SETTING THE STAGE: A MATERIALIST SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF CONTEMPORARY BENGALI GROUP THEATRE FROM KOLKATA, INDIA by ARNAB BANERJI (Under the Direction of Farley Richmond) ABSTRACT This dissertation studies select performance examples from various group theatre companies in Kolkata, India during a fieldwork conducted in Kolkata between August 2012 and July 2013 using the materialist semiotic performance analysis. Research into Bengali group theatre has overlooked the effect of the conditions of production and reception on meaning making in theatre. Extant research focuses on the history of the group theatre, individuals, groups, and the socially conscious and political nature of this theatre. The unique nature of this theatre culture (or any other theatre culture) can only be understood fully if the conditions within which such theatre is produced and received studied along with the performance event itself. This dissertation is an attempt to fill this lacuna in Bengali group theatre scholarship. Materialist semiotic performance analysis serves as the theoretical framework for this study. The materialist semiotic performance analysis is a theoretical tool that examines the theatre event by locating it within definite material conditions of production and reception like organization, funding, training, availability of spaces and the public discourse on theatre. The data presented in this dissertation was gathered in Kolkata using: auto-ethnography, participant observation, sample survey, and archival research. The conditions of production and reception are each examined and presented in isolation followed by case studies. The case studies bring the elements studied in the preceding section together to demonstrate how they function together in a performance event. The studies represent the vast array of theatre in Kolkata and allow the findings from the second part of the dissertation to be tested across a variety of conditions of production and reception. The dissertation inaugurates a dialogue that negates the universals of meaning ascribed to performances in Bengali group theatre and locates it within the specific cultural contexts where it is produced and received. INDEX WORDS: Bengali theatre; group theatre; materialist semiotic; Kolkata theatre; conditions of production; conditions of reception; theatre training; theatre funding; theatre spaces SETTING THE STAGE: A MATERIALIST SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF CONTEMPORARY BENGALI GROUP THEATRE FROM KOLKATA, INDIA by ARNAB BANERJI B.A., Jadavpur University, India, 2007 M.A., Jadavpur University, India, 2009 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2014 © 2014 Arnab Banerji All Rights Reserved SETTING THE STAGE: A MATERIALIST SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF CONTEMPORARY BENGALI GROUP THEATRE FROM KOLKATA, INDIA by ARNAB BANERJI Major Professor: Farley Richmond Committee: David Saltz Freda Scott Giles Dorothy Figueira Electronic Version Approved: Julie Coffield Interim Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia August 2014 DEDICATION To the tireless individuals who work, thanklessly, behind the scenes iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This degree would not have been complete without the constant and unwavering support of my parents Jayanta and Jaya Banerji. My father was the first person who recommended that I leave the beaten track of pursuing an engineering degree and study English. My mother, with her training in and love for Indian classical music, inspired me to learn and love music and theatre. My younger brother Anindya Banerji, a Ph.D. in the making himself, has been my most enthusiastic audience, critic, and cheerleader. Thank you, ma, baba and bhai. Whatever I say about Dr. Alicia Corts is going to fall short of what she means to me and how much I owe to her. She has been a friend, a philosopher, a guide, a mentor, and a teacher. Every time I thought I was ready to quit, she would pull me up from the dumps with her words of encouragement or a hearty meal at the Redd House. She taught me how to be confident in front a classroom, how to design a course, and how to have a life amidst all the craziness that this process often was. Alicia, or the WonderTwin as we call each other, has read every single version of this dissertation, suggested changes, corrected silly mistakes, and offered valuable criticism. She is a scholar, critic, writer, teacher, and editor par excellence, and I am so proud and honored that I can call her my friend and my older sister. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much WonderTwin for being there to catch me every time I faltered and to cheer every small achievement. This dissertation is as much yours as it is mine. v Carolyn Carter, or Ms. Carolyn has been a true inspiration. Her eagerness to finish her G.E.D and her success stories at the Athens Technical College kept me going even when the roads got real rough. The ever-smiling Ms. Carolyn is always ready with the biggest and the warmest hugs. She never forgets to enquire about our well-being and will do anything that she can to lend a helping hand. I will never forget meeting her for the first time when she helped me look for a pencil sharpener and then spent the next thirty minutes talking to me about my home and family. An ever-lasting bond was formed almost immediately. Thank you Ms. Carolyn, I hope I can make you proud someday. Dr. Farley Richmond, my major professor was the reason I chose to attend UGA. I am glad that I decided to work with him and have him as my mentor. His vast knowledge of Indian theatre and his eagerness to disseminate this knowledge as far and as wide as he can and for free is truly inspiring. Dr. Richmond challenged me to think independently and encouraged me to do my best work. It has been an honor and a pleasure to work with him. My committee members Dr. David Saltz, Dr. Freda Scott Giles, and Dr. Dorothy Figueira are all scholars that I look up to and admire. They have all contributed significantly in shaping my scholarship and understanding of key critical paradigms. Thank you. The future Dr. Adron Farris has been a great friend, a great sounding board for new ideas, and the constant company when I needed to let my hair down after a crazy day. The same holds true for the future Dr. Roy Brooks. Both of these gentlemen were always ready to hear me blabber, and the three of us had some legendary evenings at our vi favorite downtown haunt, Manhattan. Guys, I will miss our hang out sessions, and we should absolutely make up for it when we meet at conferences. The talented Libby Ricardo generously welcomed me into her beautiful Rhode Island home when I was feeling homesick during my first couple of years in this country. Vovo, Kathy, Larry, Tom, and the rest of her wonderful family showered me with their love, generosity, and kindness. I will treasure the memories of the time I spent with you all forever. Thank you. Dipesh Gangopadhyay and Abhinav Narayanan, both economists in training and my roommates have been excellent friends. The remarkable culinary skills that both of them possess coupled with their generosity, quick wit, and cheerful demeanor made sure that I was well-fed, well-rested, and in high spirits during this past year. Dipesh da’s confidence in my abilities, his words of encouragement, and his admiration for my work deserve a special mention, as does Abhinav’s boundless friendship. Thank you, guys. Dr. Ananda Lal, my mentor at Jadavpur University instilled in me the confidence of pursuing a doctoral degree in theatre. I look up to him as a scholar and critic of Indian performance. Thank you, sir, for planting the bug in me and for all the opportunities that you have sent my way over the years. My sincerest thanks to all my friends at UGA who made my time here memorable. You know who you are and you know how much I appreciate your friendship. Thank you for everything. I would also like to extend my sincerest gratitude, appreciation and thanks to all theatre practitioners in Kolkata who helped me with insights, inputs, comments, and feedbacks about Bengali group theatre. A special thank you to Sagnik Mukherjee, Joyraj Bhattacharjee, Jayanta Mitra, Sima Mukhopadhyay, and vii Suman Mukhopadhyay for giving me the opportunity to be a part of your creative processes. And finally, a big shout out to my beautiful, wonderful, and talented fiancée Sayantika Boral. Knowing you has easily been one of the highlights of my life. Thank you for bearing with all my quirks and naggings, for listening to me complain, and for bearing with the geographic distance between us. I cannot tell you enough how excited I am to start my new life with you and how much I love you. Keep smiling. This journey has been very special fraught with several precious memories, sleepless nights, frustrations, and a lot to cheer about. The Graduate School, the Office of the Vice President for Research, and the Department of Theatre and Film Studies have all helped with generous travel awards allowing me to spread my wings even further at various stages during the last five years. Talking about the theatre that I grew up watching, practicing, and loving has been both painful and fun. I hope that I have been able to serve the theatre community in Kolkata with this work. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................v CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................1