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Raj Bisaria

January 29, 2023

Raj Bisaria (born 10 November 1935) is an Indian director, producer, actor and educationalist, described by the Press Trust of India as "the father of the modern theatre in North India".[2][3] He founded Theatre Arts Workshop in 1966, and Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1975 and the repertory company of Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1980. He has blended artistic concepts of the East and the West, and the traditional and the modern.[4]

Raj Bisaria
Born (1935-11-10) 10 November 1935 (age 87)
Lakhimpur, United Provinces, British India
Other namesRaju
Occupation(s)Theatre director, actor, producer and educationist
Notable workFounder of the Theatre Arts Workshop (TAW) and Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts
SpouseKiran Raj Bisaria[1]
Websitewww.rajbisaria.com

Life

Raj Bisaria was born in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh, on 10 November 1935, the son of the late P.L. Bisaria and Leelavati Singh. He was educated at Colvin Taluqdars' College and Lucknow University, Lucknow, and retired as a senior professor of English Literature from Lucknow University. In 1969, Bisaria married the Kiran Kuchawan; the couple have a daughter, Rajina.[1]

The initiative was taken by his University Theatre Group formed in 1962.[5] Four years later, Raj Bisaria founded the Theatre Arts Workshop (TAW) in 1966[6] and Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts, Government of Uttar Pradesh, in 1975, and the repertory company of BNA in 1981.[7][8] He is the first man from Uttar Pradesh to have been awarded a Padma Shree for work in modern theatre and his contribution towards the growth of theatre in India.[9]

Raj Bisaria tried to infuse a new sense of consciousness with regard to the dramatic and performing arts and aesthetic awareness of the performing arts in northern India.[10][11]

Bisaria was removed as the honorary director of Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts, and he was assaulted twice, first in 1988 and then in 1995.[12]

Theatre training

External theatre training for Raj Bisaria included an invitation by the British Council, London, to visit the UK and train at the British Drama League (now the British Theatre Association) as a producer, drama instructor, and adjudicator, in 1969.[13]

Director and designer

Raj Bisaria is also a stage director with a grounding in both the western classics and contemporary dramatic works.[14]

Raj Bisaria tried to ensure that the dramatic and performing arts conform to a professional discipline and communicate through a new aesthetic medium. His plays are concerned with men-women relationships and social issues of special concern to him.[6][15] Through the productions of European and Indian plays since 1966, Bisaria presented a wide spectrum of contemporary world drama as director and designer.[11]

Largely using his own devices and creative expression he began his work in English and then to use Hindustani as the spoken medium of expression from 1973. He has encouraged folk theatre in the Uttar Pradesh local genre known as the Nautanki.[16]

In 1972, he took a major shift in his emphasis from modern Euro-American productions to plays in Hindi of modern Indian playwrights: Mohan Rakesh, Badal Sircar, Adya Rangacharya, Dharamvir Bharti, Shesh and Mohit Chatterjee.[9]

Over the years, Raj Bisaria produced and directed over 75 theatre productions. In addition he supervised, produced/directed a large number of productions in the Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts from 1975 to 1986 and later on; and also in National School of Drama and for its Repertory Company.

His major productions have included Maxwell Anderson's Barefoot in Athens; Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Othello, King Lear; George Bernard Shaw's Candida; Harold Pinter's The Caretaker; Sartre's In Camera; Ionesco's The Lesson; Strindberg's The Father, Jean Anouilh's Antigone; and various plays of Chekhov, Ionesco, Tennessee Williams, Shaffer and others. His major productions of Indian plays have included Dharamvir Bharati's Andha Yug, Badal Sircar's Baqi Itihas, Adya Rangacharya's Suno Janmejaya, Elkunchwar's Garbo, Mohan Rakesh's Aadhe-Adhure and Mohit Chatterjee's Guinea Pig.[17][18][19]

Problems

Critics found Ann Jellicoe's The Knack revolting and Sartre's In Camera and Ionesco's The Lesson too demanding.[20] The TAW team has a group of permanent actors, with other interested parties for different productions.[21]

Lack of men and material compelled Raj Bisaria to stage Othello with only four characters. And yet it was a memorable performance. The persistent efforts of Raj Bisaria have yielded results.[22]

Actor

As an actor of stage, radio, television and films, Bisaria was known since 1978 as a major actor of the Doordarshan.[11] As a theatre actor Raj Bisaria did significant roles in several of TAW's English and Hindi stage productions, films and television.[23]

He played leading roles in at least two dozen plays in English and Hindi, such as:

Impresario

As impresario Raj Bisaria's widening interests had led to the introduction of Irshad Panjatan's mime in 1967 and next year the presentation of the Murray Louis Dance Company of USA. This broadening activity and involvement with the performing arts also saw a classical dance performance by Sonal Mansingh, in 1970, the début of Om Shivpuri's Dishanter group in 1972, a painting exhibition of R.S. Bisht's miniature in 1973, Richard Schechners' environmental theatre presentation of Mother Courage and Her Children from New York in 1976, and the Annapolis Brass Quintet in 1981 - all arranged at the initiative of Raj Bisaria's TAW.[24]

Educationist

As a dramaturge his primary concern was an effort to resolve the problem of creative reinterpretation of the classical and theatrical art of his region to find itself in contemporary social relevance. He structured Theatre Training Programmes in U.P. through workshops and certificate and diploma courses in North India from 1966. He founded in 1975 for the Government of U.P. India's second school of drama: Bhartendu Natya Akademi-Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts.[2]

Raj Bisaria is interested as an actor, director and theatre teacher in the system of Konstantin Stanislavski and Bertolt Brecht. The Russian theatre practitioner provides the core of Raj Bisaria's directing and pedagogy in contemporary Indian theatre. Later, he developed his own system of holistic acting, which produced three generations of actors and directors.[10]

