Table Of ContentDilemmas of a Contemporary Theatre Practitioner
CHANDRADASAN
T hiswillbemoreofapersonalchronicleofmydevelopmentasatheatredirectorthanany
• eruditeobservationonthestatusofcontemporary.theatre.Iventuretowntethisbecause
thedilemmasandchallengesfacingatheatrepersoninIndiatodayremainmoreorlessthe
samethroughoutthecountry.ThereforeIbelievemyexperiencehasageneralcharacter.and
recordingitmaybeofsomevalue.
IwasnotconsciousofanyinspirationoraspecificmodelwhenIstartedworkinginthe
theatre.Ofcourse, I had some examples 10 follow. As a young man, I was lucky 10 see
A"unumn Kadamba, oneofthe best playsever produced in Kerala, written by Kavalam
NarayanaPanikkar,directedbyG.Aravindan,andperformed byahostofcelebratedactors
like Nedumudi Venu,Natarajan, KrishnanKutty Nair,Jagannnathan, and Gopi.Similarly,
productions byR.NarendraPrasadat theNatyagriharn, and the works ofyoungdirectors
and writerslikeT.M.Abraham,Omcheri,Indukurnar and P.Balachandranopenedupnew
vistasforme.Theseworksrepresented varioustrendsintheatrepracticesinKeraladuring
the19705.
OverandabovethiswasthecultfigureofG.SankaraPillai,whoinspiredawholegeneration
oftheatre workers in Kerala. Together with S.Ramanujan and other theatre personswho
cametoteachanddoproductionsattheSchoolofDrama,Trichur,ProfessorSankaraPilJai
instilledinusthepassionandthecouragetopursuetheatre asacareer. Iwasnotaregular
studentatthe school but afrequentvisitor.The workshops,lectures, writing, and regular
interactionswithothertheatrepersonshelpedmedevelopanewsensibilityandaesthetics
inregardtotheatre.andacertaindisciplineandethicstoo.lfIamtonameonesinglesource
ofinspiration.whichatanypointcf'timeisadifficulttaskforanyartist,Iwouldstillthinkof
ProfessorSankaraPillaiandtheTrichurSchoolofDrama.Theworkshopsandlecturesessions
introduced ustoStanislavski,Artaud,Beckett,Ionesco,Brecht, Pinter,Grotowsky,Genet,
Shaffer,EdwardBond,RobertWilson,andmanyothers.Wecarnetoknowaboutnewtrends.
theoriesand happenings inthe West,as wellas the rich heritage of India and otherAsian
countries.Moreimportantly,theatre wastaughttous asseriously asanyotheracademic
discipline.Ithelpedusapproachallaspectsoftheatreinamethodical manner,beitselection
ofascriptanditsinterpretation,blockinganddesigning,preparationoftheperformancetext,
workwithactors,ormobilizationofresources.Theatrebecameanactivitywhichcalledfor
expertiseandprofessionalexperience.Likeasilentandinvisiblegod, theNationalSchoolof
Dramaremainedfaraway,intheNorth.NowIunderstandthatitisfromthisuniqueinstitution
andthegreatAlkazithatthenewsystemand sensibilitycamedownto us.
There~ereothe~influencestoo- theinfluenceofcontemporarypoetry.fiction.culture.
anddoctrinesofphilosophy.Again,theWestsetthetrendinthe19705.Politicalactivitywas
nolong~rawo~ypursuit,andmygenerationgotmoreandmoredisillusionedanddetached
from thisactivlty,~iterature was filled with surreal, metaphysical narratives; fantasyand
personal,mages drifted more and more towards theabstract. Narrative wasreplaced by
SGngeel NlJtal: Nos. 137-138. 2000
DILEMMAS OF A THEATREPRACTmOSER 17
expressionisticandothernewtechniques.Evenlanguagewashandledinsuchamannerthat
anoriginalworkinMalayalamoftenlooked,read,andsoundedlikeatranslationfromanalien
language. This no doubt elevated the artistic expressionand helpedthewriterdealwith
complexlayersoflife,butthenativellavourwaslost.Withabroaderspectrumofauthorship,
anew sensibilityandequipment,ourliteraturebecame 'international'.Itwasonlynatura)
thatthese newtrends inliteratureshouldaffectthetheatreanditsaesthetics.
