Asian Theatre Journal

Arnab Banerji’s accessible and informative book provides a window into the complex world that is Bengali group theatre. He has [End Page 227] divided the book into three sections, which address the history of proscenium theatre in Kolkata’s urban landscape, two case studies of particular productions, and a robust section that comprises a detailed look at the different elements of group theatre such as training infrastructure; performance and rehearsal spaces; funding; organization; lighting, sound, set design, and building; props acquisition and maintenance; casting; and play selection. Many of these elements are taken for granted by practitioners and not considered by viewers, but Banerji decisively demonstrates that each one has its profound impact on the theatre culture as a whole. This book is an effective reminder that the final performance we see in a theatre is not an isolated event, but a product of the conditions of production and reception.

The book is a candid look at an active genre that includes hundreds of groups regularly creating and producing Bengali-language theatre on a budget across about a dozen venues in the city. The term “group theatre” describes the organization of a post-independence, amateur, Bengali-language, socially-conscious theatrical genre based in Kolkata, India. Banerji creates a general categorization, describing groups as large institutions, thriving troupes, new beginners, or small neighborhood groups. This is the earliest post-independence theatre genre in India started in 1948 when director Sombhu Mitra broke off from the leftist Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) to start the group Bohurupee and with it what has come to be known as the “New Theatre Movement” that focused on the ensemble rather than stars. Banerji participated in group theatre himself for seven years in a variety of roles both on- and offstage, then went back for a year of research followed by several subsequent visits. During his research year he interviewed sixty theatre practitioners including actors, directors, designers, and others. He says of his research perspective that “I function as an ‘outsider’ who has the viewpoint of an ‘insider’” (p. 7), which is excellent for readers, who see the genre both from his perspective as participant/scholar and that of his many interviewees.

While acknowledging other theatre cultures in the city (Hindi-and English-language, office club, university, etc.), Banerji’s concentration on group theatre does not leave room for engagement with them. The book explores material conditions of group theatre to try to figure out why this active theatre culture continues to struggle just to exist. While there has been a lot of scholarship on the history of Bengali theatre, especially during the colonial period, and a reasonable amount on specific playwrights, directors, and plays, what Banerji brings to the conversation is new. He has looked at every angle of production, funding, training, staging, and reception of plays so that he can show the genre as a product of its environment—social, political, economic, [End Page 228] and cultural. This approach effectively neglects the content of the plays being produced, though the two case studies at the end of the book provide some insight into the western-inspired, socially-conscious, and nationalist leanings of the genre.

Banerji gives readers a sense of how group theatre culture has shifted over the past seventy-odd years from amateur to the semi-professional configuration of contemporary theatre culture in Kolkata. Bengali group theatre tends to be created by middle-class amateur directors, playwrights, and actors working alongside professional sound, lighting, and set designers and technicians to put up and tear down shows in new venues for each performance. If it is not easy to produce group theatre in Kolkata, it is not easy to watch it either, with uneven acoustics, distance from reliable public transportation, uncomfortable theatre seating, lack of nearby dining options, and lack of meaningful media review. Going to the theatre is not considered a leisure practice in Kolkata, but is instead viewed as an intellectual exercise for socially committed...