Jugal Koul
Mainstream theatre scenario appears upbeat and abuzz to welcome and celebrate, The World Theatre Day with a battery of academically equipped , quality seeking younger theatre directors, actors and activists, keenly addressing to the theatre space of our state, especially when the prestigious 8th theatre Olympics is happening in the city.Reactivation of well noted olden golden theatre groups , regular interactions with the visiting theatre personalities and performers , state/central govt or non govt. institutional support through schemes of sponsor, scholarships, festival remuneration, exposure through exchange and invitations for participation in wide spectrum of theatre fests across the country,are the factors for acceleration in the theatre activity and movement.
56th World Theatre day
On its seventieth annual celebration, to identify with the diverse aspects of the global cultures and theatre , executive council of International Theatre Institute, this year has selected five different authors for the International message , from the respective UNESCO Regions: Africa, the Americas, Arab Countries, Asia Pacific and Europe. Renowned Indian Theatre Director,actor and Academician, Ram Gopal Bajaj has been chosen from the Asia pacific region to author the International Theatre Message this year.
In the 9th World Congress of the International Theatre Institute at Vienna ,on June 1961 ,President Arvi Kivimaa, representing Finnish Centre, had proposed the initiation of “World Theatre Day” duly backed and supported by the Scandinavian centres.At the beginning of the Cold War, immediately after the second world war ,on the main initiative of the first UNESCO Director General, Sir Julian Huxley, and the noted playwright and novelist , JB Priestly, International Theatre Institute had come in to existence, just fourteen years before the formal celebrations of World Theatre Day had commenced. First International message was authored by the French playwright and film maker Jean Cocteau in the year 1962.
Although Bhasa’s Madhyama Vyyoga, Mahendr-averman’s Mattavilasa, Bodha-yana’s Bhagavadajjukam have been attempted on stage by the legendry theatre director KaviRattan Sharma in his active days, yet the Indian classical theatre plays, seem to be long forlorn and forgotten treasure, by the successive theatre exponents ,especially in our part of the Himalayas. This is what, renowned theatre maestro Rattan Thyaam during his interaction with the theatre community in Jammu, was seriously concerned about. Mahakavi Basa’s Sanskrit play ‘Urubhangam’ in its dogri adaptation by Kumar A Bharti,designed and directed by Abhishek Bharti after a long time, came as a colossal surprise in this context. Adapted to the modern proscenium stagecraft, the construct and exposition of the play appeared purely in classical flavor and ambience. A special restrain in maintaining classically relevent abhinaya (acting),Rasa (sentiment) and Bhava(emotion) was the highlight of this honest creative effort. Waves of known rasas like Sringara (love), Bibhastsa (disgust), Raudra (Fury), Karuna (Compassion), Veer (Heroic) could be evidently felt by the spellbound audience. Innovative usage of Rangpati, onstage live music drum beats, folk elements, masks, makeup and classical costumes, genuinely recaptured the saga of Sanskrit theatre.
Traditionally a certain amount of shyness has always persisted to approach western classics, Greek or Shakespearean theatre, although several adaptations of celebrated works of Chekov, Lorka, Brecht, Sameul Bracket ,Authol Fugard, Moliere, Sartre,Shaw and others have been dealt with, in varied connotations. Kavi Rattan was the first one to break the ice by staging one of his greatest directorial masterpiece, “Spartacus” in the decade of 1980s .Since few years one can surely discover a firm initiation and sustained effort in this direction. Young director Ravinder Sharma has meticulously employed his directorial skills in consistently exploring Greek tragedies and Shakespearean plays.Antigone, Hamlet, Macbeth ,Tempest(For Children),Odipus Rex are the noted ones.His earned abilities of recapturing western classics in form and substance is worth appreciating.
Present day world eagerly looks for the art work, that ushers in to real spiritual joy and bliss. Dark tragedies certainly have a role in equipping us with indelible treasure of drama and theatre-craft, but there is the other lighter side of these treatises, which our conditioned mind fails to access.Young theatre director Aarushi Thakur’s insightful adaptation and directorial wonders of Shakespeare’s hillarious comedies , ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and ‘Twelfth night’ are the true mile stones in this direction. Owing to her education , family background and attending on training workshops at RADA (London) and NSD her theatrical skills are amazingly original, fresh and dynamic.
It is a matter of great honour that Jammu has been chosen as one of the prestigious venues for the 8th edition of Theatre Olympics, the largest international theatre festival, being hosted in India by National School of Drama and co hosted by JK Academy of Art ,Culture and Languages. Inaugural play, Mihir Bhuta’s “Chanakya” directed by noted Film,television and theatre personality,Manoj Joshi, unfolds a captivating panorama of unparalleled acting skills by Manoj and his other co-actors.Joshi has spent half of his life playing “Chanakya” and play has become a landmark in the history of contemporary Indian Theatre scenario. A pinnacle of realistic theatre craft and acting skills, ‘Chanakya’ besides entertainment , has several amazing aspects to educate and enlighten the theatre community with.Jammu chapter of 8th Theatre Olympics will be witness to the work of eminent contemporary legends like, Girish Karnad, Rattan Thiyam, Nadira Babar, KKRaina, Prashant Khirvadkar, Sourabh Shukla, Deborah Merola and Gema Galiana.
India inherits an illustrious ancient legacy where great eloquent theatre performances commanded by Bharat Muni’s ‘Natyashastra’, world’s first dramaturgy, swayed over the entire oriental kingdoms. Classical age was testimony to the impressive paraphernalia and highly sophisticated yet popular theatre masterpieces from the legendary playwrights like Bhasa, Kalidasa, Shudraka ,Bhavabuti and others. Eighth theatre Olympics in India could become a rare interface between our classical, present and forth coming times. Its inaugural edition held in Delphi Greece in 1995,had revolved mostly around the legacy of Greek tragedies. Through the celebrated international and Indian productions the exchange is expected to bring and integrate the cultural diversities to the contemporary ethos, through the enchanting prism of theatre. Mounted on this basic thought, Greek theatre director, Theodoros Terzopoulos, had conceptualised “Theatre Olympics”,seeking harmony between ideas ,cultures, forms and practices.
Performed at marked international destinations, widely acclaimed, endearing theatrical Masterpiece, “Ghumayee” a colourful mosaic of touching folktale and cruel ecological challenges, interwoven through the ingenious and insightful imagery by none other than the legendry theatre director Padamshri Balwant Thakur ,will yet again be a delight for the theatre onlookers of 8th theatre Olympics. Eminent theatre director and celluloid actor Mushtaq Kak who was conferred with Sangeet Natak Akademi award for his persistently long contribution to the quality theatre is also a participant in the 8th Theatre Olympics with his recent most acclaimed play “Ishq Malangi” written by Khalid Hussain and dramatised by Pritam Katoch Three other known plays selected for 8th theatre Olympics include ‘Aalav’ by Arshad Mushtak,’ Akunandan’ by Bhawanu Bashir Yasir, Angrez Pather by Manzoor Ahmed Mir.
In her thought provoking International Theatre Message, Maya Zbib,the famous Lebanon based Theatre director, performer and writer, strongly envisages the role of theatre in liberating the present day human mind, caged by the vagaries of virtual space,”Theatre is here to remind us that we are made of flesh and blood, and that our bodies have weight. It is here to awaken all our senses, and to tell us that we don’t need to seize and consume with our sight alone.”
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