The Theatre Of Conscience

The Place of Shadows (Chhayar Prashad: set in the decadence of the Mauryan Empire during the times of Bindusar and the scripture-toting brahmans) and The Tale of Hekim-shaheb (Galpo Hekimshaheb; set in nineteenth-century Bengal against the backdrop of the Permanent Settlement Act and the revenue-extracting British and exploitative zamindars, talukdars and chepattanidars), cast in the genre of the historical play, are addressed from within the crisis of our times-the rise of religious fundamentalism, corruption and misrule.
About Author :
Playwright-director-actor Major Mitra has written abotu 70 plays and filmscripts and is famous for his lead roles in films by Satyajit Ray, Tapan Sinha, Basu Chatterjee and others. He has been Sisir Kumar Bhaduri Professor of Drama at Rabindra Bharati University, Calcutta. He was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Actor in 1980 for Bacnhharamer Bagan (written by him and directed by Tapan Sinha), the Sangeet Natak Award (1985) and the Asiatic Society Award (2005) for his overall contribution to theatre.
Contents :
Introduction The Tale of Hekim-Shaheb Honey from a Broken Hive The Shadow Palace Appendix 'That Tiny Cube of Space' An Interview with the Playwright