Theatre Arts Workshop

In December 1963, ten members organized a theatre play and put through a programme – An Evening with Young Actors – which included Edna St. Vincent Millay's Aria da Capo, scenes from Twelfth Night and Macbeth, The Valiant and a dramatized reading of Hamlet, and a dramatisation of T. S. Eliot's poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." Raj Bisaria produced and directed all the play, and he decided to register a theatre group with a managing body, using local talent. The theatre group was bilingual (English and Hindi), and concerned itself with encouraging interest in theatre-craft and developing a greater awareness of theatre, an ability to appreciate drama, and a firmer grap of ideas and technique.[25]

By the winter of 1965, his plans had been finalized. No financial help was forthcoming yet. Finally, he staked a large part of his personal fortune on the project, selected members for the committee, picked out a likely group of four English actors and of helpers, and established what has since then been called Theatre Arts Workshop – a theatre for enthusiasts in drama and allied arts.[26]

Thus in 1966, Theatre Arts Workshop (TAW) was founded by Raj Bisaria, as a president and artistic director, with the aim of creating interest in dramatic arts among the young, and help them to develop an insight into acting, direction and allied arts. The name 'Theatre Arts Workshop' is unit for theatre and allied performing arts; its members are to be exposed to workshop methods of representation. TAW was to be a training organization and then a performing group, with its motto training before performance. Its philosophy is "your right is to work only, but never the fruit thereof. Let not the fruit of action be your object, nor let your attachment be to inaction." – Sri Krishna to sorrowing Arjuna (The Bhagvadgita, chapter II - 47)[27][28]

English theatre

Raj Bisaria started his venture in English language with Shakespeare's Othello in 1966, Christopher Fry's poetic play A Phoenix too Frequent and Eugène Ionesco's absurd play The Lesson in 1967. The selection of these two plays; diametrically opposite in their form and content, in a single show was an experiment by Raj Bisaria. It was a box office failure.[29]

In 1967 a significant advance was made when Raj Bisaria decided to produce and direct Jean-Paul Sartre's existential In Camera, Edna St. Vincent Millay's Aria Da Capo and Ronald Duncan's translation of 12th century classic Abelard and Heloise in a three-bill presentation, in November, 1967. These were crucial productions as TAW's audience wavered between shocked admiration and shocked disgust. Four hours of continuous drama was considereda bit too much.[30]

Hindi and Urdu theatre

Raj Bisaria was aware from the very beginning that any worthwhile theatre activity had to find its moorings in Hindi and other Indian languages. He sought the co-operation of the then existing theatre groups to realize his plans to establish a bilingual theatre in Lucknow. But his effort failed to elicit any response from them. He even brought the production rights of Mohan Rakesh's well known play, Adhe-Adhure, which he could not stage for want of a suitable cast. In his bid to switch over to Hindi drama, he invited Delhi groups to produce, under TAW's auspices, plays in Hindi with a view to making local groups conscious of the potentialities and challenges of Hindi Theatre.[31]

TAW's first Hindi play was Baqi Itihas, a translation of Badal Sircar's Bengali play on a thrust stage. It was a non-realistic presentation, using giant slides and specially designed music, the first production of the kind in the country.

Baqi Itihas was followed by a wide range of plays in translation from English, Bengali, Marathi, Kannada, in addition to those originally in Hindi; Andha Yug, Suno Janmejaya, Adhe-Adhure,[32] The Cave Dwellers, Antigone, Garbo, Candida, Father, Sleuth, Barefoot in Athens,[33] The Caretaker etc.[34]

TAW is considered the protagonist of theatre art, from the classical to the experimental plays .[35]

TAW mounted on stage the European and American playwrights; its repertoire including Shakespeare, Shaw, Sartre, Ionesco, Fry, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Noël Coward, Ronald Duncan, Rattigan, Harold Pinter, Ann Jellicoe, Peter Shaffer, Edward Albee, Jean Anouilh, Maxwell Anderson[36] and Orton.[12]

According to The Pioneer, The dynamism of TAW productions, their stylistic experimentation and directorial subtlety, were never in doubt on either side of the proscenium. But TAW's plays proved too radical in the context of existing provincial attitudes.[10][37]

Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts

As a theatre educator as early as 1973, Raj Bisaria suggested to the State Government that he should start a semi-professional repertory theatre in Uttar Pradesh, in 1974 the State Government went a few steps further and requested him to evolve a scheme for establishing a drama school, which would function as a full-fledged academy of dramatic arts.[38][39]

Bhartendu Natya Akademi (BNA): Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts (BADA), when it was founded in 1975 became the first of its kind in the large Hindi belt of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The only other being the Delhi-based National School of Drama.[40] From 1975 to 1986, in an honorary capacity, he had the responsibility of teaching acting and direction (aspects both theoretical and practical) western drama, from the Greeks to modern times; theatre criticism and adjudication and aesthetics of light, and set design. He worked again as, director of the academy as well as the director of its Repertory Company from 1989 to 1992, 1995 to 1997.[12]

As theatre administrator with minimal facilities, poor funds and negligible infrastructure, he has developed and consolidated the viability and status of a school of theatre beginning initially as an elementary agency for dissemination of theatrical know-how in 1976 to a professional academy of dramatic arts in 1981.[10]

Fellowship projects

'The Mind of the Director'- A book on Hindi theatre directors, under the 'Senior Fellowship' of Government of India.

