Drama and Theatre
Section D. Covers Indian classical and traditional theatre; Modern Indian theatre; Western classical drama; Modern Western theatre; Theatre production and architecture; Theatre institutions and research.
About this unit
This unit traces drama and theatre from ancient India and Greece to the modern stage. It starts with Sanskrit playwrights (Bhasa, Kalidasa, Sudraka, Bhavabhuti) and the many traditional and folk theatre forms of India, then follows modern Indian theatre from Tagore and Bharatendu to Tendulkar, Mohan Rakesh, Badal Sircar and Girish Karnad. On the Western side it covers Greek tragedy and Shakespeare, followed by the modern masters (Ibsen, Chekhov, Shaw, Brecht, Beckett) and the acting theory of Stanislavski. The last topics are practical: stage types and the elements of production, and the institutions that support theatre, along with how to document a theatre project.
How to prepare
Build a table of playwright, language or country, period and two or three major plays, and practise matching. Learn key concepts such as Brecht's alienation effect, Stanislavski's system, the Theatre of the Absurd and Badal Sircar's Third Theatre. Learn the stage types by the position of the audience. For institutions, remember founding years and headquarters that do not change.
Topics in this chapter
Indian classical and traditional theatre
Bhasa, Kalidasa, Sudraka, Bhavabhuti and traditional forms.
5 questionsModern Indian theatre
Tagore, Bharatendu, Tendulkar, Mohan Rakesh, Badal Sircar, Girish Karnad and leading practitioners.
5 questionsWestern classical drama
Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Shakespeare.
5 questionsModern Western theatre
Chekhov, Ibsen, Shaw, Brecht, Beckett, Stanislavski and others.
5 questionsTheatre production and architecture
Proscenium, arena and thrust stages; set, light, costume, make-up and sound.
5 questionsTheatre institutions and research
NSD, Sangeet Natak Akademi, Zonal Cultural Centres and documenting a project.
5 questions