Theatre Of Roots

After Independence in 1947 in their efforts to create an Indian theatre that was different from the Westernized colonial theatre Indian theatre practitioners began returning to their roots in classical dance religious ritual martial arts popular entertainment and aesthetic theory. The Theatre of Roots as this movement was known was the first conscious effort at creating a body of work for urban audiences combining modern European theatre with traditional Indian performance while maintaining its distinction from both. By addressing the politics of aesthetics and by challenging the visual practices performerspectator relationships dramaturgical structures and aesthetic goals of colonial performance the movement offered a strategy for reassessing colonial ideology and culture and for articulating and defining a newly emerging India. Theatre of Roots presents an indepth analysis of this movement its innovations theories goals accomplishments problems and legacies.