'Shakespeare's Indian Summer' - A theatrical study of Shakespearean plays in India, under the highest cultural fellowship of India - 'Tagore National Fellowship'(2013–14)[4]

Major productions as director

Honours

  • Sangeet Natak Akademi, Uttar Pradesh Award, for Direction - 1988. He declined the award.[77]
  • Padma Shree[78] - 1990, for contribution to Modern Indian Theatre, by the Government of India the first theatre person from Uttar Pradesh to be so honoured.[9]
  • Yash Bharti - 1994 - Lifetime achievement award 1994 by the Government of Uttar Pradesh.[77]
  • U.P. Ratna - 1996 - by All India Conference of Intellectuals for Theatre Direction and Contribution to Media.
  • Distinguished Service Honour - NGO Helpage India - 1997.
  • Fun-Vibhushan, NGO, Bhartiya Funkar Society, U.P. - 1998.
  • Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts - Recognition for his unique services and contribution as its founder-director - 2000.
  • Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Direction- 2004.[12][79]
  • National School of Drama Recognition for composite contribution to Theatre in India.[12]
  • Aditya Vikram Birla Kalashikhar Puraskar – Life Time Achievement Award - 2010[80]
  • The Chaman Lal Memorial Award - for Life-Long Achievement to Theatre World - 2012[81]
  • Tagore National Fellowship (Highest Cultural Research Award of India) - for 'Shakespeare's Indian Summer' - A theatrical study of Shakespearean plays in India (2013–14)[4]
  • The Madhya Pradesh government honouring him with its prestigious Kalidas Samman national award for 2015-16 for achievement in theatre. The ceremony will be held on 10 November in Ujjain, which is also the birthday of the 80-year-old.[82]
  • Life Time Achievement Award by Doordarshan DD Uttar Pradesh, 2017

References

  1. ^ a b Henry Soszynski. "Kuchaman". Members.iinet.net.au. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  2. ^ a b Thakore, Dolly (3 June 1984). "Raj Bisaria: Founder of the Hindi Theatre Movement". Mid-Day, Mumbai.
  3. ^ a b Arora, Garima (26 May 2015). "Julius Caesar Wins Heart". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  4. ^ a b c "Tagore Fellowship for Raj Bisaria". Hindustan Times, Lucknow. 5 March 2014.
  5. ^ Kala, Mr. S.C. (5 January 1964). "An Evening With Young Actors". The Illustrated Weekly of India: 51.
  6. ^ a b "Theatre Arts Workshop, Lucknow". The National Herald. 6 April 1969.
  7. ^ http://bna.noetic.in/english/founder_director.htm 15 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ My affair with theatre continues
  9. ^ a b c d Saxena, Rajeev (15 April 1990). "Raj Bisaria's 'Fine Madness'". The Sunday Observer.
  10. ^ a b c d Sagar, Anand (26 March 1978). "Raj Bisaria Learns To Give More Than He Gets". The Pioneer.
  11. ^ a b c "Teacher - turned dramatist Bisaria gets Padamshri". The Pioneer, Lucknow. 30 January 1990.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Pandey, Manish Chandra (20 February 2005). "Not curtains yet for creative theatre genius". Hindustan Times, Lucknow.
  13. ^ Sagar, Anand (26 March 1978). "Raj Bisaria Learns To Give More Than He Gets". The Pioneer, Lucknow.
  14. ^ Bajeli, Diwan Singh (6 February 2014). "Finer Side of Life". Chennai, India: The Hindu, New Delhi. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  15. ^ Narain, Prof. S.K. (9 May 1971). "TAW: Bisaria's Fresh Effort". Sunday Magazine, National Herald.
  16. ^ "Director Without A Theatre". The Pioneer, Lucknow. 23 February 1970.
  17. ^ "My Best Is Yet To Come". The Hindu, Madras. 12 August 1983.
  18. ^ "Raj Bisaria leaves audience spell-bound". The Northern Patrika,Allahabad. 11 January 1997.
  19. ^ Agrawal, Pratibha (2005). Bhartiya Rangkosh. New Delhi: Rastriya Natya Vidyalaya. p. 397. ISBN 81-8197-010-1.
  20. ^ Kala, S.C. (11 July 1971). "The Theatre in Lucknow". The Times of India, New Delhi.
  21. ^ "The Theatre in Lucknow". The Times of India. 11 July 1971.
  22. ^ Panje, Usha (8 March 1970). "Theatre Arts Workshop: Cross Roads". The National Herald, Lucknow.
  23. ^ Saxena, Rajeev (15 April 1990). "Raj Bisaria's 'Fine Madness'". The Sunday Observer, Lucknow.
  24. ^ Shephered, Keith (12 September 1971). "A tete-a-tete with Bisaria". The National Herald,Lucknow.
  25. ^ Kala, S.C. (5 January 1964). "An Evening With Young Actors". The Illustrated Weekly of India.
  26. ^ "Theatre Arts Workshop, Lucknow". The National Herald, Lucknow. 6 April 1969.
  27. ^ "Lucknow Theatre Winning Against Heavy Odds". The Times of India, New Delhi. 8 May 1968.
  28. ^ "World Is A Stage". The Pioneer. 1 February 1970.
  29. ^ Narain, Prof. S.K. (9 May 1971). "TAW : Bisaria's Fresh Effort". National Herald, Sunday Magazine.
  30. ^ "Memorable Stage Performance". The National Herald. 6 May 1967.
  31. ^ Nairan, Prof. S.K. (23 September 1984). "TAW-The Protagonist of Theatre Art". The Pioneer, Sunday Magazine, Lucknow.
