What is the issue?
- Starting in Greece in 1995, Theatre Olympics fest has since been held across the world every few years since 1995.
- The 2018 edition will be hosted by India (the first time in the country) and Preparations for the same are on in full swing.
What is Theatre Olympics?
- Greek theatre director ‘Theodoros Terzopoulos’ conceptualised Theatre Olympics and it was held for the first time in Delphi, Greece.
- The idea was to gather the best theatre practitioners from around the world and create a forum for exchange — of ideas, cultures, forms and practices.
- It was also to be another kind of exchange, between eras, trying to find a continuum between the past, present and future of theatre.
- The current edition in India is being organised by the National School for Drama (NSD), which is an autonomous body under the ministry of culture.
- This event will see numerous Indian and foreign drama troops performing across multiple cities over the course of the fest.
How has Indian theatre fared historically?
- India has had a rich theatre history as early as 200 BCE and saw the likes of Kalidasa and Bhavabhuti, Sudraka and Bhasa producing masterpieces.
- Simultaneously, there is an equally fertile landscape produced tribal, subaltern and folk theatre that morphed and thrived down the ages.
- The anti-colonial theatre of the mid-19th century brought in the draconian Dramatic Performances (Prevention) Act of 1876.
- Later, the pre-Independence Left movement generated vital critical energy through the Indian Peoples Theatre Association.
- But our long theatrical tradition hasn’t been sufficiently exhibited to our own people and the “Indian theatre needs a push, to become vibrant again.
- Thus, the Olympics being envisaged is not just about bringing international theatre to India but also about brining Indian theatre to Indians.
Is the initiative massive?
- The itinerary for the program looks huge with 465 productions from 35 countries in 51 days across 17 cities.
- Each production will get up to Rs.1.5 lakh per show besides travel, accommodation and other costs.
- There is also technical support such as sets, lighting, sound and subtitles along with photography, videography and publications.
- Apart from the main plays, there will be ambient performances — tribal, folk, street, puppetry, magic shows — before each show.
- In total, the fest is expected to present roughly 35,000 artistes across India.
What are the concerns?
- There is considerable concern on how the festival will respond to political dissent, Dalit concerns or other controversial topics.
- Notably, there is no censorship and a mere guideline against “nudity and anti-nationalism” has been provided.
- Plays were selected through a two-tier process and most plays were submitted on DVD, many of which were of poor quality (due to small regional groups).
- The sheer numbers and content diversity often hindered the review process, and also language and cultural barriers got aggravated by distance.
- The review format also tends to neglect thoughtful, text-based plays and also results in loss of context and local traditions, which are lost in translation.
- Notably, Germany has a hefty theatre culture, and each play usually comes with a booklet that gives an overview of the contextual setting and its customs.
What can be hoped out of the festival?
- Theatre Olympic is a massive effort, but mere massiveness alone can do little to help theatre, although it need not be dismissed completely.
- This event can potentially become the very first theatre census conducted in the country, and can serve as an invaluable research project.
- There will be Catalogues, brochures, papers, videos, a documentary, and live streaming of the recordings of thousands of hours of performances.
- The extensive documentation planned around the Olympics, thus, stands to become its single most significant legacy.
- This will also help in increasing networking of various drama teams and provide the much needed oxygen for the currently struggling art form.
- This event will also boost awareness and therefore theatre infrastructure.
Source: The Hindu
