One of the most important aspects of Ebrahim Alkazi's work in the
theatre, is the emphasis he laid on the setting for his plays. This was an
aspect of modern Indian theatre that was in the germinal stage, as there had
been practically no training in the field of set design in India post
Independence. Set Design for Alkazi was also very important, because he
stressed that the importance of set design in theatre as an integration of all
the arts, and therefore theatre was not just about the performer. Set design,
lighting, costume design and music were as integral to a play as was the actor,
and in fact these other elements, drawn from the other arts, facilitated the
actor in his expression of the play and in interpreting his role as a character
in a play.
Alkazi was greatly influence bu the Swiss Theatre designer and architect
Adolphe Appia, whose theories on scenography were to change the course of
European theatre at the turn of the 20th century. Alkazi interpreted Appia's
concepts of theatre and adapted these ideas to his own work. The theatres
Alkazi designed, played an important part of the stage design, because these
theatres provided a new possibility for integrating stage design with the
action of the plays.
Essentially Alkazi's stage designs could be categorized formally into
different styles that he used in his designs, and the talk analyzes these
ideas.
For
Press Listing
Please find details for the upcoming talk:
Name of the talk: Alkazi Designs The Stage
– An Illustrated Talk by Nissar Allana on the Scenography of E. Alkazi
Date: 8th October, 2016
Time: 6 pm
Venue: National Gallery of Modern Art, Sir
Cowasji Jehangir Public Hall, M.G Road, Fort, Mumbai.
