Theatre in India - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The earliest form of the theatre of India was the Sanskrit theatre

Sanskrit drama

The earliest-surviving fragments of Sanskrit drama date from the 1st century CE. The Mahābhāṣya by Patañjali contains the earliest reference to what may have been the seeds of Sanskrit drama. This treatise on grammar from 140 BCE provides a feasible date for the beginnings of theatre in India.Its...

. It began after the development of Greek

Theatre of Ancient Greece

The theatre of Ancient Greece, or ancient Greek drama, is a theatrical culture that flourished in ancient Greece between c. 550 and c. 220 BC. The city-state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political and military power during this period, was its centre, where it was...

and Roman theatre

Theatre of ancient Rome

The theatre of ancient Rome was a thriving and diverse art form, ranging from festival performances of street theatre, nude dancing, and acrobatics, to the staging of Plautus's broadly appealing situation comedies, to the high-style, verbally elaborate tragedies of Seneca...

and before the development of theatre in other parts of Asia. It emerged sometime between the 2nd century BCE and the 1st century CE and flourished between the 1st century CE and the 10th, which was a period of relative peace in the history of India

History of India

The history of India begins with evidence of human activity of Homo sapiens as long as 75,000 years ago, or with earlier hominids including Homo erectus from about 500,000 years ago. The Indus Valley Civilization, which spread and flourished in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent from...

during which hundreds of plays were written. With the Islamic conquests

Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent

Muslim conquest in South Asia mainly took place from the 13th to the 16th centuries, though earlier Muslim conquests made limited inroads into the region, beginning during the period of the ascendancy of the Rajput Kingdoms in North India, from the 7th century onwards.However, the Himalayan...

that began in the 10th and 11th centuries, theatre was discouraged or forbidden entirely. Later, in an attempt to re-assert indigenous values and ideas, village theatre was encouraged across the subcontinent, developing in a large number of regional languages from the 15th to the 19th centuries. Modern Indian theatre developed during the period of colonial rule

British Raj

British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...

under the British Empire

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

, from the mid-19th century until the mid-20th. In order to resist its use by Indians as an instrument of protest against colonial rule, the British Government imposed the Dramatic Performances Act

Dramatic Performances Act

The Dramatic Performances Act was implemented by the British Raj in India in the year 1876 to police seditious Indian theatre. India, being a colony of the British Empire had begun using the theatre as a tool of protest against the oppressive nature of the colonial rule...

in 1876. From the last half of the 19th century, theatres in India experienced a boost in numbers and practice. After Indian independence in 1947, theatres spread throughout India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

as one of the means of entertainment

Entertainment

Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...

. As a diverse, multi-cultural nation

Nation

A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...

, the theatre of India cannot be reduced to a single, homogenous trend. In contemporary India, the major competition with its theatre is that represented by growing television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

industry and the spread of film

Film

A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

s produced in the Indian film industry

Cinema of India

The cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...

based in Mumbai

Mumbai

Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

(formerly Bombay), known as "Bollywood

Bollywood

Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...

". Lack of finance

Finance

"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...

is another major obstacle.

Sanskrit theatre

The earliest-surviving fragments of Sanskrit drama

Sanskrit drama

date from the 1st century CE. The wealth of archeological evidence from earlier periods offers no indication of the existence of a tradition of theatre. The ancient Vedas

Vedas

The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....

(hymn

Hymn

A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...

s from between 1500 to 1000 BCE that are among the earliest examples of literature in the world) contain no hint of it (although a small number are composed in a form of dialogue

Dialogue

Dialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....

) and the ritual

Ritual

A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....

s of the Vedic period

Vedic period

The Vedic period was a period in history during which the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, were composed. The time span of the period is uncertain. Philological and linguistic evidence indicates that the Rigveda, the oldest of the Vedas, was composed roughly between 1700–1100 BCE, also...

do not appear to have developed into theatre. The Mahābhāṣya by Patañjali

Patañjali

Patañjali is the compiler of the Yoga Sūtras, an important collection of aphorisms on Yoga practice. According to tradition, the same Patañjali was also the author of the Mahābhāṣya, a commentary on Kātyāyana's vārttikas on Pāṇini's Aṣṭādhyāyī as well as an unspecified work of medicine .In...

contains the earliest reference to what may have been the seeds of Sanskrit drama. This treatise on grammar

Grammar

In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...

from 140 BCE provides a feasible date for the beginnings of theatre in India

Theatre in India

The earliest form of the theatre of India was the Sanskrit theatre. It began after the development of Greek and Roman theatre and before the development of theatre in other parts of Asia...

.

The major source of evidence for Sanskrit theatre is A Treatise on Theatre (Nātyaśāstra), a compendium whose date of composition is uncertain (estimates range from 200 BCE to 200 CE) and whose authorship is attributed to Bharata Muni

Bharata Muni

Bharata was an ancient Indian musicologist who authored the Natya Shastra, a theoretical treatise on ancient Indian dramaturgy and histrionics, dated to between roughly 400 BC and 200 BC. Indian dance and music find their root in the Natyashastra...

. The Treatise is the most complete work of dramaturgy in the ancient world. It addresses acting

Acting

Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....

, dance

Dance

Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....

, music

Music

Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...

, dramatic construction

Dramaturgy

Dramaturgy is the art of dramatic composition and the representation of the main elements of drama on the stage. Dramaturgy is a distinct practice separate from play writing and directing, although a single individual may perform any combination of the three. Some dramatists combine writing and...

, architecture, costuming

Costume design

Costume design is the fabrication of apparel for the overall appearance of a character or performer. This usually involves researching, designing and building the actual items from conception. Costumes may be for a theater or cinema performance but may not be limited to such...

, make-up

Theatrical makeup

In the performing arts, theatrical makeup is used to assist in creating the appearance of the characters that actors portray.-Background:In Greek and Roman theatre, makeup was unnecessary. Actors wore various masks, allowing them to portray another gender, age, or entirely different likeness....

, props, the organisation of companies, the audience, competitions, and offers a mythological

Hindu mythology

Hindu religious literature is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Nepali and Indian culture...

account of the origin of theatre. In doing so, it provides indications about the nature of actual theatrical practices. Sanskrit theatre was performed on sacred ground by priests who had been trained in the necessary skills (dance, music, and recitation) in a [hereditary process]. Its aim was both to educate and to entertain.

Under the patronage of royal courts, performers belonged to professional companies that were directed by a stage manager (sutradhara), who may also have acted. This task was thought of as being analagous to that of a puppeteer

Puppetry

Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance which involves the manipulation of puppets. It is very ancient, and is believed to have originated 30,000 years BC. Puppetry takes many forms but they all share the process of animating inanimate performing objects...

--the literal meaning of "sutradhara" is "holder of the strings or threads". The performers were trained rigorously in vocal and physical technique. There were no prohibitions against female performers; companies were all-male, all-female, and of mixed gender. Certain sentiments were considered inappropriate for men to enact, however, and were thought better suited to women. Some performers played character their own age, while others played those different to their own (whether younger or older). Of all the elements of theatre, the Treatise gives most attention to acting (abhinaya), which consists of two styles: realistic (lokadharmi) and conventional (natyadharmi), though the major focus is on the latter.