  32. ^ "Adhe-Adhure Technically Superb Play". The Hindu, Madras. August 1983.
  33. ^ a b Daftur, Swati (6 February 2015). "Universal Truths". The Hindu. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  34. ^ Thakore, Dolly (3 June 1984). "Raj Bisaria: founder of the Hindi Theatre Movement". Mid-Day, Mumbai.
  35. ^ Narain, S.K. (23 September 1984). "TAW-The Protagonist of Theatre Art". The Pioneer.
  36. ^ a b "Philosophy Revisited!". Hindustan Times. 12 April 2013.
  37. ^ Panje, Usha (8 March 1970). "Theatre Arts Workshop: Cross Roads". The National Herald.
  38. ^ Srivastava, Krishnaji (February 1977). "Bhartendu Natya Kendra". Swatantra Bharat,Lucknow.
  39. ^ "Little Acts of Life". Indian Express, Madras. 30 July 1983.
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  41. ^ a b Nagar, Mr. Sharad (6 June 1967). "Lession in Lucknow Box". Enact.
  42. ^ a b "A Rare Treat For Theatre-Goers". National Herald. 6 May 1967.
  43. ^ "Amateurs Steals the Show". Enlite. 10 June 1967.
  44. ^ a b c "Three Course Menu". Enlite. 6 January 1968.
  45. ^ "'The Knack' at Ravindralaya". The Pioneer. 31 March 1968.
  46. ^ a b c "TAW's Hat Trick - Realism, Evasion and Absurd". The Pioneer. 14 October 1968.
  47. ^ "Better and Better". The Pioneer. 21 October 1968.
  48. ^ Shepherd, Keith (5 September 1971). "Lone Steps Across The Boards". The National Herald.
  49. ^ a b c Acharya, Lena. "A Decade of TAW". The National Herald.
  50. ^ Shashi (13 May 1977). "'Suno Janamejaya ' - A Critical Review". The Pioneer,Lucknow.
  51. ^ Mudrarakshas (9–15 March 1980). "Andha Yug : Naye Rang-Bodh Ki Talash". Dharmayug.
  52. ^ "'Adhe Adhure' - Technically Superb Play". The Hindu, Madras. 14 August 1983.
  53. ^ a b "Probe into Life". The Hindu, Madras. 17 August 1983.
  54. ^ "'Suniti' : A Slick Production". The Times of India, Lucknow. 29 August 1984.
  55. ^ Nagpal, Kavita (2 December 1989). "A Step in the Right Direction". The Hindustan Times, Lucknow.
  56. ^ a b "Mixed response to TAW plays". The Times of India, Lucknow. November 1984.
  57. ^ Pandey, Nishi (23 January 2000). "Raj's back with a 'Raaz". Hindustan Times, Lucknow.
  58. ^ Manjul, Tarannum (12 November 2000). "A Man's Search For Identity". Hindustan Times, Lucknow.
  59. ^ Agrawal, Surya (9 April 2008). "Bisaria back with Macbeth". Hindustan Times, lucknow.
  60. ^ "A theatrical change!". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013.
  61. ^ Krishna, Sharmila (19 May 2010). "Keeping Shakespeare alive on stage". The Pioneer, Lucknow.
  62. ^ "king Lear enthrals audience". The Times of India, Lucknow. 19 May 2010.
  63. ^ "Times of India Publications". Lite.epaper.timesofindia.com. 19 May 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  64. ^ a b "TAW Plays It And How". Hindustan Times, Lucknow. 15 February 2011.
  65. ^ Pahwa, Meenakshi (19 February 2012). "TREAT FOR THEATRE LOVERS". Hindustan Times, Luckonw.
  66. ^ "Sadda Haq". Hindustan Times. 20 March 2012.
  67. ^ Carry on TAW! 2014-05-31 at the Wayback Machine
  68. ^ "The Times of India: Latest News India, World & Business News, Cricket & Sports, Bollywood". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013.
  69. ^ Bajeli, Diwan Singh (6 February 2014). "Finer Side of Life". The Hindu. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  70. ^ Bajeli, Diwan Singh (27 June 2013). "Showing Life, As it Is". The Hindu, New Delhi. Chennai, India. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  71. ^ Singh, Madhulika (1983). "In Pursuit of Happiness". Hindustan Times. 25 (1): 7–13. PMC 3012371. PMID 21847245. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  72. ^ "Tragedy of Alienation". Hindustan Times. 20 August 2014.
  73. ^ Chandra, Vidita (21 August 2014). "When Play Time Gets Serious". The Times of India.
  74. ^ Bajeli, Diwan Singh (4 June 2015). "Caesar returns to the centrestage". The Hindu. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  75. ^ Nagpal, Kavita. "Julius Caesar Makes His Presence Felt at NSD". asianage.com. The Asian Age. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  76. ^ Singh, Piyush Chaterjee (3 March 2016). "Bisaria's Raaz". Hindustan Times - HT City.
  77. ^ a b Verma, Raj Saran (4 February 2005). "All the World is a Stage". Dainik Jagran, lucknow.
  78. ^ Padma Shri Awards (1990–1999)
  79. ^ . Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  80. ^ "Welcome to Sangit Kala Kendra". Sangitkalakendra.org. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  81. ^ Malik, Rohit. "18th Chaman Lal Memorial Memorial Awards 2012 at Siri Fort Auditorium, August Kranti Marg > 7pm on 14 April 2012". Delhi Events. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  82. ^ Husain, Yusra. "Professor Raj Bisaria to get Madhya Pradesh government govt's Kalidas Samman for Theatre". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 June 2017.

