22/09/2014
The earliest form of the theatre of India was
the Sanskrit theatre . [1] It began after the
development of Greek and Roman theatre and
before the development of theatre in other
parts of Asia. [1] It emerged sometime between
the 2nd century BCE and the 1st century CE
and flourished between the 1st century CE and
the 10th, which was a period of relative peace
in the history of India during which hundreds
of plays were written. [2] With the Islamic
conquests that began in the 10th and 11th
centuries, theatre was discouraged or
forbidden entirely. [3] Later, in an attempt to
re-assert indigenous values and ideas, village
theatre was encouraged across the
subcontinent, developing in a large number of
regional languages from the 15th to the 19th
centuries. [4] Modern Indian theatre developed
during the period of colonial rule under the
British Empire , from the mid-19th century until
the mid-20th. [5] In order to resist its use by
Indians as an instrument of protest against
colonial rule, the British Government imposed
the Dramatic Performances Act in 1876. From
the last half of the 19th century, theatres in
India experienced a boost in numbers and
practice. After Indian independence in 1947,
theatres spread throughout India as one of the
means of entertainment . As a diverse, multi-
cultural nation, the theatre of India cannot be
reduced to a single, homogenous trend. In
contemporary India, the major competition with
its theatre is that represented by growing
television industry and the spread of films
produced in the Indian film industry based in
Mumbai (formerly Bombay), known as
" Bollywood". Lack of finance is another major
obstacle.