Exposure tocontemporaryWestern literaturetogetherwith formalschoolingintheatre
led10modernisticexperimentsintheKeralatheatre.ManyplaysofBrecht.Bedell.Pinter
and Genet were performed on rural stages to astounded villagers. In 1986. Iproduced
Deathwatch:for a villagetheatre group; wefellthatthetheatreinKeralahadnowbecome
experimentalandmodem.Buttheexcitementdidnotlast.Thevillagersrefusedtoappreciate
theseabstruse experimentsintheatre.Theycouldnotrelatetheirexperiencesandday-to
daylifewith the situations portrayed intheavant-gardetheatre.It failedtoexpresstheir
culture.history.andaestheticsensibilities.
Theattemptto buildupanindigenoustheatre wasgoingonsimultaneouslywith these
experimentations.KavalamNarayanaPanikkarwasgoingaheadwithhisownsearch.and
G.SankaraPillaitoldusthat"thetheatreoftheearthisneverdead"- wehavetoexploreour
ownroots. Butmanyoftheseinquirieslackedtheemotionalenergycharacteristicofatrue:
theatricalexperience,anddidnotrelatetocontemporaryexperience.The prosceniumwas
abandoned andthetheatre moved to non-conventional spaces.Folkperformanceswere
revived tofashionnewtoolsofexpression.Manyyoungsters,includingmyself,joinedthis
quest.Variousart forms _ archaicorrecent, crudeorfine. rituals.dance-dramas-were:
revisitedwithanewpurposeandenergy. .
Throughthisprocess, Iclearlyunderstoodthatmytheatrehad10bemouldedonmylife
andenvironmentifIreallywantedtocommunicatewithmypeople.Thestyle.theform,and
the technique had to evolve from my encounterswiththepastand thepresent,WIth my
specificculture.Thatis,mytheatrehadtoberootedinthesmallvillagein.KeralawhereIwas
bornandbrought up.Thecolourfulfestivalprocessiongoingupthe.windingvdlage.path,
o~black
upthelittlemound.hadtogivememymovementpatterns:thefiercentes magic.and
theexorcistritualswitnessedinchildhoodhad10bethesourceofmyemotionalecstasy.the
musichadtocomefromthesongsofthepaddy-fieldandthesongsofthewaveringdrunkard:
theecstasyof thedevotee'dancing withanarrowpiercinghischeeks.likeonepossessed.
. . f ~ Thenarrative
hadtogivemetheenergytowithstandthepressureandstrain0 pellonnances.. .
styleandtechnique hadtocomefromthestoriesthevillagetoldme;thescemcdesignhad
tocome from the paddy-field, playground, secret meetingplaces inthebushes,.andthe
ChJldh~
awesomegraveyardsurroundedbyhighwalls.Theheroes.gods,anddemonsof
theancestors.andsimplelivingmortalshadtobethecharacters;theidolsandIconscarne
inchurchprocessions and bythepariahsduringtheirfestivals.hadtobethesourceofmy
. ' li . dthes bdetyWIthwhich
Images.Therealityofvillagelifehad10givemethestory-me.an u d h
theV.illagercommunicatesh0isagonies.anxj.et'res,andreealionstotheworldha 10etdeiae mde
theessence of the art of theatre.The villagewith allitscolour.emotions.trag resan
celebrationsdidinfactinspiremytheatre. th . II ce of the West its
. tfreefrom em uen .
But even this search forourrootswasno
CHAI<DRADASAN
18
perceptionsandaestheticunderstanding.RustomBhamchacriticiz.esthisindigenoustheatre.
referringtotheworkofRatanThiyarninthesewords:
Thiyam'stheatre.Iwouldsay.hasbeenstronglyinfluencedbyhisexposuretoproscenium
theatre,asrepresentedtohimbyhismentorAlkaziattheNationalSchoolofDrama.His
framingofaction. timingsofexitsandentrances,lateralgroupings.useofcyclorama.
aboveall,histacitrefusaltoconfronttheaudienceswithabreak.inthenarrativeordirect
addresses-c-theseareconventionsthatstronglyupholdtheillusionofthe fourth wall.
Iquotethis because,as ageneralobservation, I feel itcan apply to anycontemporary
theatrepractitionerinIndia.Thefourthwallisnotthebasicproblem.Itistheaestheticsand
conventionsfollowedtoachieve 'professional' standards in theatre whichconstitutethe
real block. These standards are set somewhere in the West - in the Royal Academyof
DramaticArts(RADA),intheprofessionalhousesonBroadway,orelsewhereinAmericaor
Europe. Professionalexcellenceismeasuredintermsofperfectionofthecraftoftheactor
and perfection of stage technicalities;designed to create a smooth and pleasing product.
