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THEA REINTEF3NATIONAL

•

EAST-WEST Perspe8tives on Theatre

Vol. I 1994-95 No.11

a Essays on the Theory & Praxis of

World Theatre

Eds. AMITAVA F}OYKAUSHIK DUTTASHARMA

DATTATFIEYA DUTTTANWEEF` A. MAZHARIU

iiil

Published by AVANTGARDE PRESS

THEAmi lNTERNATldNAL`To be published bi-annually (Jan.-June & July-Dec. issues)This Vol. April-May 1996

First published .. A\pwl-May 1994

Sponsored byTHEATRE ARTS WORKSHOP, CALCUTTAa registered, Govt. approved, non-profit theatre group

Printed in India byBengal Lokmat Printers Pvt. Ltd.10 a, Creek Lane, Calcutta 700 014Dial : 274888 / 337 0395.

Cover and Book Des/.gn : Sandipan Bhattacharya

J`+

;-,

Price : India Bs. 250U. K. £ 11

U. S. A. $ 16.50GEBMANY D. M. 27

E=

tt++`---=_

=E= h= Editors" Desk .sHADCEspErmESinibExpeare Society Of Eastern IndiaJrmts* Biithday Celebration of the BardJI ,fbertSE- ChakrabortyAI tliat [s so.lid .melts into air9ekespeare from a neo-Marxist post-modern=Ieseechie. King Lear, Antony and Cleopatra and The TempestPrfe klitraiI am no orator as Brutas is"

Ar analysis of Brutus' speech at Caeser's funeral-Das• dr. Helen cooper's

Serrinar Lecture on Shakespeare :afi Calcutta University

cLj\sslcAL AslAN DnAMAComparative PerspectiveS. F\amaswamySeami Motokiyo's Concept of Yugen :The Japanese Noh And Sanskrit Drama

Parasuram RamamoorthiFeihinist TheatrePolitics and Performance : A view of Feminist Theatre

FOLK THEATREFolk Traditions and TheatreArnab F\ayThe Life and Death of ALKAP : An Enquiry® i QDebjani Das

t Gambhira and Alkap : A Comparative studyArnab FlayThe Wig-makers of Kulai

®

27

33

39

\

STREET THEATREAmitava F?oyRehearsals for Revolution : Street Theatte and theKanoria Jute Mill CrisisMihir SahaStreet Theatre with Badal Sirkar : A F]eportArup Ratan Ghosh"I am a man of Theatre, not a playwright" :

an interview with Badal SirkarAnil SinghFrom Collegians to Coal MinersSudip GhoshA commendable attempt and a novel causeG. S. RadhakrishnaBallad are His BulletsJean-Jacques LebelNotes on Political Street Theatre, Paris : 1968, 1969

Peter ManuelEast Indian Music in the West Indies

F3avi ChaturvediDramatic Elements in the Art Movements(Painting and Sculpture) of theTwentieth Centure : A Quick Glimpse and SurveyH. Masud TajSong for the Besieged : a poem

AMEHICAN DRAMASourin GuhaOn Hem.ingway.s Play '. The Fifth Column

CONTEMPOF!ARY THEATRE IN PFIODUCTloNS: F3amaswamyA London Theatre Chronicle (Dec. '94 to Feb. 95)

65

70

89

101

107

®

h=-`r--.,-`--- th

±±!±±=±±\ Chattopadhayay ®Shaian iconcept of Heroism :ShiERTi cn Shakespeare

fflolI TliE ARCHIVESTamreer A. Mazharir=ren Ghosh (1895-1947)T=.'€ of Contents, Art plates, and lllustrations ofTHE FOUF` ABTS ANNUAL,1935,1936-37

` - E=,r:orial of THE FOUP APITS ANNUAL,1936-37tPfaren GhoshThe 'Chau; (Masked) Dancers of SeraikellaComments and Appreciations

TAGOF}ESymposium on Tagore's Plays : QuestionnaireSaroj Mohan Mitra and Manju Dutta GuptaPabitra SirkarThe Post OfficeBenoy Kr. BanerjeeBabindranath Tagore's The Post Off/.ce and J. M. Synge'sThe We// of 77}e Sa/.nfs : A Comparaiive `ApproachSaibal BasuTh6 Pattern of Illusion; Death and Pebirthin some plays of Tagore

Amitava RoyExit The King : Obituary for Eugene lonesco

Arup Ratan GhoshThe Manyfaceted portrait of an Artist : `A Book Peview

Our Contributors

127

130135

137139

159

163

169

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

DP. AJIT GHOSH-Late|y° Vidya8agar Professor and Head

of the Deptt. of Bengali, BabindraBharati University.

