Street Theater (India)

Although the names of many folk theaters in India translate directly as “street theater” (terukkuttu in Tamilnadu, veethi natakam in Andhra Pradesh), they do not conform to common definitions of street theater. Street theater is a combination of theater and activism, performed in an open space such as the street, open lot, slum, in front of a factory or Workers' quarters, a temple, church, warehouse, tent, exhibition site, university campus, park, or railway station, where actors can interact directly with the audiences. Street theater should not only entertain but also educate audiences about social issues and hopefully effect social and/or political change. It is about empowerment of the oppressed, although often facilitated by middle-class educated urbanites. In Indian street theater, most activists view themselves as part of a wider social and political movement, supplementing theatrical activities with film societies, library movements, pamphlets on political and cultural issues, revolutionary songs and poetry, workshops, and discussions.

Although there is a lot of formal and linguistic variety, street theater has some typical aesthetic features. It is often experimental and eclectic: The plays were written collaboratively using colloquial language and humor; performed with minimal or absent sets, props, and costumes; and made use of familiar forms of music, dance, and folk performance to connect to the audience and make the message more entertaining. Besides Indian folk and classical forms, major influences on Indian street theater include Bertolt Brecht, Augusto Boal, Badal Sircar, and Utpal Dutt. The form is mobile and the group can perform almost anywhere. Plays might not be announced beforehand; the actors simply show up and attract viewers through drumming or other means (one example is Habib Tanvir's 1948 Shantidut Kamgar [One Who Works as a Messenger of Peace], where actors stage a quarrel to attract people's interest, then involve them in a dialogue).

This community-based theater uses familiar stories based on real-life experiences, either of the audience members or of current events. The plays are short to allow for discussion of the controversial social issue presented (dowry, women's education, low wages, AIDS awareness, etc.). Street theater requires participation from the audience and tends to be judged not on financial earnings or aesthetics, but on efficacy. Because of this, governmental and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) now use street theater. During elections and when an NGO is doing a big campaign, there is a lot of street theater activity in India, but most of these efforts are short lived.