External links

January 29, 2023
bisaria, born, november, 1935, indian, director, producer, actor, educationalist, described, press, trust, india, father, modern, theatre, north, india, founded, theatre, arts, workshop, 1966, bhartendu, academy, dramatic, arts, 1975, repertory, company, bhart. Raj Bisaria born 10 November 1935 is an Indian director producer actor and educationalist described by the Press Trust of India as the father of the modern theatre in North India 2 3 He founded Theatre Arts Workshop in 1966 and Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1975 and the repertory company of Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1980 He has blended artistic concepts of the East and the West and the traditional and the modern 4 Raj BisariaBorn 1935 11 10 10 November 1935 age 87 Lakhimpur United Provinces British IndiaOther namesRajuOccupation s Theatre director actor producer and educationistNotable workFounder of the Theatre Arts Workshop TAW and Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic ArtsSpouseKiran Raj Bisaria 1 Websitewww rajbisaria com Contents 1 Life 1 1 Theatre training 2 Director and designer 3 Problems 4 Actor 5 Impresario 6 Educationist 6 1 Theatre Arts Workshop 6 1 1 English theatre 6 1 2 Hindi and Urdu theatre 6 2 Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts 7 Fellowship projects 8 Major productions as director 9 Honours 10 References 11 External linksLife EditRaj Bisaria was born in Lakhimpur Kheri Uttar Pradesh on 10 November 1935 the son of the late P L Bisaria and Leelavati Singh He was educated at Colvin Taluqdars College and Lucknow University Lucknow and retired as a senior professor of English Literature from Lucknow University In 1969 Bisaria married the Kiran Kuchawan the couple have a daughter Rajina 1 The initiative was taken by his University Theatre Group formed in 1962 5 Four years later Raj Bisaria founded the Theatre Arts Workshop TAW in 1966 6 and Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts Government of Uttar Pradesh in 1975 and the repertory company of BNA in 1981 7 8 He is the first man from Uttar Pradesh to have been awarded a Padma Shree for work in modern theatre and his contribution towards the growth of theatre in India 9 Raj Bisaria tried to infuse a new sense of consciousness with regard to the dramatic and performing arts and aesthetic awareness of the performing arts in northern India 10 11 Bisaria was removed as the honorary director of Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts and he was assaulted twice first in 1988 and then in 1995 12 Theatre training Edit External theatre training for Raj Bisaria included an invitation by the British Council London to visit the UK and train at the British Drama League now the British Theatre Association as a producer drama instructor and adjudicator in 1969 13 Director and designer EditRaj Bisaria is also a stage director with a grounding in both the western classics and contemporary dramatic works 14 Raj Bisaria tried to ensure that the dramatic and performing arts conform to a professional discipline and communicate through a new aesthetic medium His plays are concerned with men women relationships and social issues of special concern to him 6 15 Through the productions of European and Indian plays since 1966 Bisaria presented a wide spectrum of contemporary world drama as director and designer 11 Largely using his own devices and creative expression he began his work in English and then to use Hindustani as the spoken medium of expression from 1973 He has encouraged folk theatre in the Uttar Pradesh local genre known as the Nautanki 16 In 1972 he took a major shift in his emphasis from modern Euro American productions to plays in Hindi of modern Indian playwrights Mohan Rakesh Badal Sircar Adya Rangacharya Dharamvir Bharti Shesh and Mohit Chatterjee 9 Over the years Raj Bisaria produced and directed over 75 theatre productions In addition he supervised produced directed a large number of productions in the Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts from 1975 to 1986 and later on and also in National School of Drama and for its Repertory Company His major productions have included Maxwell Anderson s Barefoot in Athens Shakespeare s Julius Caesar Macbeth Othello King Lear George Bernard Shaw s Candida Harold Pinter s The Caretaker Sartre s In Camera Ionesco s The Lesson Strindberg s The Father Jean Anouilh s Antigone and various plays of Chekhov Ionesco Tennessee Williams Shaffer and others His major productions of Indian plays have included Dharamvir Bharati s Andha Yug Badal Sircar s Baqi Itihas Adya Rangacharya s Suno Janmejaya Elkunchwar s Garbo Mohan Rakesh s Aadhe Adhure and Mohit Chatterjee s Guinea Pig 17 18 19 Problems EditCritics found Ann Jellicoe s The Knack revolting and Sartre s In Camera and Ionesco s The Lesson too demanding 20 The TAW team has a group of permanent actors with other interested parties for different productions 21 Lack of men and material compelled Raj Bisaria to stage Othello with only four characters And yet it was a memorable performance The persistent efforts of Raj Bisaria have yielded results 22 Actor EditAs an actor of stage radio television and films Bisaria was known since 1978 as a major actor of the Doordarshan 11 As a theatre actor Raj Bisaria did significant roles in several of TAW s English and Hindi stage productions films and television 23 He played leading roles in at least two dozen plays in English and Hindi such as Sheridan s The School for Scandal Pirandello s Right You Are if you think so Shaw s Candida Coward s Nude With Violin Sartre s In Camera Shaffer s Black Comedy Tom Stoppard s The Real Inspector Hound Osborne s Look Back in Anger Orton s Loot Chatterjee s Guinea Pig Badal Sircar s Baqi Itihas Elkunchawar s Garbo Matkari s Akela Jeev Sadashiv Shakespeare s King Lear directed by Amal Allana Biwi Natiyon Wali Mai Wo Nahi directed by Sushil Kumar Singh Manno Bhandari s Apka Banti directed by Amal Allana Kamleshwar s Ret Pe Likhe Naam Badal Sircar s Pagla Ghoda directed by Rajan Sabbarwal Raj Se Swaraj directed by Amal Allana Muzzaffar Ali s Aagman Govind Nilhani s Aaghat 12 Impresario EditAs impresario Raj Bisaria s widening interests had led to the introduction of Irshad Panjatan s mime in 1967 