‘C for Clown’ - a play at Ranga Shankara

The 60s and 70s proved a time of ferment, with literary and theatre movements spicing up the cultural ethos of the city. Folk theatre and classical dance metamorphosed into polemic, returning to the entertainment quotient only in the wake of globalisation in the 80s. The explosion of satellite television in the 90s resulted in a major shift of talent from stage to the studios, but the balance has been restored to a great extent these days."I was worried, till I realised television was not only keeping Kannada alive but also encouraging its growth," says playwright Girish Karnad, who effortlessly segues from Kannada to English, conceptualising and writing his brilliant plays in Kannada and then seamlessly translating them into English for a global audience.    

At the Ranga Shankara in JP Nagar, there is a play performed every day. In addition to workshops and festivals and productions featuring the finest troupes from abroad showcasing the alpha to zeta of theatre through the year.English theatre has been around for over a hundred years, the oldest surviving group being the Bangalore Little Theatre (BLT), founded in the 60s. Jagdish and Arundathi Raja's Artistes Repertory Theatre (ART) keeps the scene alive along with other groups of committed theatre people. Playwright Mahesh Dattani cut his teeth in this environment.

Plays by Chandrashekar Kambar, P.Lankesh, T.P. Kailasam and other greats, find elliptical interpretations and newer audiences in college auditoria as well as in such places as the Ravindra Kalakshetra,Town Hall and Chowdiah Memorial Hall these days, more than ever before. For many decades, beginning in the 1930s, the cultural scene was dominated by Prabhat Kalavidaru, founded by the Dasa brothers - Gopinath, Karigiri, Jaisimha and Dwarakanath. Their lavish theatre productions included dance ballets that toured the country. The joint family has splintered now, but many members are still involved with various aspects of dance and drama.