ARTS CULTURE
SUPPLEMENT
THE WEEKLY OBSERVER tuesday, SEPTEMBER 20, 2016
To Be or Not To Be Despite its many successes, English theatre leads a precarious existence in India Phalguni Vittal Rao
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s students, our introduction to English theatre often comes in the form of Shakespeare. It most often ends there.
English theatre in India is largely restricted to urban centers like Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata where a majority of the English-speaking population resides.Indian dramatists in English such as T P Kailasam, Habib Tanvir, Mahesh Dattani, Girish Karnad, Vijay Tendulkar and ManjulaPadmanabhanhave been comfortable writing in this adopted language of the elites. Brilliant directors includingEbrahimAlkazi, AlyquePadamsee and Mahesh Dattani have enlivened the English stage in India by performing classics, Broadway and West End productions and promoting the work of IndianEnglish playwrights as well. English, as a language, is an orphan lost between the multitudes of India’s regional languages.But English theatre in India has its own loyal following in the cities. From performing Shakespeare’s plays to adaptations of British dramatists, English theatre has succeeded in growing a critical and well-informed audience. But with little government or other institutional support, English theatre in India has had to rely largely on the efforts ofamateur theatre groups. Production costs are borne by producers who work a 9-5 job and invest in their passion out of their savings. “In my experience, I’ve noticed there way too many amateur theatre groups bringing down the reputation of Bengaluru theatre,” says Alistar Bennis, a 21-year-old performing-arts graduate who began his journey in theatre six years ago. Bangalore Little Theatre (BLT), which was started over 50 years ago by English residents in the city, is the oldest surviving English language theatre group in the country. They have successfully produced over 200 English plays and launched several local playwrights exploring theatre in a postcolonial social context. Esther Yates, who started the Department of Theatre Studies
“TOO MANY ACTORS ARE CHASING TOO FEW JOBS”
at Christ University three years ago, was the first director in Bengaluru to stage Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar in 1979. She strongly believes that one can pursue a full-time career in English theatre in India. “There is industry in every aspect of theatre: lights, sound, sets, and the whole art of backstage management. But topping every reason is just one: audiences need to be, want to be entertained. Opportunities for theatre were restricted in India till the last five years. Now there is scope in every major as-
For young enthusiasts who would like to take up theatre as a vocation, whether in English or a regional language, the prospects are bleak. “Out of the 23 ‘professional’ plays I’ve been part of, I remember getting paid for just two,” says Bennis, who is currently trying to work as an actor, auditioning wherever he can and helping with production and casting in his free time. “I would love to work only as a theatre artist but I haven’t figured out a way to sustain myself only through theatre.” But actors elsewhere too seem to be in trouble “Too many actors are chasing too few jobs,” says Dr. John Bennet, deputy head of department of Dance, Drama and Performance Studies at Liverpool Hope University, who has been associated with theatre for the last four decades.“There is a debate raging at the moment about the cost of actor training and the fact that only students whose parents are wealthy can afford to train, which would be very bad for the profession in that the best actors may not be getting a chance because they cannot afford to,” In India there are just a handful of institutions like the National School of Drama that teach theatre professionally. Most Indian students look to foreign universities for graduate or undergraduate courses intheatre studies and its related areas. “I chose to go to New York Film Academy simply because it is one of the best places in the world to learn acting plus it is also close to Hollywood which gives me a fair chance to make it there, hopefully,” says Rajarshi Banerjee, 21, a theatre graduate who will be joining the Academy’s Masters programme in acting this fall. Theatre in both the US and UK has a very small yet loyal following despite the overwhelming television and movie culture. How come? Dr. Stan Denman, director of Baylor Theatre Abroad programme at Baylor University in Waco, Texas says, “The question is a bit like asking, ‘With recordings, why would anyone want to go to a concert and hear live music performed?’ It’s the immediacy of theatre that keeps people coming back and seeking that human connection. In this way, theatre is far more akin to sporting events and religious services than to film or television.”
“audiences
need to be, want to be entertained.”
Dramatech, a Delhi-based theatre company pect in all major cities because the love of this fine art is being restored,” she says. AswinSasiVarrier, 21, is going to be part of a BLT production Tell Me The Name of A Flower, a translation of a Gujarati play by Madhu Rye.“The producer and the director of the play are dedicated to theatre, they’re passionate about their work and treat theatre with utmost sincerity and professionalism,” he says. “One of them is also a management professional who runs a company.” Many other groups like PlayPen, Theatre Lab, Yours Truly Theatre etc. also produce plays originally written in regional languages but adapted to English to reach a wider urban audience.
