Theatre director, playwright, and social activist Prasanna is hailed for introducing innovative techniques and ideas in theatre. In 1975, the Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee set up Samudaya, one of Karnataka’s oldest amateur theatre groups. It soon became a strong anti-establishment voice as it travelled all over the State staging street plays, protest plays, and propagating political thought in villages.
Prasanna is also the founder of Charaka Cooperative Society, and mentor of Gram Seva Sangh. Very few books live up to the expectations created by their blurbs, but Prasanna’s iconic book, Indian Method in Acting , does. First published in 2013 by the National School of Drama, it is now available in a revised edition with a new introduction by the author.
In this excerpt from the first chapter, “A Game of Falsehood”, Prasanna clarifies his views on theatre, saying with trademark candour: “Let me repeat, the fundamental purpose of theatre is to communicate truthfully and playfully.” ***** I am sure you’ve heard jokes equating theatre with lying or falsehood. There are many such doing the rounds these days.
When someone expresses himself / herself through false emotions, people make fun of them, saying, ‘What drama!’ or ‘Drama Baaji!’ in anglicized Hindi. For those of us who work in the medium such comments are irritating, even though we know they are about falsehood and not about theatre. Be that as it may, there is a very important relationship that exists.