Its drama is regarded as the highest achievement of Sanskrit literature

Sanskrit literature

Literature in Sanskrit begins with the Vedas, and continues with the Sanskrit Epics of Iron Age India; the golden age of Classical Sanskrit literature dates to late Antiquity . Literary production saw a late bloom in the 11th century before declining after 1100 AD...

. It utilised stock character

Stock character

A Stock character is a fictional character based on a common literary or social stereotype. Stock characters rely heavily on cultural types or names for their personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics. In their most general form, stock characters are related to literary archetypes,...

s, such as the hero (nayaka), heroine (nayika), or clown (vidusaka). Actors may have specialised in a particular type. Kālidāsa

Kalidasa

Kālidāsa was a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language...

in the 1st century BCE, is arguably considered to be ancient India

India

's greatest Sanskrit dramatist. Three famous romantic plays written by Kālidāsa are the Mālavikāgnimitram

Malavikagnimitram

Mālavikāgnimitram is a Sanskrit play by Kālidāsa. It is his first play.The play tells the story of the love of King Agnimitra, the Shunga king of Vidisha , for the beautiful hand-maiden of his chief queen. He falls in love with the picture of an exiled servant girl named Mālavikā...

(Mālavikā and Agnimitra), Vikramuurvashiiya (Pertaining to Vikrama and Urvashi), and Abhijñānaśākuntala (The Recognition of Shakuntala). The last was inspired by a story in the Mahabharata and is the most famous. It was the first to be translated into English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

and German

German language

German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

. Śakuntalā

Abhijñānaśākuntalam

Abhijñānashākuntala or Abhijñānaśākuntalam) , is a well-known Sanskrit play by Kālidāsa. Its date is uncertain, but Kalidasa is often placed in the period between the 1st century BCE and 4th century CE....

(in English translation) influenced Goethe's

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...

Faust

Goethe's Faust

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust is a tragic play in two parts: and . Although written as a closet drama, it is the play with the largest audience numbers on German-language stages...

(1808-1832).

The next great Indian dramatist was Bhavabhuti

Bhavabhuti

Bhavabhuti was an 8th century scholar of India noted for his plays and poetry, written in Sanskrit. His plays are considered equivalent to the works of Kalidasa...

(c. 7th century CE). He is said to have written the following three plays: Malati-Madhava, Mahaviracharita and Uttar Ramacharita. Among these three, the last two cover between them the entire epic of Ramayana. The powerful Indian emperor Harsha

Harsha

Harsha or Harsha Vardhana or Harshvardhan was an Indian emperor who ruled northern India from 606 to 647 AD. He was the son of Prabhakara Vardhana and younger brother of Rajya Vardhana, a king of Thanesar, Haryana...

(606-648) is credited with having written three plays: the comedy Ratnavali

Ratnavali

Ratnavali is a Sanskrit drama about a beautiful princess named Ratnavali, and a great king named Udayana. It is attributed to the Indian emperor Harsha . It is a Natika in four acts. One of the first textual references to the celebration of Holi, the festival of Colours have been found in this text...

, Priyadarsika

Priyadarsika

Priyadarsika is a Sanskrit play attributed to king Harsha .-External links:*, translated by G. K. Nariman and A. V. Williams Jackson...

, and the Buddhist drama Nagananda

Nagananda

Nagananda is a Sanskrit play attributed to king Harsha .Nagananda is one of the best Sanskrit dramas in five acts dealing with the popular story of Jimutavahana's self-sacrifice to save the Nagas...

Theatre in India under British

Under British colonial rule, modern Indian theatre began when a theatre was started in Belgachia

Belgachia

Belgachia is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal.-See also:* Kashipur Belgachhia * Belgachia East * Belgachia West...

. Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...

, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, is probably India's best-known modern playwright. His plays are written in Bengali

Bengali language

Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...

and include Chitra (Chitrangada, 1892), The King of the Dark Chamber (Raja, 1910), The Post Office

The Post Office (play)

The Post Office is a 1912 play by Rabindranath Tagore. It concerns Amal, a child confined to his adopted uncle's home by an incurable disease. W...

(Dakghar, 1913), and Red Oleander (Raktakarabi, 1924).

Improvisation

Improvisational theatre

Improvisational theatre takes many forms. It is best known as improv or impro, which is often comedic, and sometimes poignant or dramatic. In this popular, often topical art form improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously...

(also known as improv or impro) is a form of theatre in which the actors use improvisation

Improvisation

Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...

al acting techniques to perform spontaneously. Improvisers typically use audience suggestions to guide the performance as they create dialogue, setting, and plot extemporaneously.

Many improvisational actors also work as scripted actors and "improv" techniques are often taught in standard acting classes. The basic skills of listening, clarity, confidence, and performing instinctively and spontaneously are considered important skills for actors to develop.

Improvisational Theatre in India is largely used for educational, interventional and entertainment purposes. The traces of Improvisational theatre in India dates back to the 1990s with the advent of Forum theatre

Forum theatre

Forum theatre is a type of theatre created by the innovative and influential practitioner Augusto Boal as part of what he calls his "Theatre of the Oppressed." While practicing earlier in his career, Boal would apply 'simultaneous dramaturgy'. In this process the actors or audience members could...

with Janasanskriti under the leadership of Sanjoy Ganguly. After that in 1999, a team from the US with Bev Hoskins and Mary Good introduced Playback theatre

Playback Theatre

Playback Theatre is an original form of improvisational theatre in which audience or group members tell stories from their lives and watch them enacted on the spot.-History:The first Playback Theatre company was founded in 1975 by Jonathan Fox and Jo Salas...

to India. Thus Playback theatre and Forum theatre began to take its shape in the remotest parts of India, such as Karur, Chennai, West Bengal, as well as Bangalore too. Yours Truly Theatre

Yours Truly Theatre, Bangalore

Yours Truly Theatre Yours Truly Theatre is a registered Improvizational & Interactive Theatre Group based out of Bangalore, India....

, a Bangalore-based group, developed "complete the story", an indigenous format of improvisational theatre developed under the leadership of Ranji David and Nandini Rao in 2006. In 2009, they also developed another form of improvisational theatre called "mushyara theatre".

