Unit 7 — Modern Indian Theatre, modelled on the style and topics that appear regularly in UGC-NET Performing Arts papers. They cover origins, movements (IPTA, Navanatya, Third/Root/Alternate Theatre), street & applied theatre, major playwrights/directors (Girish Karnad, Vijay Tendulkar, Badal Sircar, Habib Tanvir, Mohan Rakesh, Ratan Thiyam, Kavalam Panicker, Ebrahim Alkazi, etc.), representative plays, and institutions.
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IPTA stands for:
a) Indian People’s Theatre Association
b) Indian Professional Theatre Association
c) International People’s Theatre Alliance
d) Indian Popular Theatre Academy
Answer: a -
The IPTA movement began primarily in which decade?
a) 1910s
b) 1930s–1940s
c) 1960s
d) 1980s
Answer: b -
Which of the following was a primary aim of IPTA?
a) Commercial theatre production
b) Cultural mobilisation and social awareness
c) Purely aesthetic experimentation
d) Importing Western plays only
Answer: b -
The “Third Theatre” concept in India is most closely associated with:
a) Prithvi Theatre
b) Badal Sircar
c) Girish Karnad
d) Ebrahim Alkazi
Answer: b -
Badal Sircar pioneered which performance space model?
a) Proscenium-only theatre
b) Anganmanch (courtyard stage)/found spaces
c) Black-box with elaborate sets
d) Radio theatre
Answer: b -
Habib Tanvir is best known for fusing modern drama with:
a) European opera
b) Chhattisgarhi folk performance traditions
c) Chinese opera
d) Kabuki theatre
Answer: b -
Girish Karnad wrote which of the following plays?
a) Tughlaq
b) Ghashiram Kotwal
c) Evam Indrajit
d) Charandas Chor
Answer: a -
Vijay Tendulkar is a prominent playwright in which language tradition?
a) Bengali
b) Marathi
c) Kannada
d) Malayalam
Answer: b -
Which playwright is associated with Evam Indrajit?
a) Mohan Rakesh
b) Badal Sircar
c) Girish Karnad
d) Vijay Tendulkar
Answer: b -
Ghashiram Kotwal is a landmark play by:
a) Girish Karnad
b) Vijay Tendulkar
c) Mohan Rakesh
d) Badal Sircar
Answer: b -
The National School of Drama (NSD) was established in:
a) 1920s
b) 1959 (as independent institute in 1959)
c) 1980s
d) 2000s
Answer: b -
Ebrahim Alkazi is noted for his role as:
a) Founder of IPTA
b) Director and Principal of NSD who professionalised theatre training
c) Pioneer of Third Theatre
d) Founder of Prithvi Theatre
Answer: b -
Prithvi Theatre was founded by:
a) Habib Tanvir
b) Prithviraj Kapoor and Sunil Kapoor family (Prithvi Trust)
c) Badal Sircar
d) Girish Karnad
Answer: b -
Which movement emphasised returning to indigenous forms and folk roots?
a) Naturalism
b) Root Theatre / Theatre of Roots
c) Epic Theatre
d) Melodrama
Answer: b -
“Third Theatre” typically rejects:
a) Audience participation
b) Proscenium, commercial trappings, and passive audience configuration
c) Political themes
d) Folk idioms
Answer: b -
Which theatre practitioner is widely credited with popularising folk-based theatre like Charandas Chor?
a) Girish Karnad
b) Habib Tanvir
c) Vijay Tendulkar
d) Ebrahim Alkazi
Answer: b -
Mohan Rakesh is best known for which play?
a) Adhe Adhure
b) Tughlaq
c) Charandas Chor
d) Evam Indrajit
Answer: a -
Which movement focused on theatre in public spaces to mobilise the masses?
