THEATRE WAS THEIR ARENA......

Submitted by bhawani on Fri, 2007-01-05 18:30. Kerala

Re-interpreting, adapting, experimenting, codifying are words used when describing plays by theatre stalwarts like the G Sankara Pillai, Kavalam Narayana Panikkar, and Prof Narendra Prasad. As practitioners of the craft, their works were rooted in tradition and the search was to explore the lineage and use it to enrich the contemporary.

Very clear in their minds about what they wanted to achieve on stage, the masters built on a craft with ample knowledge of the subject. Therefore the productions were a result of strong convictions. For G Sankara Pillai who began life as a school teacher and then moved to lecturership, the folk traditions of Kerala held special charm. It was Sankara Pillai who initiated the ‘Little Theatre Movement in Kerala’ through the formation of Prasadhana Little Theatre in 1960 which went a long way in shaping the theatre aspirations of the century. Karutha daivathe thedi dwelling on the Aryan-Dravida divide, is a play that is handled to this day by theatre groups for the immense power.

Tradition, it was yet again that Kavalam Narayana Panikkar sought to reinforce his concept of theatre. A lawyer by profession, he turned to full time theatre, moved to Thiruvananthapuram from Alapuzha and set up the Sopanam.

A strong supporter of the use of Sopana Sangeetham in Mohiniyattam, Kavalam’s plays have drawn extensively from the Sanskrit texts as well as Greek drama, but in the end what appeared on stage had the Kerala touch. Daivathar, Theyya Theyyam, Kalivesham, Bhasa’s Karnabharam, Charudatham, Kalidasa’s Shakuntalam, Shakespeare’s Tempest, Euripides’ Trojan Woman, figure among his works.

Natyagraha, a trendsetter in theatre, producing as many as 15 plays in 12 years was late R Narendra Prasad’s theatre excursion. Literary critic, academician and progressive thinker, he created a new visual culture to promote good theatre. Regrettably, he ignored, paid little attention to the field when he moved to films, where his professional approach is remembered. The loss was Malayalam Theatre’s.

A new generation of theatre groups are doing effective work with a clear vision against all odds and have come with up with meaningful productions.

Finding the strengths in their roots, and using texts from the famous, transcending borders, multiple strands emerge. The signs these and similar groups display are really inspiring and encouraging.

The repertoire is built on traditional texts and renowned plays from Greek and English. In most of the productions the search for the roots, melding with the new and the effort to imbue it with a ‘Kerala-ness’ is pronounced.
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