Improvisational Theatre groups in India:

Yours Truly Theatre
Yours Truly Theatre, Bangalore
Yours Truly Theatre Yours Truly Theatre is a registered Improvizational & Interactive Theatre Group based out of Bangalore, India....
Janasanskaiti
Jeevika
Steerling Theatre
Reds Theatre
Script

Improvisational Theatre forms practiced in India:

Playback theatre
Playback Theatre
Playback Theatre is an original form of improvisational theatre in which audience or group members tell stories from their lives and watch them enacted on the spot.-History:The first Playback Theatre company was founded in 1975 by Jonathan Fox and Jo Salas...
Theatre of the Oppressed
Theatre of the Oppressed
The Theatre of the Oppressed describes a range of theatrical forms that the Brazilian theatre practitioner Augusto Boal first elaborated in the 1960s, initially in Brazil and later in Europe. Boal was influenced by the work of the educator and theorist Paulo Freire. Boal's techniques use theatre as...
Forum theatre
Forum theatre
Forum theatre is a type of theatre created by the innovative and influential practitioner Augusto Boal as part of what he calls his "Theatre of the Oppressed." While practicing earlier in his career, Boal would apply 'simultaneous dramaturgy'. In this process the actors or audience members could...
Complete the story
Mushayara theatre
Black Rainbow Project
Perspective Theatre
Improv Comedy

Notable theatres in India in different Indian languages and regions

Marathi Theatre
Bengali Theatre
Bengali theatre
Bengali theatre primarily refers to theatre performed in the Bengali language. Bengali theatre is produced mainly in West Bengal, and in Bangladesh. The term may also refer to some Hindi theatres which are accepted by the Bengali people....
Hindi theatre
Hindi theatre
Hindi theatre primarily refers to theatre performed in the Hindi language, including dialects such as Khari boli and Hindustani. Hindi theatre is produced mainly in North India, and some parts of West India and Central India, which include Mumbai and Bhopal...
Telugu drama
Telugu drama
The Telugu drama or Telugu theatre is one of the most popular Art forms in India. There are many social and mythological plays performed by many eminent artists and have enthralled the audience from time to time with their magnificent performance. One of the interesting feature is the dialogue...

Ancient Indian playwrights

Bharata Muni
Bharata Muni
Bharata was an ancient Indian musicologist who authored the Natya Shastra, a theoretical treatise on ancient Indian dramaturgy and histrionics, dated to between roughly 400 BC and 200 BC. Indian dance and music find their root in the Natyashastra...
Kali Das
Śrupnakha
Bhāsa
Bhasa
Bhāsa is one of the earliest and most celebrated Indian playwrights in Sanskrit. However, very little is known about him.Kālidāsa in the introduction to his first play Malavikagnimitram writes -...
bhavabhuti
Bhavabhuti
Bhavabhuti was an 8th century scholar of India noted for his plays and poetry, written in Sanskrit. His plays are considered equivalent to the works of Kalidasa...

Playwrights working under British rule

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
Dinabandhu Mitra
Dinabandhu Mitra
Dinabandhu Mitra the Bengali dramatist, was born in 1830 at village Chouberia in Gopalnagar P.S., 24 Parganas and was the son of Kalachand Mitra. His given name was Gandharva Narayan, but he changed it to Dinabandhu Mitra.-Early life:Dinabandhu Mitra's education started at a village pathshala...
Michael Arora
Bharatendu Harshit
Jaishankar Prasad
Jaishankar Prasad
Jaishankar Prasad , one of the most famous figures in modern Hindi literature as well as Hindi theatre.- Biography :...

Post-Independence theatre-makers

Notable theatre directors:

Kader Khan
Kader Khan
Kader Khan is an Indian film actor, comedian, script and dialogue writer. He graduated from Ismail Yusuf College affiliated to Mumbai University .-Early life:...
Prithviraj Kapoor
Prithviraj Kapoor
Prithviraj Kapoor , 3 November 1906 – 29 May 1972) was a pioneer of Indian theatre and of the Hindi film industry, who started his career as an actor, in the silent era of Hindi cinema, associated with IPTA and who founded Prithvi Theatres, a travelling theatre company based in Mumbai, in...
Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor , born Balbir-Raj Prithviraj Kapoor on 18 March 1938 in Calcutta , is an award-winning Indian film actor and film producer. He has also been film director and assistant director in Hindi Films. He is a member of the Kapoor family, a film dynasty in India's Bollywood cinema...
Ebrahim Alkazi
Ebrahim Alkazi
Ebrahim Alkazi is one of the most influential Indian theatre directors and Drama teachers in 20th century Indian theatre. He also remained the Director of National School of Drama, New Delhi He has also been a noted art connoisseur, collector and gallery owner, and found Art Heritage Gallery in...
Ramesh Mehta
Ramesh Mehta
Ramesh Mehta, is an India playwright, director, actor and translator. He was the uncrowned king of Delhi Theatre in the 1950s and 1960s....
Habib Tanvir
Habib Tanvir
Habib Tanvir was one of the most popular Indian Urdu, Hindi playwrights, a theatre director, poet and actor. He is the writer of plays such as, Agra Bazar and Charandas Chor...
Sankar Venkateswaran
Sankar Venkateswaran
Sankar Venkateswaran is an Indian theatre director, maker, producer, dramaturge, actor and composer who graduated from Calicut University School of Drama & Fine Arts, Thrissur in 2002 and , Singapore in 2006. Sankar's directing credits include , , , and - External links :* * * * *...
Bansal Kaul
Ratan Thiyam
Ratan Thiyam
Ratan Thiyam is an Indian playwright and theatre director, and the winner of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1987, one of leading figures of the "theatre of roots" movement in Indian theatre, which started in 1970s...
Suresh Bhardwaj
Suresh Bhardwaj
Suresh Bhardwaj is an Indian theatre, film and television director as well as a lighting and scenic designer. He is the director of , a Delhi based theatre group and is currently in charge of the National School of Drama's extension programme...
Safdar Hashmi
Safdar Hashmi
Safdar Hashmi was a Communist playwright, actor, director, lyricist, and theorist, chiefly associated with Street theatre in India, and is still considered an important voice in political theatre in India....
S. M. Azhar Alam
S. M. Azhar Alam
S. M. Azhar Alam M.A., Ph. D. He is presently working as a Senior Lecturer at Maulana Azad College, Kolkata. He has done his Ph. D on Urdu Theatre Tradition & Problems...
Utpal Dutta
Utpal Dutta
Utpal Datta is a National Film Award-winning film critic, long associated with Bismoi, a entertainment Assamese magazine, and works with the All India Radio Guwahati, where his book 24 Frames , an anthology of articles on Indian cinema was released as a radio program. -Personal life:Utpal Datta ...
Shankar Nag
Shankar Nag
Shankar Nagarkatte , 9 November 1954 - 30 September 1990) popularly known as Shankar Nag was a popular actor and director of Kannada cinema. He also directed and acted in the teleserial, Malgudi days, based on celebrated novelist R.K.Narayan's short stories. Besides these, he was actively involved...
K.V. Subbanna
B.V. Karanth
K.V. Akshara
Sombhu Mitra
Sombhu Mitra
Sombhu Mitra was an Indian film and stage actor, director, playwright and one of the pre-eminent Indian theatre personalities, especially Bengali theatre, where he is considered a pioneer. He remained associated with Indian People’s Theatre Association for a few years before founding Bohurupree...
Prasanna
Prasanna
Prasanna , is an Indian theatre director and playwright from Karnataka. He is one of the pioneers of modern Kannada theatre. He graduated from the National School of Drama . He founded Samudaya and gave a creative direction to Kannada theatre in the 1970's with other activists. Prasanna lives in...
Chandradasan
Chandradasan
Chandradasan is a theatre director, actor and writer from Kerala, India.He has directed 35 plays in Malayalam, English, Sanskrit, Kannada and Tamil....
abcdegfsabdj Gupta
Rudraprasad Sengupta
Rudraprasad Sengupta
Rudraprasad Sengupta is a Bengali Indian actor, director and cultural critic.- Biography :He was born in East Bengal , the son of Anant Sengupta and Usha Prabha Sengupta. He studied at the Scottish Church College of the University of Calcutta where he earned his B.A. and M.A degrees in English...
Shafi Inamdar
Shafi Inamdar
Shafi Inamdar was an Indian actor. He started his film career with the film Vijeta and continued in Ardh Satya. He acted in a number of television serials including Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi. Shafi married actress Bhakti Barve. He died on 13 March 1996...
Satyadev Dubey
Satyadev Dubey
Satyadev Dubey is an Indian theatre director, actor, playwright, screenwriter, and film actor and director. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1971....
Bijon Bhattacharya
Bijon Bhattacharya
Bijon Bhattacharya was a prominent Indian theatre and film personality from Bengal.Bijon was born in 1917 at Faridpur in a Hindu Brahmin family, and was early a witness to the destitution and penury of the peasantry of that land...
Mujeeb Khan
Mohan Maharishi
Mohan Maharishi
Mohan Maharishi is an Indian theatre director, actor and a playwright. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for 'Direction' in 1992.-Early life:...
Manish Joshi Bismil
Manish Joshi Bismil
Manish Joshi Bismil is a young Indian theatre director trained by the HCRFTA under guidance of Sanjay Upadhyay, Suresh Sharma, Rajeev Manchanda, Alok Chaterjee and various famous theatre personalities of India...
Gursharan Singh
Gursharan Singh
Gursharan Singh is a former Indian cricketer who played in one Test and one ODI in 1990....
Arvind Gaur
Arvind Gaur
Arvind Gaur , Indian theatre director, is known for his work in innovative, socially and politically relevant theatre. Gaur's plays are contemporary and thought-provoking, connecting intimate personal spheres of existence to larger social political issues...
Ram Gopal Bajaj
Ram Gopal Bajaj
Ram Gopal Bajaj is a noted Indian theatre director, academician, and a Hindi film actor. He has also been a faculty member and a former director of National School of Drama, New Delhi ....
Kumara Varma
B.M. Shah
B.M. Shah
B.M. Shah or Brij Mohan Shah, was an Indian theatre director and playwright. B. M. Shah along with Mohan Upreti, are together credited for the revival of the theatre in the Uttarakhand...
Naseeruddin Shah
Naseeruddin Shah
Naseeruddin Shah is an Indian / Bollywood film actor and director. He is considered to be one of the finest actors of Indian cinema. In 2003, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Bhushan for his contributions towards Indian cinema.-Early life:...
Nadira Zaheer Babbar
Abhijeet Choudhary
sunil shanbhagh
Rohini Hattangadi
Rohini Hattangadi
Rohini Hattangadi is an Indian actress of film, theatre and television. She has won two Filmfare Awards, one National Film Award, and is the only Indian actress to win the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance as Kasturba Gandhi in Gandhi...
[(Deepak Kumar)]
Anjan Srivastav
Anjan Srivastav
Anjan Srivatsav is an Indian film, television and stage actor, associated with Indian People's Theatre Association in Mumbai of which he remained Vice-President for several years...
Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry
Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry
Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry is a Chandigarh based theatre artist. She was awarded the 2003 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in the Theatre Direction category. She is also the recipient of the 2011 Padma Shri award.-References:...

