The curtain raiser

RATAN THIYAM:
Manipuri theatre made its presence felt for the first time when RatanThiyam, a NSD graduate, unfolded a rich theatre tradition in thisnortheastern state in the early ’70s. In fact, his experimental works, manyof them derived from the epics and other myths, also took the national arenaby storm. A master in stagecraft, he proved that language is no barrier intheatre. One of his most memorable plays, Andha Yug, based on Dhritarashtra,the helpless blind king from The Mahabharata, written in his own inimitablestyle, was staged at the Prithvi Festival a few years ago. At one time,Thiyam was also the director of the National School of Drama.

RAMESHWAR SINGH KASHYAP:
He is one playwright who took drama to the grassroots. One of the mostsuccessful playwrights of Bihar, Rameshwar Singh Kashyap, a native ofSasaram, and professor of Hindi at the Patna University, wrote in Bhojpuri.Most of his plays gained popularity through the radio. His creation, LohaSingh, based on the character of a retired British Army veteran of the samename and played by Kashyapji himself, was a regular weekly feature on AIRPatna. Such was his dramatic skill that all of Bihar would come to astandstill, when the play was aired. Professor Kashyap recently expired.

MAHESH ELKUNCHWAR:
Yet another star on the illustrious Marathi stage, Nagpur-based MaheshElkunchwar shocked theatre audiences in the ’70s, with plays such likeSultaan, Party and Garbo, which took up themes such as lust, loneliness anda sense of loss amid life’s turmoil. Even when Elkunchwar was starting outas a playwright, he was deemed the prima donna of Marathi avante-gardetheatre. Among his later works, Atmakatha and Pratibimb reaffirmed hiscredentials as a playwright of substance and style, while the WadaChirebandi trilogy, brought him fame and praise. In a recent interview,Elkunchwar expressed his regret over the lack of response from the outsideworld. "Two prominent theatre persons from Mumbai are sitting pretty on myplays. They neither return my calls, nor do they care to write back to me.Hereafter, I will write only for my pleasure. No one will be allowed tostage my plays."

BADAL SARKAR:
A leading theatre personality from Bengal who rose into prominence with the’70s wave of street theatre, Badal Sarkar revolutionised Bengalitheatre with his angst-ridden, anti-establishment plays during the Naxalitemovement in a city ridden by traumatic upheavals. Even today, his playsattract large audiences in Calcutta and Bengal. Not only does his workrevolve around larger social issues, involving the masses, but he alsotravels in and around Bengal and takes up issues specific to a particularcommunity or locality and creates plays on the spot. He is also known forpicking up ordinary people from ordinary life, who he feels, suit aparticular role and gets them to act for his skits and plays. One of hisplays, Ebong Indrajit, continues to attract audiences all over Bengal. Atrend-setter of sorts.