Thepracticesandprioritiesofourowntheatrehavebeenresettoachieveaperfect'process'
and'product',asdictatedbyWesternsensibilities.Thustheatrehas becomemoreandmore
an elite and urban activity,moving away from the soul ofthe rural Indianheartland.The
political and cultural features of India's histrionic tradition, and Indian sensibilities,have
beenignoredinthismadraceforprofessionalism.Evenournativeethoshasbeenreinvented
to meet thedemands of the West.Manyof our myths andfolk tales have been retoldand
refabricated to suit Western perceptions of sensuality and sexuality. Producing glossy
literaturetoselltheshowhasbecometheliabilityoftheartist.Theprimaryfeaturesoflndian
theatre- spontaneity,aninformalambience,theinvitationtothespectatortojoininand
complete the creation, and the sense that the meaning of theatre extends beyond the
production- havebeenlost.Buttheatreafterallisnot'presentation','representation',or
amereexhibitionofcraft- a 'show' - as understood by the West today.
Unfortunately,ourtheatreeducationwasmodelled onRADA,andimpartedbyRADA·
educated gurus. Indian narrative and performance practices which could transcend the
barriersofclassandcaste wereforgotten.Ourtheorizationistodaylimitedtourbanreality,
o~ten focused onMandi House.Our schoolsofdrama,including NSD, refuse toacceplor
:urnatanaUd~enceoutsidethecitylimits.Infact,wearealwaysaddressingthenon-audience
10 a few Indian cities. We are catering to the fake sensibilities of urban academics and
intellectuals, creating any, spectacular, expensive productions full of abstract imagery,
symbols,and slippery 'sub-texts'.
WesternagencieswhichfinancetheatreactivitiesinIndiaencourageustoresearchinto
the 'universality,oftemporalexperience'byalienatingnativepracticesfromtheirrootsand
context.Productions with a fake physicality.involving alot of wasted human activity
evenexercises~.rderingongymnastics_ areencouraged.:\1anyoftheseproductionsare
onlyofacademicmterest.AtleastinKerala,manytheatrepersonswhohavebeenfundedby
these ag:nc,es have stopped doing theatre altogether!They seem 10 have lost all reason.
anddontevenseemtounderstandtheirownwordsoractions.Andthetragedyisthatthey
DILEMMAS OFA THEATREPRACTITlO~ER
wereradicalsintheir 'pre-funded' days,anddidpowerfulandmeaningfultheatre.
Weshouldbeawarethattheresourcesofourtheatreareadequatetoaddressthedemands
ofourtime,todeal withcontemporary issues,andtocommunicatedirectlyandeffectively
withtheaudience.WeshouldnotforgetthatoneofthemastersofIndiantheatre,ShriHabib
Tanvir,parted ways with his RADA trainingto workwiththetribalsofChattisgarh and
develophisowntheatre.WeshouldalsorecallthestatementofBadalSircar- fortheatreto
bemeaningful,ithastobeamateurand notprofessional.
Ifeel thataconsciousattempthasto bemadetorevitalizeandreinvent an alternative
Iodiantheatrefreefromtheformalistic,urbanized,eliteaestheticismwhichisthehallmarkof
'good'theatretoday.Amoredirect,simple,open,transparent,vitalandenergeticformmust
evolveintune withourlifeandculture.Theatrehastoaddresstheproblems.theecstasies
andagoniesofourpeople,andtakeintoaccounttheIndiaoutsidecitylimitswhileformulating
itstheory and practice. Even our schools of drama haveto freethemselves fromtheir
overwhelmingaestheticconcernwithcontinuity,texture,composition.balance.andvisual
gibberish.
WehavetorediscoverOUf villagersandtheirsensibilities.asopposedtothe valuesofa
globalizedtheatrewhichthenewcolonialforcesaretryingtocreate.Wemuststressthatwe
cannotacceptasinglemodel oftheatrepractice,asinglesetoftoolsortechnology,asingle
aesthetic governing play and playing area,textandperformance.Wemustemphasizetoo
thatIndian theatre cannotbeonemonolithicstructure.Wehavetoaccept the experience.
eulturesandtraditionsof the manypeoplescoexistinginthiscountry. Thatshouldbethe
guidingprincipleforacontemporarytheatrepractitionerwhojoinsinthequestforanaltemaave
Indiantheatre.