Notable playwrights

Utpal Dutta
Utpal Dutta
Utpal Datta is a National Film Award-winning film critic, long associated with Bismoi, a entertainment Assamese magazine, and works with the All India Radio Guwahati, where his book 24 Frames , an anthology of articles on Indian cinema was released as a radio program. -Personal life:Utpal Datta ...

(Bangla)
Kader Khan
Kader Khan
Kader Khan is an Indian film actor, comedian, script and dialogue writer. He graduated from Ismail Yusuf College affiliated to Mumbai University .-Early life:...

(Urdu)
Mahesh Dattani
Mahesh Dattani
Mahesh Dattani is an Indian director, actor and writer. He wrote plays like Final Solutions, Dance Like a Man,Bravely Fought the Queen,On a Muggy Night in Mumbai,Tara and 30 days in September...

(English)
Rambriksh Benipuri
Rambriksh Benipuri
Ramavriksha Benipuri was a Hindi writer. He was born in a Bhumihar Brahmin family, in a small village named Benipur in the Indian state of Bihar. He had spent eight years in prison for fighting for India's independence....

(Hindi)
Ramesh Mehta
Ramesh Mehta
Ramesh Mehta, is an India playwright, director, actor and translator. He was the uncrowned king of Delhi Theatre in the 1950s and 1960s....

(Urdu)
Girish Karnad
Girish Karnad
Girish Raghunath Karnad is a contemporary writer, playwright, screenwriter, actor and movie director in Kannada language...

(Kannada)
Vijay Tendulkar
Vijay Tendulkar
Vijay Tendulkar was a leading Indian playwright, movie and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist, and social commentator primarily in Marāthi...

(Marathi)
Badal Sarkar
Badal Sarkar
Badal Sarkar , also known as Badal Sircar, was an influential Indian dramatist and theatre director, most known for his anti-establishment plays during the Naxalite movement in the 1970s and taking theatre out of the proscenium and into public arena, when he founded his own theatre company,...

(Bangla)
Swadesh Deepak
Swadesh Deepak
Swadesh Deepak is a popular Indian playwright, novelist and short-story writer. Deepak has been active on the Hindi literary scene since the mid 1960s and is best known for Court Martial, a pathbreaking play that he published in 1991. Deepak's most recent book is Maine Mandu Nahin Dekha, a...

(Hindi)
Bhisham Sahni
Bhisham Sahni
Bhisham Sahni भीष्म साहनी was a Hindi writer, playwright, and actor, most famous for his novel and television screenplay Tamas , a powerful and passionate account of the Partition of India...

(Hindi)
Dharamvir Bharati
Dharamvir Bharati
Dr. Dharamvir Bharati was a renowned Hindi poet, author, playwright and a social thinker of India. He was the Chief-Editor of the popular Hindi weekly magazine Dharmayug....

(Hindi)
Mahesh Elkunchwar
Mahesh Elkunchwar
Mahesh Elkunchwar is an Indian playwright with more than 15 plays to his name, in addition to his theoretical writings, critical works, and his active work in India's Parallel Cinema as actor and screenwriter....

(Marathi)
Mohan Rakesh
Mohan Rakesh
Mohan Rakesh was one of the pioneers of the Nai Kahani literary movement of the Hindi literature in the 1950s. He wrote the first modern Hindi play, Ashadh Ka Ek Din , which won a competition organized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi...

