The elitist, the commercial, and the popular in Indian theatre: a voice from the margins
Author :Arambam, Lokendra
Keywords :Colonial Theatre (India)
Performing arts
Issue Date :2000
Publisher :Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi
Description :The classification of Indian post-colonial theatre into elitist, commercial and popular categories there for has very little relevance in certain regions where the cultural implications of dominance are felt. No doubt in Manipur too there are many proscenium groups whose ideological affiliations are unclear, and which try to pursue the path of profit within the prevalent system. A kind of psuedo-elitism marks their work. Other groups, staging rank melodramas, flourish, with weekly shows for a lumpen audience. Travelling groups with borrowed imagery from Hindi films provide sustenance to playwrights, directors, and artists. The pro-elitist positions of some select groups are, however, not going to be easy to sustain. Only professional groups in the official circuit have chances of continuity and success. The political economy of theatre, after all, plays a vital role in determining the viability of theatre, in Manipur as elsewhere in the country.
Source :Sangeet Natak Akademi
Type :Article
Received From :Sangeet Natak Akademi
DC Field
Value
dc.contributor.author
Arambam, Lokendra
dc.date.accessioned
2017-07-11T00:16:46Z
dc.date.available
2017-07-11T00:16:46Z
dc.date.issued
2000
dc.description.abstract
The classification of Indian post-colonial theatre into elitist, commercial and popular categories there for has very little relevance in certain regions where the cultural implications of dominance are felt. No doubt in Manipur too there are many proscenium groups whose ideological affiliations are unclear, and which try to pursue the path of profit within the prevalent system. A kind of psuedo-elitism marks their work. Other groups, staging rank melodramas, flourish, with weekly shows for a lumpen audience. Travelling groups with borrowed imagery from Hindi films provide sustenance to playwrights, directors, and artists. The pro-elitist positions of some select groups are, however, not going to be easy to sustain. Only professional groups in the official circuit have chances of continuity and success. The political economy of theatre, after all, plays a vital role in determining the viability of theatre, in Manipur as elsewhere in the country.
Government of India
