STUDY MATERIAL on Generic Elective (ENGLISH) Paper TEXT AND PERFORMANCE - University of Delhi

STUDY MATERIAL on Generic Elective (ENGLISH) Paper
TEXT AND PERFORMANCE - University of Delhi

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“I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.” – Oscar Wilde

1. Introduction
 

1. Introduction to theories of Performance

The theoretical discussion of drama and theatre practice has a long and illustrious history, reaching back to Aristotle’s Poetics. This history of thinking and writing about drama has centrally shaped our contemporary understanding of performance, theatre and the cultural significance of dramatic practice. Here are some of the most significant developments in the history of dramatic theory from ancient Greece to the present day:

Aristotle and Greek Theatre: The Birth of Dramatic Theory

Aristotle’s Poetics is generally regarded as the founding text of dramatic criticism, and regularly cited by subsequent scholars despite its much‐debated connection to the dramatic practice of ancient Greece.

Bharata’s Theory of Dramatic Performance

The Natyasastra holds a centrality in central Asian theatre similar to that of Aristotle’s Poetics in Europe, but it is far more extensive in scope, covering not only dramatic structure, but acting, costuming, staging, and theatre architecture. The place for performance described in the Natyasastra is far closer to a modern Western idea than to that of classical Greece or Rome. Unlike the great public theatres of Greece and Rome, the classical Indian theatres were sponsored by royal courts and were clearly for an elite audience, of at most about 500. 

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Mira: Story of a Girl

“Mira,” shouted the teacher. No answer.

“Mira,” shouted the teacher again. No answer.

“Where is this girl?” the teacher asked the class.

“Madam, she is sleeping,” responded one student.

It was Class IX of a girls-only govt school in the municipality of Hinsapur. During the very first period that day, Mira had her head down over the desk. After repeated shouts, when the teacher could not bear the insult of no-response, few students shook Mira in order to wake her up.

“She’s not moving, Madam,” a student reported. Mira had gone unconscious. She was taken to the municipality hospital where she gave birth to a premature baby girl.

“I didn’t know what to do, Saab,” told Mira’s sobbing father to the police inspector, “We all were so afraid. We all were so helpless, Saab. The girl spoke only when we noticed the bump.”

Seven months ago, Mira was gang-raped in broad day-light while she was returning from school.

thursday evening

thursday evening.
dusk with a dim sun.
cool light breeze.
i depart for the airport.
as there is nobody to see off,
i quietly book a taxi and leave.

no work tomorrow.
fridays here are dry days,
as dry as the throats of
street children that hang
over car windows for penny.
i anyhow reject them
and prepare ahead
for my weekend.

the road to the airport:
well polished & glossy.
as it's almost dark now,
the divider's lamposts
reflect over the street
and displays the urbane
from taxi's closed
glass door, while city
radio mildly plays on
to my ear some
advertisement
on plastic money.

the taxi driver peeps from
the rear mirror into my eyes
and quickly looks away
as i notice his gaze.

it's windy as i step out
of the cab and move.
the human face from
the city to the airport
has changed a lot.
a certain glow has
suddenly captured
its flesh and skin.
there is an air of
wealth around,
a good number of
round hefty hips
locomote swiftly
making space
for one another.

eyes avoid eyes,
turning heads
pretend absence,
and i fly to a new city
with similar nuances.

~ praveen singhmar

Between you and I

Between you and I,
Rivers and mountains lie.

And roads and bridges set us apart.
To you, all my thoughts depart.
In vain I extend my hand to touch
Your milky hands, your silky hair.
But I know I cannot do much,
For this distance that we share.
And so I sit back and sigh.
Between you and I,
Rivers and mountains lie.

Break free the shackles that bind you.
Let love be your force, let it find you.
Come out running into my arms, my love.
To me, this day, your love you prove.
Tonight, let us not shy.
Between you and I,
Rivers and mountains lie.

You know not how so much I crave you.
Come to me and let me, darling, have you.
This world shall go on with its crap and nonsense.
Let's forget it for a while and make love immense.
Just you and I, baby, and no one else.
Switch off the lights, the noise, the bells.
Let me find your eyes and you find mine.
In darkness let our limitless love shine.
Between you and I,
Rivers and mountains lie.

~ Praveen Singhmar