a) Proscenium revival
b) Street theatre / Jana Natya
c) Radio drama
d) Puppet theatre
Answer: b -
Jana Natya Mandali and similar groups are known for:
a) Opera performances
b) Street theatre with socio-political agenda
c) Classical Sanskrit drama only
d) Silent mime exclusively
Answer: b -
Theatre of the Oppressed was developed by:
a) Badal Sircar
b) Augusto Boal
c) Bertolt Brecht
d) Ebrahim Alkazi
Answer: b -
Forum Theatre is a technique within:
a) Naturalism
b) Theatre of the Oppressed
c) Melodrama
d) Greek Tragedy
Answer: b -
Applied theatre refers to:
a) Theatre strictly for aesthetic enjoyment
b) Theatre used for education, social change, health and community development
c) Only historical reconstructions
d) Opera and ballet fusion
Answer: b -
Site-specific theatre is characterised by:
a) Stage set in neutral studios only
b) Performance tailored to and integrated with a particular location or site
c) Radio broadcasts only
d) Universal scripts unchanged by context
Answer: b -
Badal Sircar’s “Aanganmanch” primarily emphasised:
a) Elaborate sets and costumes
b) Minimalism and direct exchange between actors and audience in courtyards
c) Musical opera format
d) Screen adaptations only
Answer: b -
Which playwright dramatized the solitude and alienation of post-Independence urban youth (notably in Evam Indrajit)?
a) Vijay Tendulkar
b) Badal Sircar
c) Girish Karnad
d) Mohan Rakesh
Answer: b -
Ratan Thiyam is associated with which regional theatre tradition?
a) Bengali theatre
b) Manipuri theatre and Chorus Repertory Theatre
c) Marathi theatre
d) Punjabi theatre
Answer: b -
Kavalam Narayana Panicker is known for integrating:
a) Kathakali and Kerala folk elements into modern theatre
b) Kabuki form into Indian theatre
c) Peking opera techniques
d) European realism only
Answer: a -
Which institution gives national recognition and awards to theatre artists in India?
a) Film and Television Institute of India
b) Sangeet Natak Akademi
c) All India Radio
d) National Museum
Answer: b -
The Navanatya movement is best described as:
a) A classical Sanskrit revival only
b) A modernist movement experimenting with form and content in Indian theatre
c) A film movement
d) A musical tradition
Answer: b -
Which theatre form did Habib Tanvir famously employ in his productions?
a) Mime only
b) Folk chorus and non-professional performers from rural backgrounds
c) Western choir groups
d) Pantomime exclusively
Answer: b -
Who is known for the play Hayavadana?
a) Mohan Rakesh
b) Girish Karnad
c) Vijay Tendulkar
d) Badal Sircar
Answer: b -
Vijay Tendulkar’s Sakharam Binder deals mainly with:
a) Mythological romance
b) Gender, power and social hypocrisy
c) War epic
d) Children’s folklore
Answer: b -
Which of these movements is an outcome of political and social activism of artists during the freedom struggle and post-colonial period?
a) IPTA
b) Kabuki revival
c) Noh theatre
d) Greek chorus
Answer: a -
The term “Alternative Theatre” in India generally means:
a) Mainstream commercial Bollywood theatre
b) Experimental and non-commercial forms outside established proscenium conventions
c) Opera houses in India
d) Exclusive classical repertory only
Answer: b -
Who directed and staged many productions that institutionalised modern Indian theatre pedagogy at NSD?
a) Habib Tanvir
b) Ebrahim Alkazi
c) Badal Sircar
d) Girish Karnad
Answer: b -
Which play is referred to as a landmark of modern Kannada theatre?
a) Tughlaq
b) Hayavadana
c) Ghashiram Kotwal
d) Evam Indrajit
Answer: b -
Rangakarmee is a prominent theatre group from which region?
a) Maharashtra
b) Bengal (Kolkata)
c) Kerala
d) Punjab
Answer: b -
Which movement emphasised minimal props, close actor-audience contact, and actor-centred creation?
a) Third Theatre
b) Melodrama
c) Epic Theatre (strictly proscenium)
d) Kabuki tradition
Answer: a -
The “Theatre of Roots” initiative aimed to:
a) Eliminate folk idioms from modern plays
b) Rediscover indigenous forms and adapt them to contemporary theatre practice
c) Import exclusively Western forms
d) Convert theatre into radio plays
Answer: b -
Which playhouse became a cultural hub in Mumbai founded by the Kapoor family?
a) NSD Auditorium
b) Prithvi Theatre
c) Rangashankara
d) Bharat Bhavan
Answer: b -
Which dramatist’s work often revisits myth to explore contemporary identity (e.g., Nagamandala)?
a) Vijay Tendulkar
b) Girish Karnad
c) Badal Sircar
d) Mohan Rakesh
Answer: b -
Which theatre practitioner is linked to the formation of Naya Theatre?