Yakshagana’s Enduring Appeal Flexibility has helped keep Karnataka’s popular folk theatre relevant Hakimuddin Kholiya
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ould you imagine what a blend of Shakespeare and Hindu mythological tales would look like? In a word, Yakshagana.A form of folk theatre which comprises dance, narration and music, Yakshagana employs unique stage techniques, a distinct style and form along with traditional costumes and make up. The term Yakshagana means song of God and originated in what is today’s Karnataka and spread to the adjacent regions of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Yakshagana was a product of the ‘Vaishnava bhakti’ movement in the southern states during fifth to seventh centuries CE. This early model of people’s theatre became a medium to spread the message of devotion to people unexposed to Hindu culture by recreating the mythological tales of the Ramayana in a contemporary form. Traditionally during the Dussehra-Diwali period, hundreds of Yakshagana troupes travel from village to village performing their plays. Troupes of 16-18 move with their paraphernalia of tents, lights, costumes and sets. In cities and towns, Yakshagana is performed in theatres and public halls. Yakshagana evolved rapidly over the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when it stepped out of its native territory. It then began experimenting with new subjects and the flexibility of the form helped it reach new audiences, although by now its purpose had become purely to entertain. In 1800, a Yakshagana troupe from Dharmastala performed a tthe Mysore court before the king and subsequently established themselves as the royal troupe. In the 1840s, a troupe that migrated from Karnataka to Maharashtra performed a modern age mythological drama directed by Vishudas Bhave. By 1930, Yakshagana was substantially modified in terms of appearance, composition and presentation and modern costumes with stone jewelry replaced the hand woven fabrics and wooden ornaments. Says Padmashree Chittani Ramchandra Hegde, one the most celebrated Yakshagana artists, “At the age of 16 when I started to learn Yakshagana, the situation was totally different from what it is today. The artist used to wear light costumes while performing but now costumes have got heavier and more beautiful, with the use of stones and more colors.” By the 1950sYakshagana was so popular as to be able to compete with established theatre and even early cinema. The subjects of these plays graduated to new folk stories, Sanskrit dramas and contemporary literary themes. By now, the entertainment value of Yakshagana had clearly overshadowed its classical and religious origins.
Soon other languages like Tulu were introduced on stage in Yakshagana plays. During 1970s, Dr. Shivaram Karanth experimented with Yakshagana by introducing western instruments into the musical accompaniment. But his most radical break was to pare it down for the modern audience by shortening its duration from the traditional twelve hours to two and a half hours. Since 2005, Yakshagana has sought to gain even wider audiences by borrowing heavily from Shakespearean plays and even Hindi movies.
“Those days while working with a Yakshagana troupe, I also needed to work in the fields to financially support my family, Recalls Hegde. Even after 32 years, I am still involved with Yakshagana as my daughter and son produce and act in Yakshagana plays. Nowadays things are much better for Yakshagana artists. Although they can’t be totally dependent on income from Yakshagana, their wages are better than before. From 2011 to today, there has been a rapid increase in popularity of Yakshagana leading to increase in shows throughout the country.” Change is inevitable and every traditional art form faces a challenge to remain relevant in the face of evolving audience tastes. By that measure, Yakshagana has been relatively successful. Having grown into a versatile art form that can appeal to new audiences, Yakshagana today is performed not just in the southern states but across India. More important, there are several institutes which teach this art form with the express intention of preserving and diversifying it. Yakshagana kendra, the brainchild of Dr Karanth, was established by the government of India in 1971 under the ‘Guru’ scheme of the department of culture to study and promote Yakshagana.
“now costumes have got heavier and more beautiful, with the use of stones and more colors.” -Ramchandra Hegde
Although Yakshagana has moved from the raucous village tent to the urban auditorium, its financial viability remains a question. Even today, Yakshagana can’t be pursued as a professional art form as it does not generate enough income for the artists to dedicate themselves solely to it.
Thus, despite its limited commercial success and the few opportunities that Yakshagana presently offers artists, their enthusiasm for the art hasn’t waned. You can see that devotion in young and upcoming artists like Dashratha Murthi, an amateur Yakshagana artist from Dakshin Kannada district who has just started on a long and uncertain journey. “We travel from village to village to perform in Dakshin Kannada district and some other districts of Tamil Nadu,” he says. “Our troupe has sixteen members. Usually the themes of our plays are based on Hindu mythology. Some of the most performed plays are different chapters from Ramayana like ‘Jatayu moksh’. Besides being part of the troupe, I also help my father with his grocery shop.” Murthy is deeply devoted to Yakshagana and somebody who sees his future in it. He wants to follow in the footsteps of Padmashree Hegde. “I dream of being like Chittani Ramchandra Sir. I don’t care about the money; I want to achieve the standards he has set, that have inspired people to be part of this great art and carry it further.”