and next year the presentation of the Murray Louis Dance Company of USA This broadening activity and involvement with the performing arts also saw a classical dance performance by Sonal Mansingh in 1970 the debut of Om Shivpuri s Dishanter group in 1972 a painting exhibition of R S Bisht s miniature in 1973 Richard Schechners environmental theatre presentation of Mother Courage and Her Children from New York in 1976 and the Annapolis Brass Quintet in 1981 all arranged at the initiative of Raj Bisaria s TAW 24 Educationist EditAs a dramaturge his primary concern was an effort to resolve the problem of creative reinterpretation of the classical and theatrical art of his region to find itself in contemporary social relevance He structured Theatre Training Programmes in U P through workshops and certificate and diploma courses in North India from 1966 He founded in 1975 for the Government of U P India s second school of drama Bhartendu Natya Akademi Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts 2 Raj Bisaria is interested as an actor director and theatre teacher in the system of Konstantin Stanislavski and Bertolt Brecht The Russian theatre practitioner provides the core of Raj Bisaria s directing and pedagogy in contemporary Indian theatre Later he developed his own system of holistic acting which produced three generations of actors and directors 10 Theatre Arts Workshop Edit In December 1963 ten members organized a theatre play and put through a programme An Evening with Young Actors which included Edna St Vincent Millay s Aria da Capo scenes from Twelfth Night and Macbeth The Valiant and a dramatized reading of Hamlet and a dramatisation of T S Eliot s poem The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock Raj Bisaria produced and directed all the play and he decided to register a theatre group with a managing body using local talent The theatre group was bilingual English and Hindi and concerned itself with encouraging interest in theatre craft and developing a greater awareness of theatre an ability to appreciate drama and a firmer grap of ideas and technique 25 By the winter of 1965 his plans had been finalized No financial help was forthcoming yet Finally he staked a large part of his personal fortune on the project selected members for the committee picked out a likely group of four English actors and of helpers and established what has since then been called Theatre Arts Workshop a theatre for enthusiasts in drama and allied arts 26 Thus in 1966 Theatre Arts Workshop TAW was founded by Raj Bisaria as a president and artistic director with the aim of creating interest in dramatic arts among the young and help them to develop an insight into acting direction and allied arts The name Theatre Arts Workshop is unit for theatre and allied performing arts its members are to be exposed to workshop methods of representation TAW was to be a training organization and then a performing group with its motto training before performance Its philosophy is your right is to work only but never the fruit thereof Let not the fruit of action be your object nor let your attachment be to inaction Sri Krishna to sorrowing Arjuna The Bhagvadgita chapter II 47 27 28 English theatre Edit Raj Bisaria started his venture in English language with Shakespeare s Othello in 1966 Christopher Fry s poetic play A Phoenix too Frequent and Eugene Ionesco s absurd play The Lesson in 1967 The selection of these two plays diametrically opposite in their form and content in a single show was an experiment by Raj Bisaria It was a box office failure 29 In 1967 a significant advance was made when Raj Bisaria decided to produce and direct Jean Paul Sartre s existential In Camera Edna St Vincent Millay s Aria Da Capo and Ronald Duncan s translation of 12th century classic Abelard and Heloise in a three bill presentation in November 1967 These were crucial productions as TAW s audience wavered between shocked admiration and shocked disgust Four hours of continuous drama was considereda bit too much 30 Hindi and Urdu theatre Edit Raj Bisaria was aware from the very beginning that any worthwhile theatre activity had to find its moorings in Hindi and other Indian languages He sought the co operation of the then existing theatre groups to realize his plans to establish a bilingual theatre in Lucknow But his effort failed to elicit any response from them He even brought the production rights of Mohan Rakesh s well known play Adhe Adhure which he could not stage for want of a suitable cast In his bid to switch over to Hindi drama he invited Delhi groups to produce under TAW s auspices plays in Hindi with a view to making local groups conscious of the potentialities and challenges of Hindi Theatre 31 TAW s first Hindi play was Baqi Itihas a translation of Badal Sircar s Bengali play on a thrust stage It was a non realistic presentation using giant slides and specially designed music the first production of the kind in the country Baqi Itihas was followed by a wide range of plays in translation from English Bengali Marathi Kannada in addition to those originally in Hindi Andha Yug Suno Janmejaya Adhe Adhure 32 The Cave Dwellers Antigone Garbo Candida Father Sleuth Barefoot in Athens 33 The Caretaker etc 34 TAW is considered the protagonist of theatre art from the classical to the experimental plays 35 TAW mounted on stage the European and American playwrights its repertoire including Shakespeare Shaw Sartre Ionesco Fry Arthur Miller Tennessee Williams Noel Coward Ronald Duncan Rattigan Harold Pinter Ann Jellicoe Peter Shaffer Edward Albee Jean Anouilh Maxwell Anderson 36 and Orton 12 According to The Pioneer The dynamism of TAW productions their stylistic experimentation and directorial subtlety were never in doubt on either side of the proscenium But TAW s plays proved too radical in the context of existing provincial attitudes 10 37 Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts Edit As a theatre educator as early as 1973 Raj Bisaria suggested to the State Government that he should start a semi professional repertory theatre in Uttar Pradesh in 1974 the State Government went a few steps further and requested him to evolve a scheme for establishing a drama school which would function as a full fledged academy of dramatic arts 38 39 