a) Habib Tanvir
b) Ebrahim Alkazi
c) Girish Karnad
d) Badal Sircar
Answer: a -
Which of these is a characteristic of Street Theatre in India?
a) Performed only in theatre halls
b) Performed in public spaces, often free and issue-based
c) Always uses elaborate sets and lighting
d) Restricted to classical repertoire
Answer: b -
Which Indian dramatist is most closely associated with modern Hindi theatre and the play Adhe Adhure?
a) Mohan Rakesh
b) Vijay Tendulkar
c) Girish Karnad
d) Badal Sircar
Answer: a -
Forum Theatre allows the audience to:
a) Remain passive spectators only
b) Intervene and suggest/act alternatives to problems depicted on stage
c) Hear the play on radio only
d) Vote for best actor after performance
Answer: b -
Which region is Girish Karnad primarily associated with?
a) Maharashtra (Marathi)
b) Karnataka (Kannada)
c) Bengal (Bengali)
d) Punjab (Punjabi)
Answer: b -
Which director is known for integrating mobile, site-specific and ritual aesthetics in contemporary Indian productions (e.g., works by Ratan Thiyam)?
a) Ebrahim Alkazi
b) Ratan Thiyam
c) Girish Karnad
d) Mohan Rakesh
Answer: b -
The term “Navanatya” literally means:
a) Old theatre
b) New theatre (modernist experimentation)
c) Puppet theatre only
d) Musical theatre exclusively
Answer: b -
Which playwright wrote Charandas Chor?
a) Vijay Tendulkar
b) Habib Tanvir
c) Girish Karnad
d) Badal Sircar
Answer: b -
In India, which organisation is primarily responsible for documenting and supporting performing arts at national level?
a) Sangeet Natak Akademi
b) Doordarshan
c) Filmfare
d) Sahitya Akademi (only literature)
Answer: a -
Which of these practitioners is known for the “Theatre of Roots” movement?
a) Ebrahim Alkazi
b) Ratan Thiyam and Kavalam Panicker
c) Prithviraj Kapoor only
d) Girish Karnad exclusively
Answer: b -
Who wrote the Hindi play Ashadh Ka Ek Din which established modern Hindi theatre?
a) Mohan Rakesh
b) Vijay Tendulkar
c) Badal Sircar
d) Girish Karnad
Answer: a -
“Anganmanch” performances typically take place in:
a) Radio studios
b) Courtyards, open grounds and neighbourhood spaces
c) Opera houses only
d) Cinema halls only
Answer: b -
Which movement is most directly associated with using theatre as a tool for education, social development and health campaigns?
a) Applied Theatre
b) Symbolism
c) Classical revivalism
d) Melodrama
Answer: a -
Who is the playwright of Tughlaq that comments on power and idealism?
a) Girish Karnad
b) Vijay Tendulkar
c) Mohan Rakesh
d) Badal Sircar
Answer: a -
Which theatre company is strongly associated with Habib Tanvir’s folk-modern experiments?
a) Naya Theatre
b) Bohurupee
c) Rangakarmee
d) Prithvi Group
Answer: a -
Which writer is associated with modern Marathi theatre and socially aware drama?
a) Girish Karnad
b) Vijay Tendulkar
c) Badal Sircar
d) Mohan Rakesh
Answer: b -
Which city is historically significant for Bengali modern theatre and group theatre movement?
a) Mumbai
b) Kolkata
c) Chennai
d) Hyderabad
Answer: b -
Which prominent theatre director worked extensively to popularise modern Hindi theatre in Kolkata (Padatik/Anamika)?
a) Shyamanand Jalan
b) Habib Tanvir
c) Ebrahim Alkazi
d) Girish Karnad
Answer: a -
Which theatrical approach encourages making the audience think rather than become emotionally absorbed (alienation)?
a) Brechtian Epic Theatre
b) Classical Sanskrit Rasa theatre
c) Melodrama
d) Farce
Answer: a -
Which playwright used myth and folklore to interrogate contemporary politics and identity (e.g., Nagamandala)?
a) Badal Sircar
b) Girish Karnad
c) Mohan Rakesh
d) Vijay Tendulkar
Answer: b -
Which of these is a feature of Third Theatre practice?