(Hindi)
Habib Tanvir
Habib Tanvir
Habib Tanvir was one of the most popular Indian Urdu, Hindi playwrights, a theatre director, poet and actor. He is the writer of plays such as, Agra Bazar and Charandas Chor...

(Urdu)
Govind Purushottam Deshpande
Govind Purushottam Deshpande
Govind Purushottam Deshpande is a Marathi playwright and academic from Maharashtra, India. He is also known as GoPu , or GPD....

(Marathi)
Narendra Mohan
Narendra Mohan
Narendra Mohan was an Indian industrialist, chairman and managing director of the Rs 874-crore Jagran Prakashan publisher for India's largest selling Hindi newspaper Dainik Jagran...

(Hindi)
Asghar Wajahat
Asghar Wajahat
Syed Asghar Wajahat, popularly known as Asghar Wajahat , is a Hindi scholar, fiction writer, novelist, playwright, an independent documentary filmmaker and a television scriptwriter, who is most known for his work, 'Saat Aasmaan' and his acclaimed play, 'Jis Lahore Nai Dekhya, O Jamyai Nai', based...

(Urdu)
Manjula Padmanabhan
Manjula Padmanabhan
Manjula Padmanabhan is a playwright, journalist, comic strip artist, and children's book author responsible for the play Harvest. She has also written such plays as Lights Out! ,Hidden Fires The Artist's Model and Sextet .Born in Delhi to a diplomat family in 1953, she went to boarding school in...

(English)
Javed Siddiqui
Javed Siddiqui
Javed Siddiqui is a Hindi and Urdu screenwriter, dialogue writer and playwright from India. He has written over 50 storylines, screenplays and dialogues....

(Urdu)
Rajesh Joshi
Rajesh Joshi
Rajesh Joshi is a Hindi writer, poet, journalist and a playwright, who was the recipient of 2002 Sahitya Akademi Award in Hindi for his anthology of poems - 'Do Panktiyon Ke Beech' and presently resides in Bhopal and continues to work as a freelance writer...

(Hindi)
Hrishikesh Sulabh
Hrishikesh Sulabh
Hrishikesh Sulabh is a Hindi writer, best known for short stories and writing plays in Bideshiya shaili. He works with All India Radio.-Recent:...
B.M. Shah
B.M. Shah
B.M. Shah or Brij Mohan Shah, was an Indian theatre director and playwright. B. M. Shah along with Mohan Upreti, are together credited for the revival of the theatre in the Uttarakhand...

(Urdu)
Partap Sharma
Partap Sharma
Partap Sharma was an Indian playwright, novelist, author of books for children, commentator, actor and documentary film-maker.- Background :...

(English)*[(Deepak Kumar)] (Dogri)
Asif Currimbhoy
Asif Currimbhoy
Asif Currimbhoy is an Indian playwright writing in English.-References: Asif Currimbhoy is India's first authentic voice in the theatre . He is one modern Indian playwright who has shown great interest in producing drama. Among the very few dramatists writing plays in English, he has made his...

(English)
Gurucharan Das (English)
Alakhnandan (hindi)
Mujeeb Khan (Hindi/Urdu)
Shreekumar Varma
Shreekumar Varma
Shreekumar Varma is an Indian author, playwright, newspaper columnist and poet, known for the novels Lament of Mohini , Maria's Room , Devil's Garden: Tales Of Pappudom , The Magic Store of Nu-Cham-Vu and the historical book for children, Pazhassi Raja: The Royal Rebel...
Arun Mukherjee
Arun Mukherjee
Arun Mukherjee is a noted Bangla playwright and thespian. He is associated with the theater group Chetana both as actor-director and playwright. He is the author of many plays including the classicMārīch Sangbād, which has been translated into English , by Utkal Mohanty...

(Bangla)
Datta Bhagat
Datta Bhagat
Datta Bhagat is a noted Marathi playwright and one of the leaders of the Dalit theater movement in Marathi. He is a professor of Marathi at the Ambedkar Marathwada University in Aurangabad, Maharashtra....

(Marathi)
Surendra Verma
Surendra Verma
Surendra Verma is a leading Hindi litterateur and playwright. He started out as a playwright, when his play Surya Ki Antim Kiran Se Surya Ki Pahli Kiran Tak , became quite well known, has been translated into six Indian languages. Has had a long association with the National School of Drama...

(Hindi)
Chandrashekhara Kambara
Chandrashekhara Kambara
Chandrashekhara Kambara is a prominent poet, playwright, folklorist, film director in Kannada language and the founder-vice-chancellor of Kannada University in Hampi. He is known for his effective usage of North Karnataka dialect of Kannada language in his plays and poems and is often compared...

(Kannada)
Pravin Pandya (Gujrati)

Sarveshwer Dayal Saxena (Hindi)
Sharad joshi (Hindi)
Bharrtendu Harish Chandra Hindi
Dr. Shankar Shesh ( Hindi)
Habib Tanveer ( Hindi )

Traditional Indian theatre

Kutiyattam is the only surviving specimen of the ancient Sanskrit theatre, thought to have originated around the beginning of the Common Era

Common Era

Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...

, and is officially recognised by UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. In addition, many forms of Indian folk theatre abound. Bhavai

Bhavai

Bhavai is a popular folk theatre form of Gujarat. Jasma Odan based on Gujarati folk tale, wriiten and directed by Shanta Gandhi and Mena Gujari produced by Deena Gandhi are some of most popular Bhavai musicals..-History:...

(strolling players) is a popular folk theatre form of Gujarat, said to have arisen in the 14th century CE. Jatra has been popular in Bengal

Bengal

Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...

and its origin is traced to the Bhakti movement in the 16th century. Another folk theatre form popular in Haryana

Haryana

Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...

, Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...

and Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....

is Swang, which is dialogue-oriented rather than movement-oriented and is considered to have arisen in its present form in the late 18th - early 19th centuries. Yakshagana

Yakshagana

Yakshagana is a musical theater popular in the coastal and Malenadu regions of Karnataka, India. Yakshagana is the recent scholastic name for what are known as kēḷike, āṭa, bayalāṭa, bayalāṭa, daśāvatāra . It is believed to have evolved from pre-classical music and theatre during Bhakti movement...

is a very popular theatre art in Karnataka and has existed under different names at least since the 16th century. It is semi-classical in nature and involves music and songs based on carnatic music

Carnatic music

Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...

, rich costumes, storylines based on the Mahabharata

Mahabharata

The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

and Ramayana

Ramayana

The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...

. It also employs spoken dialogue in-between its songs that gives it a folk art

Folk art

Folk art encompasses art produced from an indigenous culture or by peasants or other laboring tradespeople. In contrast to fine art, folk art is primarily utilitarian and decorative rather than purely aesthetic....

flavour. Kathakali

Kathakali

Kathakali is a highly stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion...

is a form of dance-drama, characteristic of Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

, that arose in the 17th century, developing from the temple-art plays Krishnanattam

Krishnanattam

Krishnanattam or Krishnattam is a temple art in Kerala, India. It is a dance drama and presents the story of Krishna in a series of eight plays and was created by Manaveda , the then Zamorin Raja of Calicut in northern Kerala .The eight plays are : Avataram, Kaliyamardanam, Rasakrida, Kamsavadham,...

and Ramanattam

Ramanattam

Ramanattam is a temple art in Kerala, India. It is a dance drama and presents the story of Rama in a series of eight plays and was created under the patronage of Veera Kerala Varma alias Kottarakkara Thampuran...

