NRI theatre lovers in Saudi Arabia have expressed concern over the dying art of theatre during a recent discussion titled "The drama begins with the next bell" by the Riyadh-based cultural organisation, IDAM.
Speaking on the occasion, cultural activist Jayachandran Neruvambram said, "The Seventies witnessed a unique experimental theatre movement known as indigenous theatre that spread throughout India, spearheaded by legendary theatre personalities like Girish Karnad, Shivaram Karanth, Kavalam Narayana, Utpal Dutt and Habib Tanvir. The movement was a genuine and creative exercise of dramatic representation based on the vibrant practicing traditions and directives as prescribed in the Natyasastra, the authoritative text on Indian aesthetics. The earlier productions were influenced by regional artistic and folk traditions comprising a variety of music, dance and theatre forms. It made a lasting impact on society for sometime, but the lack of second-level creative artists and cheap imitations of original productions forced the indigenous theatre movement into oblivion."