Assam Mobile theatre: World Theatre Day is observed on March 27 all over the world. People used to enjoy drama as a form of entertainment before the invention of the screen and films. Theatre is used as a medium to reflect our society, and it depicts culture and traditions from all over the world in various languages. Thus, World Theatre Day is observed to preserve and promote dramas that people still enjoy today.
Also Read: 88 Years of Assamese Cinema: ‘Joymoti’ First Assamese feature film Released on This Day
HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE OF WORLD THEATRE DAY
Since 1962, the International Theatre Institute has celebrated this day in theatre communities around the world. On World Theatre Day, the first message was written by French playwright Jean Cocteau. The first ITI conference was held in Helsinki, Finland, and the second in Vienna, Austria.
Impact of Assam Mobile theatre in Socio-Cultural Life
The Assamese mobile theatre, or ‘Bhramyaman,’ is all about pushing boundaries, taking risks, and highlighting social issues in a fun way, which is why audiences love it. In an age of OTT, smartphones, and YouTube addiction, the continued popularity of theatre in Assam defies logic. The themes and content change, but the appeal remains timeless. Its appeal stems from how well it balances continuity and experimentation.
Actors, singers, dancers, directors, action artists, makeup artists, and producers make up mobile theatre groups. These theatre troupes travel across the state performing their plays, and what sets them apart is that they bring all of the necessary equipment with them, including stage material and props. In Assam, mobile theatre is one of the most popular forms of entertainment. Since the first mobile theatre group was formed in Assam in the 1920s, nearly 150-160 have emerged. Currently, approximately 60 theatre groups perform their plays throughout the state.
Folk Theatre Forms of Assam
The prominent folk theatre forms of Assam are—
- Ojapali,
- Kamrupia Dhulia,
- Puppetry,
- Khulia Bhaona,
- Bharigan,
- Kushangan,
- Dhulia Bhaona,
- Dotaragan,
- Dhuranat,
- Palagan.
On the other hand, some semi-folk drama theatres are practised in Assam, such as Dhepadhulia, Mohoho, Matheni, Paseti, Kalipuja, Kali chandi dance, Charak puja, Nagaranam, and so on.
It’s World Theatre Day! Today is about celebrating and raising awareness about the importance of theatre arts and their important role in entertainment.
View our theatre courses here- https://t.co/6VRw0XoO19#WorldTheatreDay pic.twitter.com/1RqDlVzDAm— North Kent College (@NKCollege1) March 26, 2023
From late August to April, troupes and their equipment travel across the state to local communities, performing a repertoire of new plays. The shows, which are not mediated by screens or elitist pretensions, are not only spectacles of melodrama, music, dance, and special effects, but also social events that draw energy from the audience and channel it back to them.
Ankiya Bhaona: First Assamese Drama
The father of Assamese drama is Vaishnavite preacher and epochal artist Sankardeva. Although it was written for social reformation, it made a significant contribution to Assamese literature as a golden dome.
Although it was written for social reformation, it made a significant contribution to Assamese literature as a golden dome. He believed that audio-visual means were the best way to cultivate devotion in every individual, and thus Ankiya Bhaona, or drama, was born. Sankardeva staged Chihnayatra (drama of symbol or drawing) in Tembuwani, near Borduwa, at the age of nineteen.
Assamese Bhaonas
Late Maheswar Neog, a trove of vast knowledge on Assamese dance, plays, and music, emphasised that early Vaishnava writings in Assam did not refer to them as such, and that Sankardev himself had denoted his dramatic creations as nata, nataka, or yatra, as well as nritya. He had referred to the actors as Natuwa or Nartkaka.
In Assam, there are primarily two types of Bhaonas: Ankiya Bhaona, or plays written by Sankardev and Madhabdev, and Bhaona, or other plays written by Vaishnava monastic heads after the two gurus. While the Ankiya Bhaona is always in the Brajabuli dialect, the rest are either in Brajabuli or pure Assamese.
