Visit to Natya Shodh Sansthan

On February 20 and March 2, 2023, the third-year students of the Department of English, Loreto College were taken to the Natya Shodh Sansthan Theatre Museum in two groups respectively. The objective of the visit was to enhance the students’ understanding of various theatrical traditions in India, which they study as part of a paper on Text and Performance.
The first section on the ground floor of the museum was devoted to classical Sanskrit theatre, featuring the names of Kalidasa, Bhasa, and Bhavabhuti. The students not only benefited from the extensive written information that was available but were also able to visualise the performance space from the cardboard and paper models of the various stage shapes of ancient Sanskrit theatre that were displayed in the museum.
The following section dealt largely with the various folk forms of theatre that have their roots in rural India. The students were accompanied by the director of the museum who explained various folk forms such as Jatra, Alkaap, Chhau, and Putul Nach. Samples of the masks and costumes commonly used for such performances were also on display.
The final section of the museum was a rich store of information on post-Independence theatre in India. Once again, there were detailed structures reconstructing the stage settings of some of the most iconic plays of this period. At the very end, a recorded performance of Alkaap was screened for the students. The entire experience was enriching and immersive for the participants and meaningfully complemented their academic study of Indian theatre.