Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa, Francis Ford Coppola, and Federico Fellini. These are just some of the greatest filmmakers of a generation who began telling stories in the theatre. The two mediums, for as long as they have been around, have been inextricably linked to each other. Closer home, actors have always been at the forefront…
A new play opens in the city. There is an excited chatter amongst the audience members patiently waiting in line to enter. The bell rings, they stuff the last of the samosas into their mouths and wash it down with cold coffee. As they trickle inside the theatre and find the best seats in the…
On 11 May 1997, the world of chess was shaken. Russian grandmaster and world champion Gary Kasparov had just lost a historic match – he cried foul play and accused his opponent of cheating (which is not uncommon). What was uncommon was the victor: IBM’s supercomputer Deep Blue. A few months later, in the same…
If you drive 75 km eastwards of Bangalore, towards Kolar, you will likely come across Aadima Culture Centre, a cultural institution co-founded by Dalit poet, playwright and philosopher K. Ramaiah. Over the years, it is where many young theatre actors and directors have experimented with children’s theatre, one that is rooted in caste consciousness. Born…
Editor’s Note: India has a rich history in theatre, but our knowledge about the work our contemporaries and older groups have and are doing, is often limited to the geographies we live in. Driven by a curiosity to know about the work being created across the country, over the next couple of months, we will…
“Directly toh ghar mein kabhi baat nahi hoti. Jo kehna hai art ke medium se keh do, phir logon ko pata chalta hai, log sunte hain. (No one ever speaks directly at home. No one listens. If one wants people to listen, say it through art.),” says Mumal, a 29-year-old theatre practitioner based out of…
While putting together an ‘In Memoriam’ section for recently departed luminaries of the stage, it is really striking how their collective lives were a testament to the sheer diversity and breadth of Indian theatre. This is the second in a two-part series, the first can be read here. In the capital, the arc lights dimmed…
Looking back at departed luminaries from the world of performing arts (or any other sphere) is sometimes a matter of publishing compulsion, or perhaps even a ritual of belated obeisance. It’s not so much a contemplation of the ever-present idea of mortality; but more like shining a beacon to illuminate flickering legacies and, indeed, the…
Editor’s Note: India has a rich history in theatre, but our knowledge about the work our contemporaries and older groups have and are doing, is often limited to the geographies we live in. Driven by a curiosity to know about the work being created across the country, over the next couple of months, we will…
Editor’s Note: India has a rich history in theatre, but our knowledge about the work our contemporaries and older groups have and are doing, is often limited to the geographies we live in. Driven by a curiosity to know about the work being created across the country, over the next couple of months, we will…