Modern Indian theatre

Amazing Thoughts Theatre, Delhi
Swatantra Theatre, Pune
Fireweavers Theatre, Pune
Tahatto, Bangalore
Asakta Kala Manch,Pune
Bihar Art Theatre

Urdu/Hindustani Theatre
Urdu Drama evolved from the prevailing dramatic traditions of North India shaping Rahas or Raas as practiced by exponents like Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh. His dramatic experiments led to the famous Inder Sabha of Amanat and later this tradition took the shape of Parsi Theatre. Agha Hashr Kashmiri is culmination of this tradition.

In some way or other, Urdu theatre tradition has greatly influenced modern Indian theatre. Among all the languages Urdu(which was called Hindi by early writers), along with Gujrati,Marathi and Bengali theatres have kept flourishing and demand for its writers and artists has not subsided by the drama aficionados. For Urdu drama, no place is better than Bombay Film industry otherwise known as Hindi film industry. All the early gems of Urdu Theatre (performed by Parsi Companies) were made into films. Urdu Dramatic tradition has been a spectator’s delight since 100 years and counting.

Drama as a theme is made up of several elements. It focuses on life and different aspects of it. The thing to be noticed here is that drama on stage imitates drama in life. It has been said that, there has always been a mutual relationship between theatre and real life. Great historical personalities like Shakespeare have influenced Modern Urdu tradition to a large extent when Indian, Iranian, Turkish stories and folk was adapted for stage with heavy doses of Urdu Poetry. In modern times writers like Imtiaz Ali Taj, Rafi Peer, Krishan Chander, Manto, Upender Nath Ashk, Ghulam Rabbani, Prof. Mujeeb and many others shaped this tradition.

While Prof Hasan, Ghulam jeelani, J.N,Kaushal, Shameem Hanfi, Jameel Shaidayi etc. belong to the old generation, contemporary writers like Danish Iqbal, Sayeed Alam, Shahid Anwar,Iqbal Niyazi and Anwar are few post modern Play wrights actively contributing in the field of Urdu Drama.

Sayeed Alam is known for his wit and humour and more particularly for Plays like 'Ghalib in New Delhi' 'Big B'and many other gems which are regularly staged for massive turn out of theatre lovers. Maulana Azad is his magnum opus both for its content and style.

Danish Iqbal's 'Dara Shikoh' directed by M S Sathyu is considered a modern classic for the use of newer theatre techniques and contemporary perspective. His other Plays are 'Sahir' on the famous lyricist and revolutionary poet. 'Kuchh Ishq kiya Kuchh Kaam' is another Play written by Danish which is basically a Celebration of the Faiz's Poetry, featuring events from the early part of his life, particularly the events and incidents of pre-partition days which shaped his life and ideals. 'Chand Roz Aur Meri Jaan' - another Play inspired from Faiz's letters written from various jails during the Rawalpindi Conspiracy days. He has written 14 other Plays including 'Dilli Jo Ek Shehr Thaa' and 'Main Gaya Waqt Nahin hoon'.

Shahid's 'Three B' is also a significant Play. He has been associated with amny groups like 'Natwa'and others. Zaheer Anwar has kept the flag of Urdu Theatre flying in Kolkata. Unlike the writers of previous generartion Sayeed, Shahid, Danish iqbal and Zaheer do not write bookish Plays but their work is a product of vigorous performing tradition.Iqbal Niyazi of Mumbai has written several plays in urdu.his play"AUR KITNE JALYANWALA BAUGH??"won National award other awards. Hence this is the only generartion after Amanat and Agha Hashr who actually write for stage and not for libraries.
Indian puppet theatre

Yakshagana
Yakshagana
Yakshagana is a musical theater popular in the coastal and Malenadu regions of Karnataka, India. Yakshagana is the recent scholastic name for what are known as kēḷike, āṭa, bayalāṭa, bayalāṭa, daśāvatāra . It is believed to have evolved from pre-classical music and theatre during Bhakti movement...

is a popular semi-classical theatre art from costal Karnataka. It uses rich costumes, music, dance, and dialogue. Puppet shows in parts of
Karnataka uses all these elements of yakshagana
Yakshagana
Yakshagana is a musical theater popular in the coastal and Malenadu regions of Karnataka, India. Yakshagana is the recent scholastic name for what are known as kēḷike, āṭa, bayalāṭa, bayalāṭa, daśāvatāra . It is believed to have evolved from pre-classical music and theatre during Bhakti movement...

to depict stories from the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...

and Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

.

Indian street theatre

Swatantra Theatre

Jan Natya Manch (JANAM)

Drishtantar Arts Group, New Delhi

Awards

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award consists since 2003 of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram , and a tamrapatra...

Theatre Pasta Theatre Awards
Theatre Pasta Theatre Awards
The Theatre Pasta Theatre Awards are administered by three organizations, Chilsag International, Actor’s Experimental Lab USA and Theatre Pasta, the International Theatre Magazine and are Supported by MIdland Solutions London UK..-Objective:...

Kalidas Samman
Kalidas samman
The Kalidas Samman is a prestigious arts award presented annually by the government of Madhya Pradesh in India. The award is named after Kālidāsa, a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer of ancient India, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language.The Kalidas Samman...

Karmaveer Puraskaar
Karmaveer Puraskaar
The Karmaveer Puraskaar are National People's Awards for Citizen Social Justice and Action instituted by the citizens and people of India. These awards are instituted by iCONGO- Confederation of NGOs – a Public-Private-People partnership in association with other partners from industry, media,...

Noble Laureates,Artistes for Change

Festivals of theatre in India

Prithvi Theatre
Prithvi Theatre
Prithvi Theatre is one of Mumbai's best known theatres. It belongs to the Kapoor family, one of the most influential actor/director families in Bollywood. The theatre is named after Prithviraj Kapoor who first founded 'Prithvi Theatres', a travelling theatre company in 1944. The company ran for...

Festival (Prithvi Festival)
Bharat Rang Mahotsav
Bharat Rang Mahotsav
Bharat Rang Mahotsav , or the National Theatre Festival, established in 1999, is the annual theatre festival of National School of Drama , New Delhi, India's premier theatre training institute of Govt. of India...

, NSD
National School of Drama
National School of Drama is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi, India, established . It is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and became an independent school in 1975...

, New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
Nandikar's National Theatre Festival
Purple Umbrella Theater Festival, Platform for Action in Creative Theater
Platform for Action in Creative Theater
Platform for Action in Creative Theater - PACT as it is commonly known as in Indian theatrical circle has been involved inTheatrics, Arts and Cultural Management and also been working as a facilitating platform for new budding Theater Actors and Directors....

