Abstract

The nation as performed by the state has found either endorsement or criticism on the stage in postindependence India. The decolonization drive, undertaken during the 1950s, aimed at identifying performance forms that would define what ‘national theatre’ would be for a free India and thus help reclaim the ‘Indian’ cultural ethos. Nation in contemporary Indian theatre is as much a thematic trope as a question of form – but both critical of the previous postcolonial-nationalist tendency to institutionalize through theatre an Indian culture in sync with the state narrative of nationhood. Twenty-first century theatre in India is largely experimental, moving far beyond the thematization of issues to their presentation in forms that are ‘inter-artistic exchange’ (Lehmann) and partake of performance-making protocols from domestic as well as global theatre practice. The present study discusses two theatrical productions – The Antigone Project (2003-4), directed by Anuradha Kapur and Ein Lall, and Work in Progress: A Nationalism Project (2018), directed by scenographer Deepan Sivaraman. The former is the artist’s reaction to the 2002 post-Godhra riot (called ‘pogrom’ by many); the latter critiques the distortion of the idea of modern India, prompting readings from the country’s Constitution. Although centered on these two productions, the essay quickly meanders through a couple more contemporary performances in the second section to demonstrate through the diversity of forms the shift in the relationship between politics and theatre, especially when it comes to the performance of nationalism.

摘要

国家表演的国家在独立后的印度的舞台上得到了认可或批评。在 1950 年代进行的非殖民化运动旨在确定能够为自由印度定义“国家剧院”的表演形式，从而帮助恢复“印度”文化精神。当代印度戏剧中的民族既是一个形式问题，也是一个主题比喻——但两者都批评了以前的后殖民民族主义倾向，即通过戏剧将印度文化制度化，与国家叙事同步。印度 21 世纪的戏剧主要是实验性的，远远超出问题的主题化，以“跨艺术交流”（莱曼）的形式呈现，并参与国内和全球剧院实践的表演制作协议。本研究讨论了两部戏剧作品——由 Anuradha Kapur 和 Ein Lall 执导的 Antigone 项目（2003-4）和由场景设计师 Deepan Sivaraman 执导的正在进行的工作：民族主义项目（2018 年）。前者是艺术家对 2002 年 Godhra 后骚乱（被许多人称为“大屠杀”）的反应；后者批评现代印度观念的扭曲，促使人们阅读该国的宪法。虽然以这两部作品为中心，但本文很快在第二部分中通过几场更当代的表演，通过形式的多样性展示了政治与戏剧之间关系的转变，尤其是在民族主义的表现方面。