-Ex-President, Bangiya SahityaParishad.

-Editor, Eastern Zone, SahityaAkademi Anthology of IndianLiteratures.

SRI BUDDHADEV DASGUPTA- Film Director.

DR. DILIP BAF]UA-Professor of English, Bardhamanuniversity & Exec. President,Shakespeare Society of EasternIndia.

DP. GOURISHANKAR BHATTACHARYA- Lately Professor and Head, Deptt. of

Drama, Babindra Bharati university.DR. ISSAC SEQUEIRA

-Senior Academic Fellow (Literature /

Humanities) Amercan Studies BesearchCentre, Hyderabad.

DR. JASBlf] JAIN-Professor of English & Director,

Academic Staff Collage, University ofJaipur, Rajasthan.

a, PROF. KUMAR ROY-Professor of Drama (Retd.) Rabindra

Bharati University & Director,"BOHUPUPEE" Theatre Group.

PROF. MANOJ MITHA-Head of the Deptt. of Drama, Babindra

Bharati University; Playwright andDirector, "SUNDABAM" TheatreGroup.

DR. MANJu DUTTA GuPTA- Lately Professor of English, Rabindra

Bharati University,DFZ. NAGABHUSHANA SAF]MA

- Professor of Theatre Arts and Deen,Osmania university, Hyderabad.

DF. NARAYAN MUKHERJEE I;-Professor, Deptt, of Languages,Calcutta University.

DR. PRALAY DEV-Professor of English, Kalyani Univer-

sity and Visiting Professor, Deptt. ofEnglish, Rabindra Bharatj University.

DR. RAMARANJAN MUKHERJEE-Professor Emeritus (Sanskrit) ;

Ex-Vice Chancellor, Bardhaman and

cRhaabi:#:r?i:rrua:'a¥ns::rss#t;un,v6rsityDr. PABltRA SARKAR

-Professor of Bengali, JadavpurUniversity and Vice-Chancellor,• Rabindra Bharati university.

SRI Suf]AJIT GHOSH- Drama Critic.Poet and Theatre

Director, Editor 'PPOMA'.DR. S. HAIVIASWAMY

- Lately Professor of English, BangaloreUniversity and Visiting Fellow, Ameri-can Studies Pesearch Centre,Hyderabad.

6fil suvoPIANJAN DASGuPTA .-Special Correspondent, The Ananda

Bazar Patrika Group.PFIOF. RAVI CHATURVEDI

-Head of the Deptt. of Performingp

.4 Arts and Drama, University of Jaipur,Bajasthan.

WORKING ED[TOF=SAMITAVA ROY

-Head of the Deptt. of English &

Visiting Professor, Deptt. of Drama,Babindra Bharati University.

-Co~Founder, Shakespeare Societyof Eastern India.

-Director, Theatre Arts Workshop.DATTATP. ERA DUTT

-Senior Lecturer, Deptt. of Drama,

Flabindra Bharati University.-Director. Theatre Arts Workshop

(North Calcutta Branch).KAUSHIK DUTTASHARMA

-Lecturer. Deptt, of English,

Arunachal university.-Director. "Samasamayeek"

Theatre Group.TANWEER A. MAZHARl

. -Lecturer, Deptt. of English,Pamakrishna Mission, Belur College& Visiting Lecturer, Vidyasagaruniversity, Midnapore, W. Bengal.

h`;±=L--j¥:~=ae *-i-, . i±= =-2

From the EDITORS' DESK

a

THEATRE INTEFINATIONAL, EAST-WEST Perspectives on Theatre .. Thp ti!Jetells you where we are at. This is an international Journal-cum-Dramabook. In theconstitution of its Editorial Board, through its intended wide-angle global readership, initsrangeandscopeofsubjectmatterand focus,initsselectionofexpertsandspecialistwritersthispublicationwiildoitsbesttocatertothefrontierlessinternationalcommunityof the Performing Arts and Artists.

