Monday, May 06, 2024 | Last Update : 03:42 PM IST

Quasar Thakore Padamsee

Uday Benegal as Channel in Sing India Sing

The original Indian English musical

More recently the boys of Silly Point drifted away from their safe zone of situational comedy and dived into Gandhi — The Musical.

22 Oct 2018 5:29 AM

Theatre companies must evolve, adapt to the new world

Vijay Kenkre once told me that the purpose of Experimental Theatre is to make Commercial Theatre better.

10 Oct 2018 12:26 AM

Theatre often finds itself caught between different stools. There seem to be various definitions of what theatre really is: a medium, a social activity, an art, a form of entertainment, a social commentary, etc. This confusion also exists within the theatre community.

What’s so special about theatre?

Theatre (and the Arts) is seen as a 'medium', not as an end in itself. That means CSR managers won't support theatre for theatre’s sake.

03 Oct 2018 12:28 AM

There is a greater sense of individuality in a drama class.

Drama teachers are like anthropology professors

In essence, drama class is actually a class about understanding human behaviour, and therefore life.

19 Sep 2018 12:10 AM

Neil Simon: Twentieth century’s Shakespeare

His relatable characters also make him a favourite among youth groups.

29 Aug 2018 1:18 AM

Theatre movies in movie theatres

However, they each keep returning to theatre and plays, and stay active in both mediums

15 Aug 2018 2:53 AM

Scene from Australian director Glenn Hayden’s Bull.

Global directors descend on Mumbai

In a new trend in international theatre, many directors are moving to Mumbai and calling it home.

01 Aug 2018 1:43 AM

Thespo 19 performance - This Wrold That Cropsses You 2017.

Thespo throws up the next generation theatre talent

The mentors remain the same, and what is heartening is how some participants of previous years have transitioned into mentors.

11 Jul 2018 1:45 AM

The only thing that they must have in common is that at some point they were “banned” by the establishment. (Representational image)

The making of a theatre festival

Reasons for plays being banned are often ridiculous when looked at in hindsight.

04 Jul 2018 1:17 AM

Last week Natak Company, a troupe from Pune, turned ten by having a festival of their work in Bombay and Pune.

Why I hate the Natak Company

That first meeting in Pitti Hall was conducted in my broken Hindi.

20 Jun 2018 2:56 AM

Each playwright wrestles with it, and more often than not, each director has done at least one play on the unseen life of theatre performers.

The ‘shadow’ side of theatre: Green Room takes centrestage

This past week I caught two other plays that were once again set in the dressing room of performers.

04 Apr 2018 1:33 AM

The current and future generations of theatre makers need to be more aware than ever before about how our work is contributing to a larger gender narrative. (Representational image)

Bechdel Testing…1, 2, 3…..: Failed!

The Bechdel Test has been around for many years, but it’s only now that it is slowly creeping into the psyche of artists.

28 Mar 2018 12:14 AM

In principle, the LED screen has replaced the old backdrop curtains. Traditionally, a show’s production value used to be measured by the number of changing backdrops it had. Ten years ago, Fali Unwala’s set for The Graduate received rave reviews because of its numerous backdrops.

LED killed the joy of 3D set designing for stage plays

Indian theatre’s LED obsession can be traced back to Zangoora, the show at Kingdom of Dreams (KoD) in Gurgaon.

21 Mar 2018 2:09 AM

The anthem has also come in for some severe flak, given its repetitiveness and an absolute lack of clear thought or mission statement.

Let’s celebrate that theatre has an Olympics too

A cursory glance of the schedule, and one realises that the programming is not as international as one hoped.

21 Feb 2018 3:00 AM

All told it looks like the Halls are going to be alive, with the sound of music. (Representational image)

Mumbai set to see some exciting plays

One of the oldest laments of the audience member in our city is “When will Mumbai become like Broadway?”

17 Jan 2018 12:38 AM

Matrimonio Segreto (The Secret Marriage) became the first opera to be staged at the Opera House in 2017. This ushered in a new era for theatre — one that will see many productions that cater to this historic venue.

A brave foot forward

Now, the Royal Opera House has started to host productions on a large scale and Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir has opened in Bandra too.

01 Jan 2018 6:41 AM

The winners of the theatre excellence awards

Thespo Lifetime Achievement award for Mohan Agashe

He then took his insights and helped form curriculums for institutions that were dedicated to building a better kind of theatre.

27 Dec 2017 6:27 AM

There was a time in Indian Theatre where theatre was meant to be political.

Dialling up the drama

Therefore it is the millennial generation of artists that is saying things that the rest of us should be.

20 Dec 2017 12:12 AM

This is the eighteenth festival being conducted by Thespo, the youth theatre movement for and by under-25-year-olds.

Importing talent: Theatre makers come to build shows

Thespo has been an regular ‘importer’ of talent from around the world.

13 Dec 2017 2:45 AM

Shashi Kapoor: The number one theatre fan

Shashi Kapoor passed away Monday. Leaving the theatre fraternity with a strange feeling.

07 Dec 2017 1:22 AM

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Sunil Gatade