Modern Indian Theatre: A Reader

Since the late nineteenth century, theatre has remained central to social and political movements in India. An important forum for progressive writers and political activists in the early twentieth century, it has served to raise concerns in post-Independence India as well. Modern Indian Theatre brings together critical essays, excerpts, and theoretical and political statements that reflect upon the changing visions for theatre since the late nineteenth century. Representing a wide spectrum of perspectives including those of playwrights-directors themselves, important voices in theatre criticism and history, practice, and direction, the articles reveal the multifaceted, hybrid, and contested formations of modern Indian theatre. The writings address questions relating to theatre’s negotiation with issues of class, caste, and gender; the ways in which ‘nation’ came to be imagined at critical historical moments; the response of drama to the emergence and domination of mass media, and the proliferation and influence of Western media in India; and the role of actors and the myriad meanings of scenery, performance spaces, architecture, and language. With a perceptive Introduction by Nandi Bhatia that enables an informed understanding of theatre’s ambivalent and paradoxical relationship to 'modernity', this reader will engage and inform students and teachers of Indian theatre and performance studies, theatre critics, as well as general readers.