ABSTRACT
The Bengali group theatre, centered around Kolkata, is one of India’s most active urban theatre cultures. Bengali theatre emerged in the wake of the disintegration of the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) after the Indian independence in 1947. For the last seventy years, Bengali group theatre has regaled Bengali-speaking audiences in Kolkata and beyond with its socially conscious plays and bare-bones production style. In spite of its celebrated stature among modern theatre practitioners across India, Bengali group theatre is seldom afforded the critical attention it deserves by theatre studies scholars both at home in India and abroad. This chapter presents a brief history of the proscenium-style theatre practice in Kolkata. Critical reflections aside, the chapter is also a celebration of Kolkata’s unique theatre style.
