NATIONAL CONSULTATION ON ROLE OF THEATRE IN SOCIO-POLITICAL CONFLICTS 1. Introduction: Theatre, evolving at the dawn of human civilisation out of the early language and enculturation process, today seems to be distancing itself from human lives and societies. This in no way signifies the absence of serious efforts here and globally to usher theatre based on contemporary realities. Yet, the harsh reality is that it now wields very little influence on mainstream society. There are several reasons for this. The journey of modern theatre in India started about 6 decades back. The post-1930s decades were characterised by the national struggle for independence, resistance and movements against social and cultural discrimination, and the struggle for gender equality, which had a deep influence on our literature, arts and theatre. These developments led to a major shift in the content of theatre. Theatre and writers’ movements like the Indian People’s Theatre Association – IPTA and the Progressive Writer’s Association – PWA also came into being. Theatre remained consistently active in modern India. It highlighted the socio-political-economic-cultural contradictions of a rapidly modernising India. It experimented with various forms. Modern theatre made a notable contribution to the creation of a civil society in India. Yet, Its pace slowed down in the 70s. Nationally and globally, socio-political structures foreshadowed the changes which were to come in the 80s and the 90s. This led to a search for a new language of theatre – nationally and internationally. In India playwrights and theatre activists like Badal Sarkar, Girish Karnad, Vijay Tendulkar, Mohan Rakesh, Ibrahim Al-Kazi, Satyadev Dubey, Gursharan Singh, Habib Tanvir, were involved in giving a new meaning and perspective (taaseer) to theatre. Dramatists/ playwrights like Augusto Boal, Peter Brooke, and Grotovsky were involved in a similar struggle in Latin America, Europe and other parts of the world. In the post-80s decades, the Reagan-Thatcher plan, the fall of the socialist regimes of Russia and Eastern Europe, and the rapid expansion of the process of GLP led to drastic changes in our economic system and structures. ‘Identity politics’ began to take on a negative role especially in the context of the marginalised communities. Communal-religious groups strengthened their hold on the masses. Fundamentalist zealotry was on the rise. The class-consciousness brought about by modernity/modernism began to be pushed to the margins. Globalisation made the market all-powerful. Mainstream theatre began to cater to the market demands. The gloom in the people’s movements affected theatre too and led to its dissipation. Pro-people political agitations were rudderless. They are yet to find their bearings and their theatre is similarly caught. The development sector, in the last four decades, has tried to link theatre with the grassroots issues of the people. However, the modern IT technologies have attracted both the development sector as well as the theatre activists. These changed circumstances have posed several and serious challenges and raise questions of relevance and orientation to theatre. What can be the role of theatre in such situations? In our country, cultural activists and artistes are struggling but most efforts are isolated and un-connected. These efforts are largely ignored by mainstream media, while even the alternate media is not able to project these efforts well. In this context, Samvedan Cultural Programme seeks to garner support from like minded organisations in hosting a 4-days consultation involving cultural activists from all over the country in mid-January 2008.

• published: 17 Oct 2014
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