5th of September, 2020.Natrang’s International Theatre Talk Show witnessed an enlightening session by Former Director and Professor at NSD and distinguished theatre scholar, Ms. Kirti Jain. Greeting the eminent gurus of theatre, who have enlighten the vision of thousands of knowledge seekers, Director Natrang, Padmashri Balwant Thakur gladly stated that their presence in this talk show has elevated its significance and the same is receiving immense appreciation from across the globe and people make it sure to attend it as it offers knowledge and intellect from the best in the field.
Introducing Ms. Kirti Jain, Natrang’s artist Vrinda Sharma informed that she has directed several landmark plays, contributed articles to prestigious theatre journals and books, and lectured at several national and international conferences and Universities. Being a visionary administrator, she started Theatre in Education Company, the Documentation and Publication Programme, and the Regional Resource Centre of NSD at Bangalore apart from initiating a revision in the NSD curriculum as Director of NSD. Kirti Jain is a Trustee of Natarang Pratishthan- a Theatre Archives and Documentation Centre. In this capacity she has curated several international conferences and festivals including POORVA – a festival and conference of Asian Women Theatre Directors. She has documented the performances and work process of several Indian theatre directors, with focus on women directors. She has been a member of the Editorial board of the theatre journal - Studies in Theatre and Performance, published by Exeter University. Has contributed essays for the Companion to the Indian Theatre and Oxford Encyclopaedia of Theatre and Performance. Her book on Badal Sircar has recently been published by Niyogi Publishers. Kirti has also delivered the ISAS public Lecture titled Performing Partition at Berkeley university, USA in 2017 and a lecture at the Centre for South Asia, Stanford university, USA titled Women’s Theatre Practice in 2017. Apart from her contributions to theatre, Kirti Jain has also served a short stint with TV earlier as a producer and post retirement as Advisor, DD Bharati. Her important directorial work includes ‘Aur Kitne Tukde’ about Partition, ‘Kaun Thagwa Nagaria Lootal Ho’, on globalization, ‘Sab Kuch Chakachak’, a play for young people about displacement , Mahesh Elkunchwars ‘Virasat’ and more. A recipient of several awards and felicitations, she was honoured with the B.V Karanth Smrirti Puraskar for her contribution to Theatre in 2010 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Direction in 2011. She is currently engaged in evolving and implementing a methodology of Curriculum Drama for intervention in the school curriculum in India.
A great academician and theatre trainer, Kirti expressed reverence towards gurus and affection to students on the occasion of Teacher’s Day. She recalled her revitalizing experience of learning at NSD and on becoming the Director of the same, how she was highly approachable for students and faculty as it suited her temperament. She believes that students are always very dedicated and committed, all you need is to give them is an enriching ambience to grow. She also elaborated the idea behind formation of Theatre in Education Company at NSD to impart meaningful theatre training to children. Praising the immense capabilities of actors, she asserts that an actor can overcome any challenge because theatre is based on imagination, the one who imagines, may achieve anything. An actor is capable of finding many solutions which even a director may not conceive. As artists, we live many lives while performing a play which provides vast experience and sensibilities. She considers the process of rehearsal to be the primary thing. Kirti believes that if you want to do artistic work, you need to have a space for imagination because reality may restrict it. To know reality is one thing but to portray it is another. Having done many successful devised productions, kirti says that even if you device or improvise, text is still very important for a play. Invoking the sense of responsibility amongst theatre practitioners, she opines that theatre shall highlight the truth of society, you cannot alienate yourself from what is happening around you. In the context of present times, she believes that interaction is the most important thing, space changes the meaning according to circumstances. Though real world and virtual world stimulate different meanings still this time shall be utilised to take theatre to more and more people. She interestingly elaborated that theatre gives a space to actors to use imagination and the audience connects to it accordingly, the more imagination you give, the more liberty you are given by the audience. Because when people come to watch a play, they are mentally prepared to watch something unreal, but they recognize the reality in it as per their imagination and experience. Answering questions, she says commercial theatre has a role to play but it is not the only role of theatre, which for her is self-expression and self-exploration, for the betterment of the society and conveys a meaning to the society in which artists and audience both participate actively.
Those who are coordinating this mega online event include Anil Tickoo, Neeraj Kant, Suresh Kumar, Sanjeev Gupta, Vikrant Sharma, Sumeet Sharma, Aarushi Thakur Rana, Mohd. Yaseen, Gauri Thakur, Rahul Singh and Vrinda Sharma