Theatre director Sunil Shanbag talks about Playing to Bombay, TheatreNama, and more
Sunil Shanbagâs Playing to Bombay uses animation, performances and dramatic recreations to trace the cityâs vibrant and colourful stagecraft history
TheatreNama was born as a response to the lockdown last year. The monthly series started by Tamaasha Theatre kicked off with a guided viewing of the performance of the play Sex, Morality and Censorship. They are now using animation, performances and dramatic recreations for Playing to Bombay, their second offering that provides an insight into the cityâs vibrant theatre history.
Show hosts Sunil Shanbag and Sharmistha Saha map Mumbaiâs early theatre history from the first Bombay Theatre in 1776 to the flourishing Grant Road theatre district. You can listen to Vishnudas Bhave talk about laying the foundation for modern Marathi theatre, witness Jyotiba Phule using art forms like tamasha and powada to talk about caste discrimination and trace the journey of Marathi Sangeet Natak among other interesting facets of Bombayâs colourful theatre history.