, New Delhi
Prem Utsav, festival of plays based on Munshi Premchand's stories, held every year beginning on 31st July in Mumbai.

Institutional support in Indian theatre

Department of Culture, Govt. of India, Ministry Of Human Resources Development

Sangeet Natak Academy, New Delhi

Zonal Cultural Centres

Notable groups and companies

Act One
Nandikar
Nandikar
Nandikar is a theatre group in India. The group has its headquarters in Kolkata in the state of West Bengal, but works around the world.__FORCETOC__-History:...
Ninasam
Ninasam
Ninasam is a cultural organisation located in the village of Heggodu in Sagar Taluk of the Shivamogga district in the state of Karnataka, India. Ninasam is the short form of Sri NIlakanteshwara NAtyaseva SAMgha, an organsiation dedicated to the growth of drama, films and publishing...
Rangayana
Rangayana
Rangayana is a theatre institute which operates from Mysore, Karnataka, India. It works as an autonomous cultural institute. The organization consists of a professional repertory company, a theatre-training institute and a documentation and research centre. Rangayana offers courses in stage craft,...
Ranga Shankara
Ranga Shankara
Ranga Shankara is one of Bangalore's best known theatres. It is located in the south Bangalore area of J.P Nagar and is run by the Sanket Trust...
Prithvi Theatre
Prithvi Theatre
Prithvi Theatre is one of Mumbai's best known theatres. It belongs to the Kapoor family, one of the most influential actor/director families in Bollywood. The theatre is named after Prithviraj Kapoor who first founded 'Prithvi Theatres', a travelling theatre company in 1944. The company ran for...
Theatre Roots & Wings
Platform for Action in Creative Theater
Platform for Action in Creative Theater
Platform for Action in Creative Theater - PACT as it is commonly known as in Indian theatrical circle has been involved inTheatrics, Arts and Cultural Management and also been working as a facilitating platform for new budding Theater Actors and Directors....
Dramanon
Dramanon
Dramanon is an English theatre group that operates out of three cities in India: Manipal, Bangalore and Hyderabad. The three chapters of Dramanon are well integrated and enjoy a strong collaborative bond apart from a common origin.Established in 1991 by Dr...
Indian People's Theatre Association
Indian People's Theatre Association
Indian People’s Theatre Association was an association of leftist theatre-artists and others mostly based in Kolkata, West Bengal, Mumbai and Assam, India. Its goal was to bring cultural awakening among the people of India. It was the cultural wing of the Communist Party of India...
Chilsag Chillies Theatre Company
Chilsag Chillies Theatre Company
Chilsag Chillies is an Indian Theatre company headquartered at NewYork USA. The company has operations in US, UK, Canada and India and has a network of talented artists all over the world. Chilsag Chillies also maintains a global network of research centers in key cities around the world that...
Theatre Formation Paribartak
Theatre Formation Paribartak
Theatre Formation Paribartak is a group of theatres situated in the Howrah district of West Bengal, India. Prior to May 18, 2005, it was a unit of another organization that now goes under the name of Changers' Foundation Paribartak. After that date, it became a separate entity.Theatre Formation...
Arpana
Swatantra Theatre
Ekjute
Thespo
Qtheatreproductions
mandap

Notable theatres

Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta
Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta
The Academy of Fine Arts in Kolkata is one of the oldest fine arts societies in India.- History :The academy was formally established in 1933. It was initially located in a room loaned by the Indian Museum, and the annual exhibitions used to take place in the adjoining verandah.In the 1950s,...

(Ranu Mukherjee Mancha)

Rabindra Sadan
Rabindra Sadan
Rabindra Sadan is a cultural centre and theatre in Calcutta, located near the Nandan cinema and cultural complex and the Academy of Fine Arts on AJC Bose Road in South Kolkata. Construction began on 5 August 1961 and ended October 1967...

Notable practitioiners who have moved from theatre to films

Sohrab Modi
Sohrab Modi
Sohrab Modi was an Indian Parsi stage and film actor, director and producer. His films include Khoon Ka Khoon , a version of Shakespeare's Hamlet, Sikandar, Pukar, Prithvi Vallabh, Jhansi ki Rani, Mirza Ghalib, and Nausherwan-e-dil . His films always carried a message of strong commitment to...
Shahrukh khan
Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
Prithviraj Kapoor
Prithviraj Kapoor
Prithviraj Kapoor , 3 November 1906 – 29 May 1972) was a pioneer of Indian theatre and of the Hindi film industry, who started his career as an actor, in the silent era of Hindi cinema, associated with IPTA and who founded Prithvi Theatres, a travelling theatre company based in Mumbai, in...
Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor , born Balbir-Raj Prithviraj Kapoor on 18 March 1938 in Calcutta , is an award-winning Indian film actor and film producer. He has also been film director and assistant director in Hindi Films. He is a member of the Kapoor family, a film dynasty in India's Bollywood cinema...
Kader Khan
Kader Khan
Kader Khan is an Indian film actor, comedian, script and dialogue writer. He graduated from Ismail Yusuf College affiliated to Mumbai University .-Early life:...
Om Shivpuri
Om Shivpuri
Om Shivpuri was an Indian theatre actor-director and character actor in Hindi films.A National School of Drama, New Delhi alumni, Om Shivpuri became the first chief of the National School of Drama Repertory Company and one of its actors; he later founded an important theatre group of its era, in...
Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Kulbhushan Kharbanda is an Indian actor, who worked in Hindi and Punjabi films, and is known as character Shakaal in Shaan inspired by the character of Blofeld from James Bond movies...
Sudha Shivpuri
Sudha Shivpuri
Sudha Shivpuri is a noted TV actress, who is most famous for her role as 'Baa' in the Hindi TV serial Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi .-Early life:...
Om Shivpuri
Om Shivpuri
Om Shivpuri was an Indian theatre actor-director and character actor in Hindi films.A National School of Drama, New Delhi alumni, Om Shivpuri became the first chief of the National School of Drama Repertory Company and one of its actors; he later founded an important theatre group of its era, in...
Anupam Kher
Anupam Kher
Anupam Kher is an Indian actor who has appeared in nearly 400 films and 100 plays. Though mainly appearing in Bollywood films, he has had roles in some films from other nations as well...
Shafi Inamdar
Shafi Inamdar
Shafi Inamdar was an Indian actor. He started his film career with the film Vijeta and continued in Ardh Satya. He acted in a number of television serials including Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi. Shafi married actress Bhakti Barve. He died on 13 March 1996...
Raj Babbar
Raj Babbar
Raj Babbar is a Hindi & Punjabi film actor since 1977 and the current Member of Parliament from Firozabad which he won by defeating Dimple Yadav, wife of Akhilesh Yadav & daughter-in-law of Mulayam Singh Yadav. This is his fourth term as MP, in previous terms he was the part of Samajwadi...
Ashish Vidyarthi
Ashish Vidyarthi
Ashish Vidyarthi is an Indian actor who worked predominantly in Hindi films and lately in South Indian films. He has won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for film Drohkaal in 1995....
Alok Nath
Alok Nath
Alok Nath is an Indian film actor who appears in Bollywood movies. He is most notable for playing the role of Haveli Ram in Ramesh Sippy's television series, Buniyaad.-Early life:...
Neena Gupta
Neena Gupta
Neena Gupta is an Indian film and television actress and director-producer. She won the 1994 National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for Woh Chokri. She is a popular actress in Indian commercial cinema, but it is her work with art filmmakers of India, like Shyam Benegal that got her...
Rajpal Yadav
Rajpal Yadav
Rajpal Yadav is an Indian film actor, known for his comedy oriented roles.-Early life and education:Rajpal Yadav was born and brought up in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, where he received his education.He did his college from Sardar Patel Hindu Inter College, Shahjahanpur.He played in Shahjahanpur...
Seema Biswas
Seema Biswas
Seema Biswas is an Indian film and theatre actress from Assam who shot into prominence with the role of Phoolan Devi in Shekhar Kapur's film Bandit Queen . She has a reputation for performing strong character roles.Biswas won the 1996 National Film Award for Best Actress for her role in the film...
Satish Kaushik
Satish Kaushik
Satish Kaushik is an Indian film director and actor in Hindi films and theatre.As a film actor his most remembered for his role as 'Calendar' in Mr. India, and as 'Chanu Ahmed' in Sarah Gavron's English film Brick Lane...
Suresh Bhardwaj
Suresh Bhardwaj
Suresh Bhardwaj is an Indian theatre, film and television director as well as a lighting and scenic designer. He is the director of , a Delhi based theatre group and is currently in charge of the National School of Drama's extension programme...
Deepa Sahi
Deepa Sahi
-Early life:Deepa Sahi was born in India in Dehradun. Her family later shifted to Canada but she continued to stay in India.-Early career:An alumnus of National School of Drama, Delhi, Sahi started off with a theater career, with strong Leftist leanings and social activism a core value of the...
Ratna Pathak Shah
Pankaj Kapoor
Pankaj Kapoor
Pankaj Kapur is an Indian theatre, television and film actor from Ludhiana, Punjab, India. He has appeared in several television serials and films. His most acclaimed film roles to date have been that of Dr...
Aseem Bajaj
Swanand Kirkire
Manoj Bajpai

