Theatre of Roots : Redirecting the Modern Indian Stage

by Erin B. Mee

• ISBN13: 9781905422753
• ISBN10: 190542275X
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2009-01-06
• Publisher: Seagull Books

Summary

After Independence, in 1947, in their efforts to create an "Indian" theatre that was different from the Westernized, colonial theatre, Indian theatre practitioners began returning to their "roots" in classical dance, religious ritual, martial arts, popular entertainment and aesthetic theory. The Theatre of Roots--as this movement was known--was the first conscious effort at creating a body of work for urban audiences combining modern European theatre with traditional Indian performance while maintaining its distinction from both. By addressing the politics of aesthetics and by challenging the visual practices, performer/spectator relationships, dramaturgical structures and aesthetic goals of colonial performance, the movement offered a strategy for reassessing colonial ideology and culture and for articulating and defining a newly emerging 'India'. Theatre of Roots presents an in-depth analysis of this movement: its innovations, theories, goals, accomplishments, problems and legacies.

Author Biography

Erin B. Mee is a theatre director who has worked at the New York Theatre Workshop, The Public Theatre, The Guthrie Theater, and The Magic Theatre and is editor of Drama Contemporary: India.

Table of Contents

Enacting an Alternative Modernity	p. 1
Political and Theatrical Origins of the Roots Movement in the Nineteenth Century	p. 41
Towards Thanathunatakavedi: The Direction of Kavalam Narayana Panikkar	p. 95
A New Hybrid Theatre: Girish Karnad's Hayavadana	p. 141
From Movement to Style to 'National Theatre' at the Sangeet Natak Akademi	p. 179
Regional/National/International: The Politics of Context in the Work of Ratan Thivam	p. 223
1956 Seminar on Indian Drama and Theatre	p. 295
1977 National Drama Festival, Organized by the Kerala Sangeetha Natak Akademi	p. 297
Scheme for Assistance to Young Theatre Workers, 1984-91	p. 304
1989 Nehru Shatabdi Natya Samaroh, Delhi	p. 323
Seminars and Workshops on Theatre, Dance and Music, Organized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi	p. 338
National School of Drama's Bharat Rang Mahotsav, 1999-2007	p. 348
Select Bibliography	p. 386
Index	p. 405
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.