We present this publication i'n the hope that it may enrich the Indian theatre culture

in concrete ways -for the i)resent dramatic culture lacks a creative correlationbetween Theory and Praxis. We feel that through our connections and involvement inUniversity Performing Arts, Drama and Literature Departments Theatre /nfemaf/.ona/

• is particularly favourably situated to bridge the grey areas between pedagogy and

performance.Ontheotherhand,theatreisultimatelyperformance.Hencepapersandarticles on the productional aspects will find valuable place in all issules of 77.

Moreover, the realisation that the theatre cuts across .Doth culture and history isevident in the works of our avantgarde theatre workers. The University Dramadepartmentshaveeveryaccesstoandspecialavenuesofcommunicationwiththeatremovements throughout India and abroad. 77 commits itself to the task of making thenecessary inter-cultural linkages and disseminating the available material to theatreenthusiasts here. Likewise T/ can help make the intelligentsia abroad aware of theIndian, Asian and Third World theatre scene. Hence 77 can serve as a medium andforum for international cultural exchange.

u

Both our masthead and our readership include and span high-lQ decision-makersin the Performing Arts spread across the five continents - university Faculty,members of Akademis and theatre ensembles, performing artists and intellectuals, thecultural avantgarde of Europe, Amei:ica and Asia. The contents of I/ will thus rangefrcrmKathakali.toKabukj,fromtheYakshaganatotheGuerillaTheatre.fromthepekingOpera to performative processes of the European avantgarde, from Tagore to T. S.Eliot, Shakespeare to Stanislavsky, Kafka to.Karhad,a:9ckett to Badal Sircar reflectingand embodying the creative thrust of the global theatre scene. . .

Apart from focussing on this vibrant variety and wide range of world theatre, in everyissue 77 will feature articles and papers highlighting the works of and controversies.around BBECHT, SHAKESPEAPIE and TAGOPE. FOLK THEATPE, FEMINISTTHEATPIE and PPODUCTION LOGS will also be recurring features of 71. So will bethe publication of Playtexts in most issues. Future Special Numbers will include issueson GEBMAN THEATPE IN INDIA, THEATPE & FILM, POLITICAL THEATBE.

Our grateful thanks go out to `all our contributors who have made this issue anexciting read -to all of us here in India for their wonderfully sustained co-operatioriand to Peter MANUEL and Guenter GPIASS of U.S.A. and Germany whose creativecontributions have enriched 77 no end.

We wish you a happy theatrical journey through the pages of rHEArf?EINTERNATIONAL.

- Eds.

C,

IV. 8. - 1. The opinions expressed in the articles published are to be attributedto the writers, not to the editors or to the institution.

2. Articlesandpapersaregenerallycommissioned. Unsolicitedcontribu-tions are also welcome. They should be typed in double space on oneside of the page and` normally conform to generally accepted Biblio-

graphical conventions for academic articles : like the MLA style sheet.Though other experimental formats will also be considered.

Playtexts from new playwrights and franslations of plays and theatredocuments are particularly welcome.

•# L`J` q.cht

.

~

• Our Contributors

SANTANu CHAKRABORTY : Young, avantgarde Marxist thinker and attivist, Scholar of ComparatrveLiterature,painterandpart-timeuniversjtystudentattheforefront.of grass-roots,populist,tradesunionandarfuEstablishment movements. A Shakespearian of rising stature, of revolutionary promise and potential he is acommitted intellectual writer who can wield both ''the pen and the gun".

PAPIYAMITRA:Aleaderamongthejust-out-of-collegegroupofuniversityLecturerswho,thoughfreshandgreen,isTncreasjnglymakingherpresenceteltamonghermoreseniorcolleagues.Thisisherfirstappearamejn print in an international academic journal.

EE=MANASDAS:AmongthetopstudentintellectualsofthefinalyearMAClassOftheCalcuttaUniversityDas

blends a maturing mind with high enthusiasm.

