Explained: Why Street Theatre Is Still Relevant And Why It Should Be Encouraged

¡°Rural areas in developing countries do not necessarily benefit from new advances in technology. This research overview assesses the role of folk media in development programs in the light of case studies and highlights areas where the use of folk media in the development programs needs to be improved.¡± VICTOR T. VALBUENA

In the world we live in, the media has a very important role, not just with regards to acquiring information but also understanding the world view. Media has taken a place where it can almost dictate how and what we think. It is instrumental in making people understand what is important for them and what is not.

And when we think of media we usually tend to limit ourselves to social media, news media. However, these modes of the medium have a restriction with regards to their reach and the information forwarded.

Traditional modes of communication still hold some relevance

They are instrumental in propagating ideas and information especially to far-flung areas where modern media finds it harder to reach.

Further traditional media still has more potential to seep in important messages and ideas to society. One such form of traditional media is street theatre.

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Street Theatre is a type of theatrical performance and presentation that takes place in public locations without a paid audience. It is used as a means of communication to disseminate social and political themes and to raise awareness among the general public.

Concerning today's major societal concerns amateur street theatre productions at the grassroots level have grown popular in community organizing, public health campaigns, and education campaigns. Initiatives all throughout the world themes of street plays have evolved over time. From nationalism to capitalism, peasant and labor movements, environmental issues, communalism, women's sexual harassment, and domestic violence, to name a few.

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Emancipation of the working class

In the early twentieth century, street theatre developed as a means of emancipating the working class and reinforcing revolution against established power. Its journey began in India, primarily by left-wing theatre activists, during the anti-colonial struggle.

Although street theatre is closely related to folk theatre as a form, it is more of a social communication process with a participatory attitude than a basic art form. The purpose of this article is to examine the function and possibilities of street theatre as a vehicle for community development and social transformation.

During the European Industrial Revolution, laborers and party workers began composing and acting in street plays. Women began actively participating and participating in street plays in the next century, during the Suffragette Movement in London.

During the Russian Revolution, what began as a means of expressing political thoughts and opinions evolved into a tool for teaching the rural masses. When World War II broke out, the street theatre began speaking out for the anti-war movement, and the attitude toward promoting liberal socio-political revolution persisted and spread throughout America and England.

Street theatre was seen being used as a tool of expression against the Vietnam war, racial discrimination, etc.

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India was not far behind in experimenting with unfettered street performance for the masses. Although a variety of art forms have existed in distant locations for centuries as folk theatre, mostly for enjoyment, it was during the battle for independence that street theatre took on a distinct form for encouraging patriotism and igniting a surge in nationalism.

The street theatre, which began as a means of empowering Indians to fight for their rights, has not only maintained its popularity as a popular mass medium despite competition from electronic media but has also expanded its reach from distant villages to major cities.

Street theatre has become one of the most popular mediums for social communicators to communicate messages, from social activists and NGOs to student unions, artists, and even corporate executives.

Role of Indian People's Theatre Association

In 1943, the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) pioneered the first organised street theatre in India, with the goal of propagating their beliefs on liberalism and teaching the masses about the repercussions of imperialism.

The history of the street theatre movement in India began with IPTA, which later extended across the country despite geographical and cultural hurdles. Women's issues, children's health and education, communism, and economic liberation have all been prominent themes in street plays.

Street plays are being used by organisations such as Jana Natya Manch, Pravah, Alarippu, Action India, Swatantra Theater, and Bihar Art Theater to raise awareness about issues.

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On the surface, the street theatre has a close relationship with India's indigenous folk theatre, but unlike the latter, it is not primarily intended for mass amusement. In a practical sense, street theatre is a type of group drama performed outdoors, primarily on the street, on a college or university campus, at a railway station, in a market, or in slums, where a group of artists can directly interact with a large audience in order to not only entertain but also to trigger activism.

The feature that distinguishes the street theatre from others is its mobility. Unlike traditional theatres, artists do not have to wait for their audiences to arrive in the hall, and audience members of street plays do not have to queue for tickets.

In street theatre, the audience comes to the theatre rather than the other way around. Unlike traditional modes of communication, which either use a medium between the communicator and the receiver or do away with the scope for feedback, street plays are primarily community-based, short in length, and allow for post-performance conversation with the audience, unlike traditional modes of communication, which either use a medium between the communicator and the receiver or do away with the scope for feedback.

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John P. McHale while talking about the relationship between advocacy and street theatre mentions the following quote of a theatre artist,

¡°I think it is extremely effective. For instance, with street theater, we call it guerrilla theater, because we use it as a guerrilla tactic. We would not forewarn before announcements of our performances. What is a guerrilla tactic? You don¡¯t announce it. Because anyone who wanted to stop that action would be able to. Another thing with doing theater as the guerrilla theater is that it maximizes disruption of the wall. We all go around with these walls around us and it¡¯s very easy to block something out. But if we have a very strong kick to it and something as unexpected as seeing theater or poetry being performed in a public place opens people, you don¡¯t expect that. It can have a greater impact on breaking through people¡¯s walls.¡±

Safdar Hashmi's contribution

An important part of street theatre history in India is Safdar Hashmi. Safdar Hashmi was the founding member of JANAM and an active CPI (M) leader who used street theatre for political and social activism. He actively criticized the problems existing in society through this art.

On January 1, 1989, Safdar Hashmi was attacked during a play. His group was performing a play named Halla Bol, in Delhi, when a troupe of political goons arrived at the place and assaulted Hashmi, who died the next day in the hospital.

Hashmi's death, as a prominent character in the theatre movement and one of the pioneers of Theater for Development in India, enraged a significant number of young theatre aficionados, and as a result, a steady surge of street theatre experimentation was evident in the following years. April 12 - Hashmi's birthday ¨C is now commemorated as National Street Theater Day to honor his contributions in the early days of street theatre and to pay tribute to him.

"If street theatre has any definite tradition in India; it is the anti-imperialist tradition of our

people forged during the freedom movement. In other parts of the world, it is the peoples`

struggle for just social and economic order." - Safdar Hashmi.

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