Shahid Kapoor
Shahid Kapoor
Shahid Kapoor is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films. He is also a trained dancer.Starting off his career by working in music videos and advertisements, Kapoor made his Bollywood debut as a background dancer in Subhash Ghai's Taal . Four years later, he made his acting debut in Ishq...
Paresh Rawal
Paresh Rawal
Paresh Rawal is an Indian actor of Gujarati background.Making his film debut in 1984, he mainly played supporting and villain roles throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Since 2000 he has mostly played comic roles.- Family and early life :...
Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India of Pune, she made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and...
Shilpa Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Shilpa Shukla is an actress known for playing the role of Bindiya Naik, a member of the Indian women's national hockey team, in the sports-oriented movie Chak De India, starring Shahrukh Khan...
Girish Karnad
Girish Karnad
Girish Raghunath Karnad is a contemporary writer, playwright, screenwriter, actor and movie director in Kannada language...
Ananth Nag
Shankar Nag
Shankar Nag
Shankar Nagarkatte , 9 November 1954 - 30 September 1990) popularly known as Shankar Nag was a popular actor and director of Kannada cinema. He also directed and acted in the teleserial, Malgudi days, based on celebrated novelist R.K.Narayan's short stories. Besides these, he was actively involved...
Rajkumar
Rajkumar
Rajkumar , born as Singanalluru Puttaswamayya Muthuraju was a popular actor and singer in the Kannada film industry...
G V Iyer
Piyush Mishra
Piyush Mishra
Piyush Mishra is an Indian film and theatre actor, music director, lyricist, singer, scriptwriter.-Early life and education:He spent his early life in Gwalior, where he received his education...
Kangana Ranaut
Pasupathy
Pasupathy
Pasupathy is an Indian film actor. He has appeared in several critically acclaimed roles in many noted Tamil films, essaying supporting, antagonistic, comedic as well as protagonistic roles.-Early life and career:...
Deepak Dobriyal
Deepak Dobriyal
Deepak Dobriyal is an Indian film and theatre actor.He worked in many films like Not a Love Story, Teen Thay Bhai, Gulaal, Delhi 6, Omkara, Maqbool, Daayen Ya Baayen, Shaurya, 1971, 13B, The Blue Umbrella, Tanu Weds Manu and Mumbai Cutting.-Ealy life and education:Deepak's parents belong to Kabra...
Manu Rishi
Manu Rishi
Manu Rishi is an Indian film actor, lyricist, script and dialogue writer. Manu Rishi trained under theatre director Arvind Gaur for six years. He won the Filmfare Best Dialogue Award, 2009 for Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!...

Training

National School of Drama
National School of Drama
National School of Drama is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi, India, established . It is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and became an independent school in 1975...

Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts
Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts
Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts is a theatre training institute in Lucknow, India...

Department Of Theatre Arts, University of Hyderabad
University of Hyderabad
The University of Hyderabad is a post-graduate teaching and research institute in India. It was established by an act of the Parliament in 1974 as a Central University. The university also offers courses under distance learning programs...

FLAME School of Performing Arts

Sources

Banham, Martin, ed. 1998. The Cambridge Guide to Theatre. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. ISBN 0521434378.
Brandon, James R. 1981. Introduction. In Baumer and Brandon (1981, xvii-xx).
---, ed. 1997. The Cambridge Guide to Asian Theatre. 2nd, rev. ed. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. ISBN 978-0521588225.
Brockett, Oscar G. and Franklin J. Hildy. 2003. History of the Theatre. Ninth edition, International edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. ISBN 0205410502.
Baumer, Rachel Van M., and James R. Brandon, eds. 1981. Sanskrit Theatre in Performance. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1993. ISBN 978-8120807723.
Richmond, Farley. 1998. "India." In Banham (1998, 516-525).
Richmond, Farley P., Darius L. Swann, and Phillip B. Zarrilli, eds. 1993. Indian Theatre: Traditions of Performance. U of Hawaii P. ISBN 978-0824813222.

Sanskrit theatre

Theatre in India under British

Improvisation

Notable theatres in India in different Indian languages and regions

Ancient Indian playwrights

Playwrights working under British rule

Post-Independence theatre-makers

Notable playwrights

Traditional Indian theatre

Modern Indian theatre

Swatantra Theatre Jan Natya Manch (JANAM) Drishtantar Arts Group, New Delhi

Department of Culture, Govt. of India, Ministry Of Human Resources Development Sangeet Natak Academy, New Delhi Zonal Cultural Centres

Swatantra Theatre

Jan Natya Manch (JANAM)

Drishtantar Arts Group, New Delhi

Department of Culture, Govt. of India, Ministry Of Human Resources Development

Sangeet Natak Academy, New Delhi

Zonal Cultural Centres