a) Heavy reliance on proscenium lighting rigs
b) Low budget, portability, audience proximity, and improvisation
c) Exclusive use of professional trained actors only
d) Strict adherence to Western stagecraft
Answer: b -
Ratan Thiyam’s theatre often draws on:
a) Punjabi folk tales only
b) Manipuri ritual, martial and mask traditions and epic narratives
c) Southeast Asian shadow puppetry exclusively
d) Western musical theatre forms
Answer: b -
Which playwright wrote Pagla Ghoda?
a) Badal Sircar (translated/produced in Marathi widely)
b) Girish Karnad
c) Mohan Rakesh
d) Vijay Tendulkar
Answer: a -
The term “Site-specific theatre” most closely implies:
a) Works that are generic and location-neutral
b) Works shaped by and inseparable from the physical site where they are performed
c) Theatre performed only in schools
d) Only television adaptations
Answer: b -
Which movement helped spawn non-proscenium experiments and community work in rural and urban areas?
a) IPTA and Third Theatre traditions
b) Elizabethan theatre exclusively
c) Roman spectacle only
d) Kabuki theatre
Answer: a -
The “Group Theatre” tradition in India often refers to:
a) Single-actor classical pieces
b) Collectively organised, ensemble based theatre groups with social/political focus
c) Only commercial musicals
d) Radio drama groups only
Answer: b -
Which playwright/director was central to the modernisation of Marathi theatre and controversial social themes?
a) Girish Karnad
b) Vijay Tendulkar
c) Ratan Thiyam
d) Kavalam Panicker
Answer: b -
Which institution organises the National School of Drama’s annual festivals and workshops?
a) Film and Television Institute of India
b) National School of Drama itself (with Ministry support)
c) All India Radio
d) Sangeet Natak Akademi only
Answer: b -
Which of the following best describes Forum Theatre?
a) Non-interactive proscenium play
b) Interactive, problem-solving theatre where audience proposes/acts out solutions
c) Musical theatre style only
d) Ancient Sanskrit play form
Answer: b -
Shyamanand Jalan founded which theatre group known for Hindi productions in Kolkata?
a) Padatik (and earlier Anamika)
b) Naya Theatre
c) Bohurupee
d) Rangashankara
Answer: a -
The practice of mixing professional actors with local non-actors for authenticity is a feature of:
a) Commercial theatre only
b) Folk-modern fusion and some Third Theatre practices (e.g., Habib Tanvir)
c) Classical Sanskrit theatre only
d) Kabuki only
Answer: b -
Which playwright is credited with introducing psychological modernity to Hindi plays (e.g., Adhe Adhure)?
a) Mohan Rakesh
b) Vijay Tendulkar
c) Girish Karnad
d) Badal Sircar
Answer: a -
Which city is associated with Rangashankara, a prominent theatre space and festival?
a) Mumbai
b) Bengaluru
c) Kolkata
d) Chennai
Answer: b -
Which theatre practitioner emphasised rehearsal discipline, actor-training and stagecraft at the national level in India?
a) Badal Sircar
b) Ebrahim Alkazi
c) Kabir Bedi
d) Girish Karnad
Answer: b -
Which movement is most associated with minimal sets, actor-audience exchange and political content in India?
a) Third Theatre
b) Opera
c) Classical Sanskrit Nāṭya only
d) Kabuki
Answer: a -
Which of the following plays critiques power and bureaucracy through historical allegory (Tughlaq)?
a) Girish Karnad’s Tughlaq
b) Vijay Tendulkar’s Ghashiram Kotwal
c) Badal Sircar’s Evam Indrajit
d) Mohan Rakesh’s Adhe Adhure
Answer: a -
Which theatre form commonly practised by IPTA incorporated song, dance, and street skits?
a) Proscenium, high-art only
b) Mass cultural forms combining music, drama and agitprop (Jana Natya)
c) Ancient Sanskrit Rasa performance only
d) Silent mime only
Answer: b -
Which theatre personality is associated with the Bohurupee group in Bengal?
a) Sombhu Mitra (and Bohurupee)
b) Ebrahim Alkazi
c) Habib Tanvir
d) Prithviraj Kapoor
Answer: a -
Which technique is central to Theatre of the Oppressed?
a) Strictly scripted non-interactive drama
b) Spectator as “spect-actor” who can intervene in the play
c) Silent ritual only
d) Use of puppets exclusively
Answer: b -
Which playwright wrote Hayavadana, exploring identity and completeness?
