ABSTRACT
This chapter draws attention to the Italian influence on Bangla drama, especially since the mid-20th century. Despite a strong indigenous tradition of folk theatre in Bengal, modern Bangla theatre since its inception in 19th-century colonial Kolkata has, consistently drawn inspiration from, translated and adapted Western plays by Shakespeare, Congreve, Sheridan, Molière and others. In the 1950s, anti-fascist progressive writers, dramatists and artists started a politically conscious, Left-sympathizing people’s theatre movement (also known as group theatre) which deployed Bengali adaptations of the plays of international dramatists. Among them Italian playwrights like Luigi Pirandello, Dario Fo, Franca Rame and Ugo Betti were particularly popular. The chapter focuses on how Bengali group theatre has drawn from the formal experimentation, innovative production and the often radical politics of 20th-century Italian drama. These adaptations have marked new directions in Bangla theatre often generating productive cultural and political debates and discussions. In doing so, they have set up a dialogue between Italian and Bengali cultures helping us to understand both their specificities and commonalities.