Bhartendu Natya Akademi BNA Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts BADA when it was founded in 1975 became the first of its kind in the large Hindi belt of Bihar Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan The only other being the Delhi based National School of Drama 40 From 1975 to 1986 in an honorary capacity he had the responsibility of teaching acting and direction aspects both theoretical and practical western drama from the Greeks to modern times theatre criticism and adjudication and aesthetics of light and set design He worked again as director of the academy as well as the director of its Repertory Company from 1989 to 1992 1995 to 1997 12 As theatre administrator with minimal facilities poor funds and negligible infrastructure he has developed and consolidated the viability and status of a school of theatre beginning initially as an elementary agency for dissemination of theatrical know how in 1976 to a professional academy of dramatic arts in 1981 10 Fellowship projects Edit The Mind of the Director A book on Hindi theatre directors under the Senior Fellowship of Government of India Shakespeare s Indian Summer A theatrical study of Shakespearean plays in India under the highest cultural fellowship of India Tagore National Fellowship 2013 14 4 Major productions as director EditFeb 1966 Othello in English 41 William Shakespeare TAW May 1967 A Phoenix too Frequent in English 42 43 Christopher Fry TAW May 1967 The Lesson in English 41 42 Eugene Ionesco TAW Nov 1967 In Camera in English 44 Jean Paul Sartre TAW Nov 1967 Aria Da Capo in English 44 Edna St Vincent Millay TAW Nov 1967 Abelard and Heloise in English 44 Ronald Duncan TAW Mar 1968 The Knack in English 45 Ann Jellicoe TAW Oct 1968 Hello Out There in English 46 William Saroyan TAW Oct 1968 The Zoo Story in English 46 Edward Albee TAW Oct 1968 The White Liars in English 46 47 Peter Shaffer TAW May 1971 Black Comedy in English Peter Shaffer TAW 48 Sep 1972 Say Who You Are in English Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall TAW 49 Feb 1974 Loot in English Joe Orton TAW 49 May 1973 Baki Itihas in Hindi Badal Sircar TAW 49 Jun 1973 Guinea Pig in Hindi Mohit Chatterji TAW directed by Manohar Singh 1973 Andhon Ka Hathi in Hindi Sharad Joshi TAW Jul 1974 Suno Janmejaya in Hindi Adya Rangacharya TAW 50 Jan 1975 Akela Jeev Sadashiv in Hindi Ratnaker Matkari TAW Jun 1977 Antigone in Urdu Jean Anouilh TAW 1979 Gufavasi The Cave Dwellers in Hindi William Saroyan TAW 9 1979 Andha Yug in Hindi Dharamvir Bharati Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts 51 August 1981 1983 Aadhe Adhure in Hindi Mohan Rakesh TAW 52 Feb 1983 The Royal Hunt of the Sun in Hindi Peter Shaffer TAW August 1983 Garbo in Hindi Mahesh Elkunchawar TAW 53 Aug 1984 Suniti Candida in Hindi George Bernard Shaw TAW 53 54 1984 Bahut Bada Sawal in Hindi Mohan Rakesh Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts 1984 Baki Itihas in Hindi Badal Sircar Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts Dec 1989 90 Julius Caesar in Hindi William Shakespeare Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts 55 Apr 1995 Hot Air in Hindi Ferenc Karinthy TAW 56 Apr 1995 The Dumb Waiter in Hindi Harold Pinter TAW 56 1990 and 2000 Raaz Sleuth in Hindi Anthony Shaffer TAW 57 1989 and 2000 Pita Father in Hindi August Strindberg TAW 58 Apr 2007 Candida in Hindi George Bernard Shaw National School of Drama May 2008 Macbeth in Hindi William Shakespeare Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts 59 60 Dec 2008 Othello in Urdu William Shakespeare National School of Drama Repertory Company May 2010 King Lear in Hindi William Shakespeare Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts 61 62 63 Feb 2011 Landscape and Silence in English Harold Pinter TAW 64 Feb 2011 Mountain Language in Hindi Harold Pinter TAW 64 Feb 2012 The White Liars in Hindi Peter Shaffer TAW 65 Mar 2012 Antigone in Urdu Jean Anouilh TAW 66 Feb 2013 Barefoot in Athens in Hindi Maxwell Anderson TAW 33 36 67 68 69 May 2013 The Seagull in Hindi Anton Chekhov Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts 70 71 Aug 2014 The Caretaker in Hindi Harold Pinter TAW 72 73 May 2015 Julius Caesar in Hindi William Shakespeare National School of Drama 3 74 75 March 2016 Raaz Sleuth in Hindi Anthony Shaffer TAW 76 Honours EditSangeet Natak Akademi Uttar Pradesh Award for Direction 1988 He declined the award 77 Padma Shree 78 1990 for contribution to Modern Indian Theatre by the Government of India the first theatre person from Uttar Pradesh to be so honoured 9 Yash Bharti 1994 Lifetime achievement award 1994 by the Government of Uttar Pradesh 77 U P Ratna 1996 by All India Conference of Intellectuals for Theatre Direction and Contribution to Media Distinguished Service Honour NGO Helpage India 1997 Fun Vibhushan NGO Bhartiya Funkar Society U P 1998 Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts Recognition for his unique services and contribution as its founder director 2000 Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Direction 2004 12 79 National School of Drama Recognition for composite contribution to Theatre in India 12 Aditya Vikram Birla Kalashikhar Puraskar Life Time Achievement Award 2010 80 The Chaman Lal Memorial Award for Life Long Achievement to Theatre World 2012 81 Tagore National Fellowship Highest Cultural Research Award of India for Shakespeare s Indian Summer A theatrical study of Shakespearean plays in India 2013 14 4 The Madhya Pradesh government honouring him with its prestigious Kalidas Samman national award for 2015 16 for achievement in theatre The ceremony will be held on 10 November in Ujjain which is also the birthday of the 80 year old 82 Life Time Achievement Award by Doordarshan DD Uttar Pradesh 2017References Edit a b Henry Soszynski Kuchaman Members iinet net au Retrieved 18 February 2015 a b Thakore Dolly 3 June 1984 Raj Bisaria Founder of the Hindi Theatre Movement Mid Day Mumbai a b Arora Garima 26 May 2015 Julius Caesar Wins Heart Deccan Herald Retrieved 26 May 2015 a b c Tagore Fellowship for Raj Bisaria Hindustan Times Lucknow 5 March 2014 Kala Mr S C 5 January 1964 An Evening With Young Actors The Illustrated Weekly of India 51 a b Theatre Arts Workshop Lucknow The National Herald 6 April 1969 http bna noetic in english