a) Girish Karnad
b) Vijay Tendulkar
c) Badal Sircar
d) Mohan Rakesh
Answer: a -
Which movement emphasises collaborative devising, collective authorship and anti-star culture?
a) Commercial theatre
b) Third/Alternative Theatre groups
c) Opera traditions
d) Kabuki troupe system
Answer: b -
Which theatre director is known for synthesising classical Indian forms with modern stagecraft (NSD alumnus often credited)?
a) Ebrahim Alkazi (as trainer/producer)
b) Molière
c) Shakespeare
d) Bertolt Brecht
Answer: a -
Which of the following is an example of applied theatre practice in India?
a) Street plays for voter education
b) Only proscenium classics
c) Kabuki in Japan
d) Broadway musicals only
Answer: a -
Which playwright wrote Ghashiram Kotwal, a political satire on power and corruption?
a) Vijay Tendulkar
b) Girish Karnad
c) Badal Sircar
d) Mohan Rakesh
Answer: a -
Which theatre movement emphasised return to folk forms for modern expression and identity?
a) Root Theatre / Theatre of Roots
b) Naturalism exclusively
c) Greek chorus only
d) Melodrama only
Answer: a -
Which institution regularly confers fellowships and awards to theatre artists in India?
a) Sangeet Natak Akademi
b) Film Certification Board only
c) Only private foundations (no national body)
d) National Library
Answer: a -
Which modern Indian theatre practitioner is known for blending performance with political satire using folk forms and local dialects?
a) Habib Tanvir
b) Ebrahim Alkazi
c) Girish Karnad
d) Mohan Rakesh
Answer: a -
Which movement’s hallmark is making theatre accessible, low-cost and participatory (avoiding commercial theatre’s elitism)?
a) Third Theatre / Street Theatre / IPTA legacy
b) High opera only
c) Only film adaptations
d) Kabuki import
Answer: a -
Which playwright explored existential angst and fractured families in modern Indian context?
a) Mohan Rakesh (Adhe Adhure)
b) Kalidasa
c) Bhasa
d) Bhavabhuti
Answer: a -
Which type of theatre commonly uses local music, chorus and dance to engage rural audiences?
a) Folk-modern fusion used by practitioners like Habib Tanvir and others
b) Strictly proscenium Western plays only
c) Radio drama exclusively
d) Television serials only
Answer: a -
Which movement directly influenced the proliferation of street theatre troupes in India?
a) IPTA and subsequent activist theatre traditions
b) Italian Opera only
c) Kabuki entirely
d) Ancient Greek tragedy alone
Answer: a -
Which theatrical practice deliberately stages plays in marketplaces, public squares and streets?
a) Proscenium dramas exclusively
b) Street theatre / Jana Natya practice
c) Opera houses only
d) Television studios only
Answer: b -
Who is the author of Charandas Chor?
a) Habib Tanvir
b) Girish Karnad
c) Vijay Tendulkar
d) Badal Sircar
Answer: a -
Which director founded Prithvi Theatre as a repertory and venue in Mumbai?
a) Prithviraj Kapoor (Prithvi Trust/Prithvi Theatre supported by Kapoor family)
b) Ebrahim Alkazi
c) Habib Tanvir
d) Badal Sircar
Answer: a -
Which playwright engaged themes of caste, gender and urban violence in Marathi theatre?
a) Vijay Tendulkar
b) Girish Karnad
c) Bhavabhuti
d) Kalidasa
Answer: a -
Which initiative is best known for institutional actor training and production in India?
a) National School of Drama (NSD)
b) Sangeet Natak Akademi only (not training focused)
c) National Film Awards only
d) Private TV channels only
Answer: a -
Which movement encouraged political education, activists’ theatre and leftist aesthetics?
a) IPTA
b) Kabuki only
c) Noh only
d) Naturalism only
Answer: a -
Which director/playwright is associated with large-scale spectacles rooted in tribal and folk performance from Northeast India?
a) Ratan Thiyam
b) Ebrahim Alkazi
c) Badal Sircar
d) Mohan Rakesh
Answer: a -
Which feature is NOT typical of Third Theatre?
a) Minimal props and sets
b) Non-proscenium staging and audience involvement
c) Large commercial budgets and elaborate technical illusions
d) Political/social themes and collective creation
Answer: c