prescribes that. The same idea has been delineated in other languages as well.
And it happened. My son gifted me a rocking chair.
As it took its
position in the drawing room I was curious to know the history of rocking
chair. A quick look through google told
me that though
American inventor Benjamin Franklin was sometimes credited with inventing the
rocking chair, historians actually traced the rocking chair's origins to North
America during the early 18th century. It was in 1725 that early rocking chairs
first appeared in England. It appeared as a
common term in the Oxford Dictionary in 1787. Rocking chairs were typically
used back then for mothers and babies in nurseries or for the elderly and
invalids in hospitals and mental facilities.
I
was really disappointed to know this. And then I learnt that in 1955, President
of USA John F. Kennedy, who suffered with chronic back problems, was prescribed
swimming and the use of a rocking chair by his physician. The President so
enjoyed the rocker that, not only he used it almost everywhere he went, he also
gave them as gifts to friends, family, and heads of state. Kennedy's rocking
chair from the White House is on permanent display at the John F. Kennedy
Library and Museum.
However, my problem
now is: I have miles to go before I doze off on the rocking chair holding a
book.
But I am hopleful- uska time vi ayega.
Tailpiece:
East or West, India is the best
Japanese scientists
invented a machine that caught thieves. They passed it out to different
countries for tests.
In U.S.A, within 30
minutes, it caught 20 thieves;
In UK, within 30
minutes it caught 500 thieves;
In South Korea
within 20 minutes it caught 250 thieves;
In Spain, within 10
minutes it caught 6,000 thieves;
In Uganda, within
7mins it caught 20,000 thieves;
In India, within 5
minutes the machine was stolen.
Courtesy: Social
Media)
+++
Journalist turned
media academician Mrinal Chatterjee lives in Dhenkanal, Odisha. He also writes
fiction and plays.
mrinalchatterjeeiimc@gmail.com
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