ABSTRACT
Theatre Formation Paribartak or TFP is a theatre company based in Howrah, Kolkata’s twin city across the river Hooghly. The theatre group has two distinct wings that produce two very different kinds of theatre – one-act plays that are targeted at local play competitions and major interventionist theatre performances that push the boundaries of conventional performance practice in Kolkata. The ensuing case study is a discussion of the latter. I discuss TFP’s 2012 production Lakkhaner Shaktishel/Laxman Shellshocked and 2013 play Himmatwala to demonstrate how the material conditions of production and reception in Kolkata work together to create the kind of theatre that TFP produces.
