Reprezentacja ciał aktorów, tekstu, widzów i przestrzeni teatralnej w Marathi Dalit Theatre

Representation of Actors’ Body, Text, Spectators and Theatre Space in Marathi Dalit Theatre: A Grotowskian Perspective
By:  Somnath Jagtap, Associate Professor, B. D. Kale Mahavidyalaya Ghodegaon India
Marathi Dalit Theatre emerged as a response to Marathi elite and upper caste idea of theatre which celebrated and upheld upper caste values. Marathi theatre, primarily, has been dominated by an upper caste understanding of the caste system which required specific actors, text, spectators, and place of performance. Marathi theatre, dominated by upper castes had ample theatrical resources to endorse upper caste values. On the other hand, Marathi Dalit theatre did not have access to theatrical resources, enjoyed by upper castes. Despite this challenge, Marathi Dalit theatre could struggle against upper castes dominated Marathi theatre. The clash between these theatres in Marathi is evident since the second half of 19th century but it got momentum after 1970s, especially after the rise of the Dalit Panthers. Scarcity of theatrical resources might have made Marathi Dalit theatre to opt for the reduction in theatrical resources and utilize whatever it could hang onto to assert Dalit identity. Reduction in the use of theatrical resources appear to be similar to the Grotowski’s idea of poor theatre, though Marathi Dalit was doing it out of compulsion. The present deliberation on Marathi Dalit theatre from the perspective of Grotowski’s idea of poor theatre is an attempt to bring these two theatres together, though they are geographically and culturally different from each other.
Key Concepts: Caste identity, Dalit identity, the Dalit Panthers and Marathi theatre