S.RAMASWAMY:Fellow,Sielimancollege,Yaleuniversityheisaninternationalguruofinterculturalstudies.Sanskritist,theatreexpertwithinterestsrangingfromKalidasatoKafkaandbeyond,philosopher.editor.linguisthehasbeeninvitedaHacrossthe5continentstolectureontopicsrangingfromclassjcalJapaneseDramatothelatest experimental Commonwealth playwright. His annual Shakespeare Foundation Lecture at the BritishCounc"-Shakespearesocietycelebratjons(tobepublishedinTIVol2/1)wasanastonishingguidedtourthroughthemazesoflndianphilosophyvis-a-visHam/efandaleamedyetintimatediscourseon5TamiltranslationsctShakespear'splay-thatshookuptheShakespearelndustryinthjspartofthelndiansub-continent.CurrentlycontemplatingashakespearianprojectamongthehighmountainsoftheAdvancedstudieslnstituteinshimla.IndiaheisindeedaManforaaseasonswho"typeofthewise"everremains"truetothekindredpoint§ofheavenand home".

J

PARASuRAMARAMAMOORTHY:HeadoftheDeptt.of Drama,Madurai-Kamarajuniversity,heisadramascholarandpracticalman-of-the-theatreofinternationalrenown.Speciallyknownforhisin-depth,comparativecritiquesandperspectivesonclassicalandfolkdramaoflndjaandthecurrentFeministicandpoliticalTheatreofthe West. Playwright and theatre director.

MIHIRSAHA:Anexcellentphoto-journalistwithspecialinterestjnoff-prosceniumandexperimentaltheatreactivities.

PETERMANUEL:Americanmultjculturalist,musicspecialistandperformingartsexpertofwide-renown.

AENABRAY:Theatreresearcher,journalistwithspectalinterestintheinterfacebetweenDrama,FilmandLiteratureRayhaspubljshednumerousarticlesinthemedia.Thisishisfirstappearanceinaresearchjoumal.Atirelessspokesmanforthefast-vanishingfolkartsoftheEasternregionoflndia.

DEBJANIDAS:Acommittedhistorianandresearcherintoculturalanthropology,folktheatretraditionsandsociologyMs.Dasremarkablyworksinhervariedbutrelatedareasofspecialjzation.

RAVICHATURVEDI:Chairperson,Deptt,ofPerformingandDramaticArts,universityofRajasthan,JaipurhasjustreturnedfromahighlysuccessfuHecture-Gum-researchtourinEurope.Spearheadsboththeuniversrtytheatreactjvityoftheregionanditssmall-screenmixed-audienceTelevisionprogrammes.Anintellectualwhoisyet a man of the people.

DEBASISHCHATTOPADIIYAY:YoungCollegeanduniversitylecturerofgrowjngreputewhoseinterestsrange from Bomantic to Modern drama.

SOURIN GUHA : Among Bengal's noted American Lit. specialists Prof. Guha holds a doctorate on ScottFitzgerald from Rabindra Bharati U. Is Chairperson, Deptt. of English, Netajinagar College, Calcutta and has

174

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published widelpoet in ESngali.

in scholarly anthologies including 7-/ a d the Calcutta U. Bulletin of Eng. Lit. Also a sought-after

AMITAVAFIOY:CurrentlyholdsthechairoftheShckespeareProfessoratRabindraBharatiU.andisCo-•founder,theSha*espeareSoct.efyofEastem/ndi.a.(Est.1985).AsDirector,Thea{reArfeWork§hop(Est.1973)

i::#gfe:a:n:A:3o:s:iEngLob7:::s:ngg:a:I:(§th::,"s:e:;I;::of:c:ozn:#:aJ,'iet;h:;£j!e;oga:;uLt:An;nc;f:I:;:t::cn;::::#:;P£:#?bnd;:::e:td::Banerjeeofwa/."ng/orGodofauthorisedbyBecketthimselfwhichranarecordsixyearsfroml969-75incalcutta.HisothermajorrolesincludeJerry-lndrajit(Zoosfory),ThomasBeckett(Murden.ntheoathedraA,Juliuscaesat,•ir:&isdTh`,'iiJ{.Eggs-(Fig-b5ial;sFlehearse`theuprisi.ngn,.Xerxes(Pee_?hy}.:±.PLO_r.s±€TSP^e^ts:

