Ranga Shankara’s Theatre & Arts Appreciation Course 2008
31 Oct to 2 Nov AND 7 Nov to 9 Nov
Anchored by Sadanand Menon
Anchor’s Note
INTERROGATING THE ARTS
The idea of this year’s programme is not so much ‘art appreciation’ as an ‘interrogation of the arts’.

How does the universe of the arts intersect our lives? How do we comprehend its special energy?

From being a plaything of the elites or of market forces, does it constitute an autonomous agency, whose insights can transform our lives?

Is it possible to conceptualise art and life as undifferentiated so that life itself becomes an extended artistic assertion?

How do artists conceptualise their work and what are the inspirations that inform their creative productions?

What is the special place that the arts and artists occupy in our consiousness and our awareness of life and society?

It is important to see the contiguity of diverse artistic expressions to understand the synergy and flow of a common force between distinct expressive media in the arts.

Keeping in mind the overall theme of the Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival of ‘Company Theatre’, the ‘art appreciation’ package has been put together with the idea of getting an insight into how a certain kind of theatrical expression in the early twentieth century helped lay the foundations for the Bombay/ Bollywood cinema and a certain ‘tradition’ of musical concert format, and the construction of a distinct ‘popular’ visual lexicon.

Beyond that, it will have intimate moments when artists and analysts share their formation and their insight with the participants.

Most resource persons/presenters have been requested to trace a personal journey to facilitate the possibility of the participants entering their life and practice in a creative way and getting an exposure to concepts in arts and art history without tears.

The six days will include, besides seeing three plays, a chance to get face-to-face with a range of distinguished personalities, as the schedule of the programme will make self-evident.

Here’s hoping the participants will bring as much to the six days as they will take from it.

Sadanand Menon
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