State Surveillance In Theatre...Could It Be Your Play Next? September 6, 2019 4:13:32 PM IST MTG editorial A still from TATHAGAT Surveillance in theatre by the State is not a new thing. It existed even before India was a nation state when the British ruled. Surveillance and censorship have also gone hand in hand in our theatre. So what is different now? As some recent events suggest, there is an unprecedented level of surveillance and clampdown on voices that do not fit the dominant narratives today. Both dialogue and dissent on stage and off stage are being threatened. There is also palpable fear as non-state actors who take the form of mobs are able to get away with impunity for their destructive actions. There are a number of plays in our history that have experienced the ire of the mob and mobs have killed too. Perhaps no other group in our theatre history knows this better than the famous Delhi-based street theatre group Jana Natya Manch (JANAM). The group was in Mumbai recently for shows of their play TATHAGAT, written and directed by Abhishek Majumdar. At their last show at Harkat Studios in Versova, policemen in plain clothes were present and they made their presence very, very obvious. According to Subodh More, the facilitator for the Mumbai shows, their presence was definitely awkward as two of these men stood like sentinels near the door, looming over the small set-up. Earlier before the show, Sudhanva Deshpande, one of the core members of JANAM, was questioned as well. Questions posed by us to Karan Talwar of Harkat Studios concerning this incident remain unanswered, but Sudhanva Deshpande of JANAM, no stranger to such tactics, was forthcoming in his response. Earlier in February this year, writer-director Abhishek Majumdar and his team were targeted at the Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur for their play EIDGAAH KE JINNAT, which is based on the crisis in Kashmir. Was TATHAGAT surveilled because of Abhishek Majumdar who was also present at the show at Harkat Studios? Was it because it was JANAM staging the show? Was it because of the play's content? Or was it a combination of all three? This could be anybody's guess; the bottomline being that increasingly you will be watched for the stands you take and the art you make. Noted critic and writer Jayant Pawar, aggrieved by this event, and by another equally disturbing one concerning theatre artiste Yash Khan has written an open letter to well-known thespians and the literati seeking their response to both these incidents. He has received responses mainly from Marathi theatre veterans Premanand Gajvi, Rajeev Naik, Shafaat Khan, and from academics like Dr. Bhalchandra Mungekar, among others, as well as from places like Satara, Jalna and Nashik in Maharashtra. *Mumbai Theatre Guide takes no responsibility for change in schedule. read / post your comments    More on Theatre Update - International Radio Playwriting Competition 2020 by BBC and British Council (new) - Arun Kakade No More... - Well-Known Casting Director Mukesh Chhabra Announces ''Khidkiyaan - Just Act'' Theatre Festival... - Aarambh Mumbai Presents US AND THEM : A Discussion On Nationalism and Patriotism... - 'My Name Is Khan"...Theatre Artiste Yash Khan Targeted By Pune Police... - State Surveillance In Theatre...Could It Be Your Play Next? - Uttar Pradesh State Government's Sangeet Natak Academy Confers Award On Theatre Veteran Salim Arif... - AGP World Presents GOOD MOURNING!...Deven Khote's Directorial Debut On Stage... - Sultan Padamsee Award Winning Play WATCHING YOU At Literature Live! - BALI By Adhishakti Theatre Arts From Pondicherry...A Retelling Of The Myth... - "Sanhita Manch": A Festival By Being Association... Seeking Out New Talent In Hindi & Marathi Theatre... - "Imagining Freedom Through Art"...The Literature Live! Independence Lecture... - "What ails the Arts in India?"... The Jamshed Bhabha Memorial Lecture... - "Other Voices": A Panel Discussion On Social And Political Censorship In India... - Theatre Screening Of THE LEHMAN TRILOGY At NCPA...    Theatre Update Archives Select Month October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003    Discussion Board

Schedule Hindi | English | Gujarati | Marathi | Multi-Lingual Theatre Workshops Perform on Stage with the Weekday Acting Workshop by Benjamin Gilani, Hemant Pandey and Amod Bhatt(Guest faculty) An intensive Month long Acting Workshop to improve & polish your skills as an actor & execute it in a play.Selective Entry only.- "Parados to stage"by Rangshila Theatre Group fivCamera and Theatre Acting Workshop with NSD & FTII Professionals The classes at Five Senses are conducted by NSD & FTII faculties who teach the craft through improvisations, scene work, play, Story-telling, clowning, games and exercises et Camera and Theatre Acting Workshop with NSD & FTII Professionals The classes at Five Senses are conducted by NSD & FTII faculties who teach the craft through improvisations, scene work, play, Story-telling, clowning, games and exercises et Register a workshop | View all workshops

Get theatre updates in your inbox
subscribe to Mumbai Theatre Guide weekly updates