ATheatredirectorofwide-rangingexperiencehehastouredextensivelyinthetheatrecapitalsoftheworldandworkedwithgroupsanddirectorsirrandfromtheUSA.uK,GermanyandAustriaincludingGeorgTABORlandHansHEYME.AsdirectorhismostrenownedproductionsincludeB/.p/aberMohora(theBengalitranscreation

::eGn:e:tdearp?art:::':'eB:iagna:;Coot-¥:emc:esdrr':::i:sa:::::::%r::5!i#s",gp#"Ar:::#;,`J:Tfagre%?g#-r:|oeg-;°::8aF5;=3a=s",uLYg-#o:i.ighe-i.E5u-i;riina-ir,-i.--riorow.nz'sThel.nqianvyint?the_P,r?.?I_=n_d_\lo+t\s,g:_S^h=±e^S.Paer%.r\e..

Mostrecentlyhasdirectedandactedinseveralacclaimed(andaward-winning)TVfilm§andserials.Latestteletilmis/nsearchoftheourgausingpoetJoewintersMedi.raft.ononthGGoddessaspart-textandcommentaryas celebrations of the Durga in Calcutta.

A founder-editor of both the RBU Drama and English Deptt. Journals, the author of numerous papers onthe%rueu#nudedrr5au#=:cu€r=ev#:;;W;rfin-gEdiiisriFe-atree|-nternational.5waysofGettingaMuslimoutofaFoxhale(I/,1/1)ishisfirst,andimmediatelycontroversial,play.

MASUDTAJ:Bombay-basedinternationallyawardedleadingarchitectoflndiawithadeepfascinationwithand knowledge of poetry and the theatre.

TANWEER MAZHARI : One of the most brilliant young College and univ. lecturers in English now working

::eB:n|8rar';!ha't:ohi%:I,g-§a3:'taJ:eendt#epa:;:t:%esso::est.y°,nEpa':tt:rrid°#ee::.r/SworklngEditorshisspecialinterestison

SAIBALBASU:AteacherinthefoothillsofmountainousNorthBengalhehasestablishedhimselfasaTagoreexpertatanearlyagethroughhismulti-andmixedmediaperformancesofFlabindranath'spoemsandplaysandthrough scholarly papers such as the one published in this volume of I/.

PABITRASARKAR:CurrentlyVice-Chancellor,R.8.u„ProfessorSarkarhasdistinguishedhimselfinmanyacademicandculturalfields:dramacriticandTheatrespecialist,Tagoreexpert,poet,linguistandlinguisticianamong the leading intellectuals of India now.

BENOY BANERJEE : A distinguished academic and sure-tooted scholar-teacher from North BengalUniversityrenownednationallyforhisinsightful,comparativeperspectivesontheatre,EastandWest.

SAROJMOHANMITPIA:ProfessorofBengaliliteratureandoneoftheforemostlndianBrechtspecialistsDr.Mitra`scontributiontolndo-GermanculturalconnectionsandTagorestudiesareinvaluableworksofscholarship.

MANJuDUITAGUPTA:Brilliantretd.professorofEnglishassociatedwiththethreeuniversitiesinCalcuttaas expert and advisor, her book on the one-Act play and papers on feminist poets and playwrights areinternationallyknown.HerspecialinterestinanddeepknowledgeofTagoreTheatrearepowerfullyexpressedin her response to Rabindranath published in this Volume of I/.

ARuP FIATAN GHOSH : Drama critic,`cultural journalist, poet and film buff, teacher of English at SouthSuburbanHighSchool,Calcutta,Ghoshisattheforefrontofthemostpromisingyoungscholarsandcritisothisgeneration.Hispath-breakingdoctoraldissertationontheimpactoftheEuropeanAbsurdTheatreonModernBengaHplaywrightshasattractedintensedebate,interestandcontroversy.TheoutstandingexpertonBadalSircarandlndia'sThirdTheatremovement,hiswritingsonDrama,FilmandArtinOesh,AnandeBazarpafrt.ka,Jugantar,Amr/taBaza/Pafrr.kaandinnum¢rousotherreputednewspapersand"littlemagazines"havehelpe.g.shapeourmodemsengibilityasalsoexplorethepost-modernistdimensionsofourculture.

175I

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