(UGC-NET: Performing Arts — Drama & Theatre — Exam-ready notes)
1. Overview: Why this unit matters for UGC-NET
Unit 10 tests three interconnected areas: education & curriculum, training methods & movement analysis, and research, institutions and current ecosystem (festivals, awards, patrons). Questions commonly ask for definitions, comparisons (e.g., formal university training vs traditional gurukula systems), names of eminent scholars/works, and recent institutional/award news. Prepare concise definitions plus examples and a few up-to-date names.
2. Theatre in Formal Curriculum (Primary to University)
A. Primary & Secondary Levels
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Rationale: Theatre in early education develops communication skills, empathy, creativity, social learning and enhances language and cognitive abilities.
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Curricular Models:
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Integrated approach: Drama activities embedded within language, social studies and life-skills.
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Activity units: Story drama, puppetry, role-play, theatre games, community projects.
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Pedagogy: Play-based learning, participatory workshops, child-centred pedagogy (focus on process over product).
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Assessment: Portfolios, performance rubrics, reflective journals, peer assessment.
B. Higher Education (Undergraduate & Postgraduate)
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University Programmes: Theatre departments offer BA/BFA, MA/MFA, PhD in Drama, Theatre Studies, Direction, Design, Applied Theatre and Performance Studies.
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Pedagogical Components: Theory (dramatic literature, history, criticism), practical training (acting, direction, design), research methodology, production work, internships.
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Professional Training Institutes: National School of Drama (NSD), university departments, drama schools offering diplomas/advanced training — link theoretical study to practical productions and repertory work (see Institutions section).
Exam tip: Be ready to contrast primary (learning-through-play) vs university (systematic theory + practice).
3. Relevance of Traditional Theatre Training
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What counts as ‘traditional’: Bharata Muni’s Natyashastra, gurukula apprenticeship, classical dance-drama training (Kathakali, Koodiyattam, Yakshagana), and folk apprenticeship systems.
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Why it remains relevant:
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Codified techniques (mudras, tala/rhythm, abhinaya) underpin physical and vocal discipline.
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Ritual consciousness and embodiment of rasa provide depth to expressive work.
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Local knowledge systems (folk music, oral storytelling) expand repertoire and community engagement.
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Integration into modern pedagogy: Many contemporary curricula integrate abhinaya, nattuvangam, kalaripayattu or yoga with Stanislavskian and Grotowskian methods to produce versatile actors.
Exam note: Expect a comparative question asking advantages/limitations of traditional vs institutional training.
4. Movement Analysis & Somatic Practices (kinesthetics, Yoga, Theatre Games, Martial Arts, Folk, Puppetry)
A. Kinesthetics
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Definition: Study of body movement quality, dynamics, space, force and timing.
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Use in training: Movement analysis (Laban/Bartenieff), body mapping, kinaesthetic awareness exercises to build presence and clarity.
B. Yoga
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Contribution: Breath control (pranayama), focused attention, postural alignment, stamina and meditative concentration.
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Applications: Voice support, emotional regulation, and centring before performance.
C. Theatre Games
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Origins & Purpose: Viola Spolin, Keith Johnstone inspired improvisation games that build spontaneity, listening, ensemble and status play.
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Pedagogical roles: Warm-ups, creativity enhancement, devising and inclusion.
D. Martial Arts
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Relevance: Kalaripayattu, Karate, Tai Chi — training posture, fall training, fight choreography, rhythmic discipline and physical control.
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Use: Stage combat safety, stylised movement vocabularies, body conditioning.
E. Folk Forms
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Examples: Bhavai, Nautanki, Bhand Pather, Yakshagana — rhythmic stamping, chorus/chorus leader dynamics, large gesture vocabularies.
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Use: Ensemble aesthetics, music-movement integration, audience engagement techniques (song, call-and-response).
F. Puppetry
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As training tool: Develops imagination, object work, silent storytelling, and precise manual coordination.
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Dramaturgical use: Hybrid productions combine puppetry and live acting; useful in TIE and children’s theatre.
Exam tip: Prepare short definitions and one example application for each movement source. A frequent question asks to match a technique to its benefit (e.g., Yoga → breath control).
5. Eminent Scholars & Their Works (selective and exam-relevant)
Be prepared to name 6–10 scholars and one key contribution each (UGC often tests names + works).
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Bharata Muni — Natyashastra (foundational Indian dramaturgy).