founder director htm Archived 15 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine My affair with theatre continues a b c d Saxena Rajeev 15 April 1990 Raj Bisaria s Fine Madness The Sunday Observer a b c d Sagar Anand 26 March 1978 Raj Bisaria Learns To Give More Than He Gets The Pioneer a b c Teacher turned dramatist Bisaria gets Padamshri The Pioneer Lucknow 30 January 1990 a b c d e f Pandey Manish Chandra 20 February 2005 Not curtains yet for creative theatre genius Hindustan Times Lucknow Sagar Anand 26 March 1978 Raj Bisaria Learns To Give More Than He Gets The Pioneer Lucknow Bajeli Diwan Singh 6 February 2014 Finer Side of Life Chennai India The Hindu New Delhi Retrieved 8 March 2014 Narain Prof S K 9 May 1971 TAW Bisaria s Fresh Effort Sunday Magazine National Herald Director Without A Theatre The Pioneer Lucknow 23 February 1970 My Best Is Yet To Come The Hindu Madras 12 August 1983 Raj Bisaria leaves audience spell bound The Northern Patrika Allahabad 11 January 1997 Agrawal Pratibha 2005 Bhartiya Rangkosh New Delhi Rastriya Natya Vidyalaya p 397 ISBN 81 8197 010 1 Kala S C 11 July 1971 The Theatre in Lucknow The Times of India New Delhi The Theatre in Lucknow The Times of India 11 July 1971 Panje Usha 8 March 1970 Theatre Arts Workshop Cross Roads The National Herald Lucknow Saxena Rajeev 15 April 1990 Raj Bisaria s Fine Madness The Sunday Observer Lucknow Shephered Keith 12 September 1971 A tete a tete with Bisaria The National Herald Lucknow Kala S C 5 January 1964 An Evening With Young Actors The Illustrated Weekly of India Theatre Arts Workshop Lucknow The National Herald Lucknow 6 April 1969 Lucknow Theatre Winning Against Heavy Odds The Times of India New Delhi 8 May 1968 World Is A Stage The Pioneer 1 February 1970 Narain Prof S K 9 May 1971 TAW Bisaria s Fresh Effort National Herald Sunday Magazine Memorable Stage Performance The National Herald 6 May 1967 Nairan Prof S K 23 September 1984 TAW The Protagonist of Theatre Art The Pioneer Sunday Magazine Lucknow Adhe Adhure Technically Superb Play The Hindu Madras August 1983 a b Daftur Swati 6 February 2015 Universal Truths The Hindu Retrieved 17 February 2015 Thakore Dolly 3 June 1984 Raj Bisaria founder of the Hindi Theatre Movement Mid Day Mumbai Narain S K 23 September 1984 TAW The Protagonist of Theatre Art The Pioneer a b Philosophy Revisited Hindustan Times 12 April 2013 Panje Usha 8 March 1970 Theatre Arts Workshop Cross Roads The National Herald Srivastava Krishnaji February 1977 Bhartendu Natya Kendra Swatantra Bharat Lucknow Little Acts of Life Indian Express Madras 30 July 1983 Bhartendu Natya Kendra Gains in Popularity The Pioneer 13 February 1977 a b Nagar Mr Sharad 6 June 1967 Lession in Lucknow Box Enact a b A Rare Treat For Theatre Goers National Herald 6 May 1967 Amateurs Steals the Show Enlite 10 June 1967 a b c Three Course Menu Enlite 6 January 1968 The Knack at Ravindralaya The Pioneer 31 March 1968 a b c TAW s Hat Trick Realism Evasion and Absurd The Pioneer 14 October 1968 Better and Better The Pioneer 21 October 1968 Shepherd Keith 5 September 1971 Lone Steps Across The Boards The National Herald a b c Acharya Lena A Decade of TAW The National Herald Shashi 13 May 1977 Suno Janamejaya A Critical Review The Pioneer Lucknow Mudrarakshas 9 15 March 1980 Andha Yug Naye Rang Bodh Ki Talash Dharmayug Adhe Adhure Technically Superb Play The Hindu Madras 14 August 1983 a b Probe into Life The Hindu Madras 17 August 1983 Suniti A Slick Production The Times of India Lucknow 29 August 1984 Nagpal Kavita 2 December 1989 A Step in the Right Direction The Hindustan Times Lucknow a b Mixed response to TAW plays The Times of India Lucknow November 1984 Pandey Nishi 23 January 2000 Raj s back with a Raaz Hindustan Times Lucknow Manjul Tarannum 12 November 2000 A Man s Search For Identity Hindustan Times Lucknow Agrawal Surya 9 April 2008 Bisaria back with Macbeth Hindustan Times lucknow A theatrical change The Times of India Archived from the original on 24 June 2013 Krishna Sharmila 19 May 2010 Keeping Shakespeare alive on stage The Pioneer Lucknow king Lear enthrals audience The Times of India Lucknow 19 May 2010 Times of India Publications Lite epaper timesofindia com 19 May 2010 Retrieved 18 February 2015 a b TAW Plays It And How Hindustan Times Lucknow 15 February 2011 Pahwa Meenakshi 19 February 2012 TREAT FOR THEATRE LOVERS Hindustan Times Luckonw Sadda Haq Hindustan Times 20 March 2012 Carry on TAW Archived 2014 05 31 at the Wayback Machine The Times of India Latest News India World amp Business News Cricket amp Sports Bollywood The Times of India Archived from the original on 24 June 2013 Bajeli Diwan Singh 6 February 2014 Finer Side of Life The Hindu Retrieved 6 February 2014 Bajeli Diwan Singh 27 June 2013 Showing Life As it Is The Hindu New Delhi Chennai India Retrieved 15 July 2013 Singh Madhulika 1983 In Pursuit of Happiness Hindustan Times 25 1 7 13 PMC 3012371 PMID 21847245 Retrieved 28 May 2013 Tragedy of Alienation Hindustan Times 20 August 2014 Chandra Vidita 21 August 2014 When Play Time Gets Serious The Times of India Bajeli Diwan Singh 4 June 2015 Caesar returns to the centrestage The Hindu Retrieved 11 June 2015 Nagpal Kavita Julius Caesar Makes His Presence Felt at NSD asianage com The Asian Age Retrieved 15 June 2015 Singh Piyush Chaterjee 3 March 2016 Bisaria s Raaz Hindustan Times HT City a b Verma Raj Saran 4 February 2005 All the World is a Stage Dainik Jagran lucknow Padma Shri Awards 1990 1999 Archived copy Archived from the original on 4 March 2016 Retrieved 25 April 2012 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Welcome to Sangit Kala Kendra Sangitkalakendra org Retrieved 18 February 2015 Malik Rohit 18th Chaman Lal Memorial Memorial Awards 2012 at Siri Fort Auditorium August Kranti Marg gt 7pm on 14 April 2012 Delhi Events Retrieved 18 February 2015 Husain Yusra Professor Raj Bisaria to get Madhya Pradesh government govt s Kalidas Samman for Theatre The Times of India Retrieved 7 June 2017 External links Edit 1 https web archive org web 20141115013030 http bna noetic in english founder director htm Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Raj Bisaria amp oldid 1130563673, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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