The Theatre of Veenapani Chawla

Veenapani Chawla is arguably the only practitioner of theatre in India who has fully articulated a theory of the theatre she practices. Exploring her Mumbai plays, the springboard of her later works, this book opens a window to her experiments with modern Indian theatre. Beginning with a write-up on the formation of Adishakti campus, Veenapani's laboratory for theatre arts research, the essays by well-known columnist Geeta Doctor and eminent architect Himanshu Burte throw light on her innovative theatre design, while a conversation with Leela Gandhi unfolds Veenapani's journey from her early days in Mumbai to her present work. Discussing her own concept of 'hybridity' and the idea of impacting the audience by a contagion of consciousness, the volume emphasizes Veenapani's conviction that the vital features that distinguish theatre from the other performing arts and cinema are the live presence of the actor, the 'hereness' of the space which the actor inhabits, and the possibility of using elements like music and lighting as vital signifiers, greatly enriching the meaning of the complete theatrical performance.