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Aparna Bhargava Dharwadker — Theatres of Independence (post-1947 urban performance studies).
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Rustom Bharucha — Theatre and the World / Theatre of Our Times (postcolonial and intercultural performance studies).
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Kapila Vatsyayan — Research on Indian classical forms and natya theory.
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Ebrahim Alkazi — Pedagogy and institutionalisation at NSD (theatre training & production practices).
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Dilip Chitre, Girish Karnad, Vijay Tendulkar (practitioner-scholars whose plays and essays inform modern Indian theatre).
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Other scholars: Erika Fischer-Lichte (performance theory — global), Patrice Pavis (semiotics of theatre), P. C. Chatterjee (regional studies).
Exam tip: If asked “Name a scholar who wrote on Indian theatre since independence,” Dharwadker’s Theatres of Independence is a safe citation.
6. Trends in Indian Theatre Research & Scholarship
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Historic waves: Post-colonial historiography, group theatre and leftist cultural studies (IPTA), modernism and experiment (1960s–80s), Theatre-of-Roots and Third Theatre debates (1970s), postdramatic/intercultural experiments (1990s–present).
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Recent emphases:
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Performance studies and interdisciplinarity (visual art, film studies);
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Community/Applied theatre research (development, health, education);
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Digital/archival projects and performance documentation;
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Studies of marginalised performance traditions and vernacular literatures.
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Methodologies: Ethnography, archival research, practice-as-research (PAR), and critical theory.
7. Patronage & Institutional Support (Post-Independence)
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Major national institutions: Sangeet Natak Akademi (national academy), National School of Drama (NSD), Lalit Kala Akademi & state academies — crucial for awards, training, documentation and grants.
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Key repertories & private initiatives: Prithvi Theatre (Mumbai), NCPA (Mumbai), Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bharat Bhavan (Bhopal) — venues and production support.
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Corporate & NGO patronage: CSR funding, arts festivals support, workshops (increasingly important since 1990s).
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State patronage: State cultural departments support regional festivals and training.
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Exam note: Learn functions of Sangeet Natak Akademi and NSD; name two prominent private institutions (Prithvi, Bharat Bhavan).
8. Festivals, Awardees & Current Affairs (how to prepare)
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Major National Festivals (regularly referenced):
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Bharat Rang Mahotsav (National School of Drama) — large national festival.
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Prithvi Theatre Festival (Mumbai) — annual, showcases contemporary theatre.
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Jairangam (Jaipur Theatre Festival), Nandikar, Serendipity Arts, Kala Ghoda — notable regional festivals.
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Major Awards:
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Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (lifetime and yearly contributions in theatre & allied arts). The Akademi publishes awardee lists online.
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Padma Awards (Cultural) recognize theatre practitioners; also state awards and fellowships.
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Current awareness: For NET, know recent notable awardees or festival highlights only if explicitly asked — otherwise, be prepared to name major recurring festivals and the function of Sangeet Natak Akademi/NSD. (If an exam question asks a current-year winner, verify from official sites; SNA maintains updated lists).
Practical study tip: Memorise 6–8 festivals, 4 institutions, and 4 recent/high-profile awardees (from SNA/Padma lists) relevant to your exam year.
9. Research Methods & Dissertation Topics (PhD/MA level guidance)
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Common methodologies: Practice-as-research, ethnography, performance analysis, archival reconstruction, dramaturgical case studies.
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Suggested research areas: Devising community theatre for development; archival studies of regional repertories; comparative studies of abhinaya & acting pedagogy; technology and performance (digital theatre).
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Proposal components: Research question, literature review, methodology (fieldwork/archives/practice), expected contributions, timeline.
10. Quick Revision Cheatsheet (UGC-NET style)
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Define: Natyashastra; Ahārya; Nepathya; Theatre of the Oppressed; TIE.
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Name 4 institutions: NSD, Sangeet Natak Akademi, Prithvi Theatre, Bharat Bhavan.
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Name 4 scholars & one work each: Bharata Muni (Natyashastra), Aparna Dharwadker (Theatres of Independence), Rustom Bharucha (Theatre and the World), Kapila Vatsyayan (classical studies).
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List 6 movement sources: Kinesthetics (Laban), Yoga, Theatre Games, Martial Arts, Folk forms, Puppetry.
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Top festivals (memorise 6): Bharat Rang Mahotsav, Prithvi, Jairangam, Nandikar Festival, Serendipity Arts, Kala Ghoda.