While ‘nukkad nataks’ have been happening in Delhi University (DU) for a long time, ‘Shakespeare Society’, however, is a term that is taking its own time to gain fame.
DU has always thought of street plays when it came to performing dramas. Their Dramatic Societies, usually called ‘DramSoc’ , have been adopting street play methods to spread social messages while entertaining their audiences. However, now, DU has found a parallel running track. The change occurred when an association was founded under the name of Shakespeare Society of India (SSI).
Launched in 2008, SSI aims at promoting interest in the works of Shakespeare and to support activities such as film screenings, play readings, workshops, seminars, and scholarships on Shakespeare. It organises the National Drama Competition every year, where college and school teams present scenes from Shakespeare’s plays and a seminar from which the papers are sometimes published later as books.
It allows teams to present translations or adaptations of Shakespeare into Indian contexts and languages. In recent years, teams have used dance or choreographed movements, Hindi film songs and other musical effects, setting their scenes in nineteenth-century Bengal or a Mughal court or a modern-day college.
“The essence of Shakespeare is to communicate and if his language is a problem for some audiences today, his themes can, however, be brought alive by an adaptation,,” says Harriet Raghunathan, who was the co-ordinator of National Drama Competition for the last two years.
However, this has failed to gain attention. “The audience in SSI is a huge problem. Colleges conduct literary fests but do not accept Shakespearean plays, which is sad. Many times, host colleges also restrict the entry of the audience. This creates a problem in expanding our reach,” says Aena Rizvi, president of Bardolators.
Zeeshan Khan, secretary of Aman, on the other hand, believes that the plays which are being showcased on stage in such events are not doing their best and this might be a reason for the audience’s waning interest in Shakespeare plays.
A lot of people are interested in Shakespeare. However, they think the level will be too high for them and, therefore, skip such events. I would like to urge them to go and attend the upcoming festival —Shakespeare's Ashes — to understand what this really is," says Ekshu Sharma, final-year student from Jesus and Mary College.
Another major problem that arises is the popularity of street plays over stage plays. “Formal stage plays where dialogue has to be learned and costumes prepared, take a lot of time and effort, and may seem restrictive, or alien to local traditions,” says Prof. Harriet.
With the trend of showcasing Shakespeare is till new, only a handful colleges stage such plays.
Bardolators
Bardolators, Shakespeare society of Janki Devi Memorial College, was instituted in 2011 and has been showcasing plays since then. The society came into action when a small group of students were sent for the Annual Shakespeare Inter-collegiate Drama Competition organised by the SSI. This society has been putting in their best efforts and winning awards since the start.
The society usually comprises 10 members. However, they do not ever decline people who turn up for the auditions as they believe that giving a chance to everyone is important. They also welcome people who come just for production work and feel that it is all about contributing to theatre.
Aena Rizvi is currently the president of society.
The Shakespeare
Society
St. Stephens College’s ‘The Shakespeare Society’ was formed in 1924. With their flagship event called Rajpal, they give a chance to everyone to get the first taste of theatre and seek fresh talent. The society functions as an open society, therefore, allowing students to focus on their academics first. They believe in giving a chance to everyone and, thus, keep organising events in which every student of the college is allowed to perform.
Ahan is currently the External Head of the society.
Jharokha Society
Shyamlal College’s dramatic society, Jharokha, came into being in 2015 as the college had no formal Shakespeare society till then. With a belief that language should never be a problem, they aim at giving a new flavour to the stories of the Bard. They showcased Mohendro last year which was an adaptation of Macbeth and used a mix of Shakespearean language, Hindi and Bengali. Even though last year it was the inaugurating year for Jharokha, they still managed to showcase three productions.
With a usual attendance of 25-30 members every year, Jharokha appoints 10 students for production work.
Harshita Bhatia and Vaanya Sharma lead the society currently.
Aman Society
Zakir Husain Delhi College’s dramatics society, Aman, has been performing since 2015. The society believes that theatre is not only about delivering dialogues and wearing costumes, but is a way of life and anyone who wants to get a taste of this life should be given a chance. Aman’s main aim is to encourage students to come and showcase their talent. When asked to describe the society in minimum possible words, the society responds with a single word — creativity.
The society usually has 20-25 members. Aman was felicitated with awards of Best Play and Best Actor (Male and Female) last year.
Zeeshan Khan is currently the Secretary of Arts and Culture Society.
Jesus and Mary College
With no formal society for Shakespeare, Jesus and Mary college continues to not only participate in such competitions, but also bring laurels to the college. The team usually comprises students who are Shakespeare and theatre enthusiasts. The team runs purely for the love of Shakespeare and, therefore, welcomes everyone who heaves a sigh of love for Shakespearean writings. The reason for not having a formal society is simply that they do not want to limit it to a certain group of people. They welcome people from different departments who might not have a background in Shakespearean studies, but are keen on performing.
With an approximate count of 15 students every year, JMC does not put a higher limit on the attendance of members.
JMC does not believe in hierarchical differentiation and, therefore, has no student council.
