Sunil Shanbag's guest appearances

Sunil Shanbag

Audiogyan

The HrishiKay Sessions

BIC TALKS

Payal Gupta

Ambi Parameswaran

Dilip Prabhavalkar

Anthony Burrill

Sunit Singh

Milan Vaishnav

Ajay Shah

Malik Ambar

Rohan Shivkumar

Uday Kumar

Alicia Souza

Shivaji Das

Ram Guha

Vivek Shanbhag

Alisha Sadikot

OwlTail

What was Girish’s impact on the national theatre scene? Did his plays influence or inspire other playwrights and theatre makers? Part 1 of this 2-part episode features Shanta Gokhale and Sunil Shanbag remembering the exhilaration of watching Hayavadana for the first time. They talk more about Girish’s major collaborators and what that meant as a newly independent nation developed its own norms of cultural expression. About the Series: In June 2019, a few days before his death, Girish Karnad and Arshia Sattar had extensive conversations about his work, his life, and the concerns that had occupied him over almost sixty years as a writer and a public intellectual. This podcast is a distillation of those freewheeling conversations, a short intellectual biography to celebrate the life and work of one of India’s finest playwrights and thinkers. In this series, we hear Girish talk about Kannada literature, existentialism, making of modern Indian theatre, the art and craft of playwriting, and his life as a public intellectual. The series is hosted by Arshia Sattar and Anmol Tikoo, with special guests such as Vivek Shanbhag, Shanta Gokhale, and Sunil Shanbag, who provide the context for Girish’s comments. Each episode also contains scenes from his plays read by members of Bangalore’s theatre community. The readings show us how closely his philosophical and political ideas were to what he wrote. They also provide an opportunity for audiences, particularly those who might not be already familiar with Girish’s works, to experience the power of his work. The title for the series is taken from the song in Hayavadana (ಹಯವದನ), a song which has been musically recreated for us by Pallavi MD and Konarak Reddy. Apart from the fact that Neerina Mele Chitra remains one of Kannada’s most beloved ranga geethe, we found it to be particularly evocative as we remember a man who profoundly impacted India’s cultural arena in the last half of the 20th century. This podcast series, we hope, will bear witness to Girish Karnad, a man who gave us so much to remember, but also so much to take forward. Supported by Nilekani Philanthropies

What was Girish’s impact on the national theatre scene? Did his plays influence or inspire other playwrights and theatre makers? Part 1 of this 2-part episode features Shanta Gokhale and Sunil Shanbag remembering the exhilaration of watching Hayavadana for the first time. They talk more about Girish’s major collaborators and what that meant as a newly independent nation developed its own norms of cultural expression. About the Series: In June 2019, a few days before his death, Girish Karnad and Arshia Sattar had extensive conversations about his work, his life, and the concerns that had occupied him over almost sixty years as a writer and a public intellectual. This podcast is a distillation of those freewheeling conversations, a short intellectual biography to celebrate the life and work of one of India’s finest playwrights and thinkers. In this series, we hear Girish talk about Kannada literature, existentialism, making of modern Indian theatre, the art and craft of playwriting, and his life as a public intellectual. The series is hosted by Arshia Sattar and Anmol Tikoo, with special guests such as Vivek Shanbhag, Shanta Gokhale, and Sunil Shanbag, who provide the context for Girish’s comments. Each episode also contains scenes from his plays read by members of Bangalore’s theatre community. The readings show us how closely his philosophical and political ideas were to what he wrote. They also provide an opportunity for audiences, particularly those who might not be already familiar with Girish’s works, to experience the power of his work. The title for the series is taken from the song in Hayavadana (ಹಯವದನ), a song which has been musically recreated for us by Pallavi MD and Konarak Reddy. Apart from the fact that Neerina Mele Chitra remains one of Kannada’s most beloved ranga geethe, we found it to be particularly evocative as we remember a man who profoundly impacted India’s cultural arena in the last half of the 20th century. This podcast series, we hope, will bear witness to Girish Karnad, a man who gave us so much to remember, but also so much to take forward. Supported by Nilekani Philanthropies

#GirishKarnad(6/9): The River Has No Fear of Memories|Making of Modern Indian Theatre ft. Shanta Gokhale and Sunil Shanbag Part I

Today I have Sunil Shanbaug with us on Audiogyan. Sunil is an Indian theatre director, screenwriter and documentary film-maker. He worked as an actor/designer/ assistant director with Satyadev Dubey from 1974 to 1984 on about twenty-five productions. In 1985, he along with his group of friends became one of the founding members and artistic director of ARPANA, a repertory company. This theatre company has been working consistently since its inception, doing an average of fifty performances a year. Its work is characterised by “contemporary and original texts by Indian and international playwrights (in translation), strong performances, minimalist staging, and innovative use of music and design.1\. How do we define dissent in these times? Why do plays from the times of the Greeks and even Bhasa attract the most number of dissenters?2\. You have directed plays by Vijay Tendulkar to Mahesh Elkunchwar. And Shafaat Khan to Ramu Ramanathan. What could be the reasons these playwright try to voice controversial topics?3\. Is experimenting with controversial topics for plays reduced? If yes, why and how has it effected society? If no, then how has it survived?4\. You are collaborating with young minds at your theatre space Tamasha. What is the role of such a space in our society?5\. How do you select a play to direct? Was the process different in the seventies and eighties when you worked alongside Satyadev Dubey; to the now? Where you are seen as a thought leader.

Today I have Sunil Shanbaug with us on Audiogyan. Sunil is an Indian theatre director, screenwriter and documentary film-maker. He worked as an actor/designer/ assistant director with Satyadev Dubey from 1974 to 1984 on about twenty-five productions. In 1985, he along with his group of friends became one of the founding members and artistic director of ARPANA, a repertory company. This theatre company has been working consistently since its inception, doing an average of fifty performances a year. Its work is characterised by “contemporary and original texts by Indian and international playwrights (in translation), strong performances, minimalist staging, and innovative use of music and design. 1\. How do we define dissent in these times? Why do plays from the times of the Greeks and even Bhasa attract the most number of dissenters? 2\. You have directed plays by Vijay Tendulkar to Mahesh Elkunchwar. And Shafaat Khan to Ramu Ramanathan. What could be the reasons these playwright try to voice controversial topics? 3\. Is experimenting with controversial topics for plays reduced? If yes, why and how has it effected society? If no, then how has it survived? 4\. You are collaborating with young minds at your theatre space Tamasha. What is the role of such a space in our society? 5\. How do you select a play to direct? Was the process different in the seventies and eighties when you worked alongside Satyadev Dubey; to the now? Where you are seen as a thought leader.

3: Understanding the thought behind plays that voice their dissent with Sunil Shanbag