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INTERPRETING THEATRE AS A COMMUNICATION MEDIUM
Abstract
Communication as a social tool includes a wide range of functions such as instruction, persuasion,
education, entertainment, development and so on. Over the ages, all the communication mediums
have evolved themselves to accommodate the various functions of communication and this is true of
the theatre as well. This paper is a humble endeavour towards interpreting the theatre as a
communication medium that can significantly contribute towards ably performing the various communication functions. It also seeks to deliberate upon the need for approaching the study of
communication in the Indian perspective drawing comparisons between Aristotle’s Poetics and
Rhetoric and Bharata’s Nātyasāstra.
Key Words: Theatre, Communication, Nātyasāstra, Poetics, Rhetoric
Introduction
“In a universe that is suddenly deprived of illusions and of light, man feels a
stranger. His is an irremediable exile.... This divorce between man and his life,
the actor and his setting, truly constitutes the feeling of Absurdity.”
- Albert Camus
Thus writes Albert Camus in his seminal work, “The Myth of Sisyphus”. However, the universe that
Camus talks of is representative not only of one physical world as a whole but a number of small
mini worlds that individuals create of their own. Perhaps it is only fair then that in context of theatre,
the stage is representative of the audience’s world and the actor represents the individuals viewing
the act as theatre, essentially, refers to performing a drama on stage. A drama is considered to be allinclusive.
It embraces all types of topics and represents all kinds of natures, as it is intended for all
classes of people. Thus, it is a mirror of human existence intended to be presented on the stage. But
as Victor Hugo says, ‘If the mirror is an ordinary one, it produces a poor, faithful but colourless
image; it must therefore be a focusing mirror.’ Thus, drama must provide a physical semblance to
human existence on the stage. (Ramamurti, 1964)
Drama occupies a significant place in Indian culture. India has always been a paradise for art lovers,
be it music, dance or drama. However, perhaps it would be fair to place drama a notch above music
and dance because drama essentially incorporates both the forms. The various aspects of drama have
been comprehensively discussed in a particular text composed in ancient India known as the
Nātyasāstra. The Nātyasāstra ascribed to the Indian sage Bharata is generally considered to be the
earliest treatise on dramaturgy. The Sanskrit term for ‘Drama’ is Nātya. Nātya, says, Bharata Muni,
is an imitation of the various emotions and situations of the people through abhinaya (acting). The
word Abhinaya is a combination of two words, ‘abhi’1 meaning ‘towards’ and ‘ni’ meaning ‘to
1 abhi—towards (Srimad Bhagavad Gita 1.14.12) carry’. Thus, abhinaya literally means carrying the performance of a play to the point of direct ascertainment of its meaning towards the audience. (Pandya, 1990) But then, the question emerges as to how the actor shall carry the meaning towards the audience.
Herein comes the role and importance of communication. Communication refers to the act of
transmission of ideas between individuals through the use of significant symbols. It is a process by
which a person or a group of persons attempts to make another person or a group of person aware of
its ideas on a particular subject. It is of paramount importance to social living as social life can exist
only when meaningful symbols are transmitted from one individual to another. Thus, communication
essentially refers to the process of establishing commonness among the participants involved in the
act of communication through the act of information sharing. When any communication process
continues for a considerable period of time, particular attitudes and values are inculcated in the
minds of the audience which ultimately leads to building of social relationships. Emphasizing the
importance of communication in building up of relationships, Raymond Williams asserts that men
and societies are tied together to relationships in describing, learning, persuading and exchanging
experiences. This exchange of experience is facilitated by communication. (Mukhopadhyay, 1999)
Thus, it is only fair that theatre is seen as a medium of establishing a relationship of commonness
between the actor (communicator) and the audience (communicated) that hinges on the art of
communication.
Communication as a human function is multi-dimensional in nature. While communication has
primarily been regarded as an information sharing process, the scope of communication is vast
indeed. It includes a wide range of functions such as instruction, persuasion, education, entertainment, development and so on. Over the ages, all the communication mediums have evolved
themselves to accommodate the various functions of communication and this is true of the theatre as
well. We shall now discuss how the theatre as a communication medium can significantly contribute
towards performing the various communication functions.
Information Function
The first and foremost function of any communication endeavour remains information. It is from the
information function of communication that all the other functions find application. The primary
function of any form of media, thus, is to collect, store, process and disseminate information in order
to help the receivers understand and react to their existing environment. (Andal, 2004) This is true of the theatre as well. Since ancient times, the main function of the theatre has been to disseminate
some form of information, either directly or indirectly to the audience which fulfils the basic need of
communication process. As a matter of fact, in the ancient times, it was widely regarded that the duty
of the dramatist was to equally entertain the masses and to provide men with information which
gives ample opportunities to flourish him.
The relevance of theatre as an important medium of informing the masses was brought to the fore
when this medium was utilized in states like Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to apprise the rural
population of the Kargil conflict. At a time when there has been an exponential growth in broadcast
media and means of transport and travel are within the reach of the common man; the theatre
emerged as perhaps one of the few successful channels to inform the rural people of the various
aspects of the conflict as also the valour and sacrifices made by the Indian soldiers. The plays were
equally successful in instilling a feeling of patriotism in the audience. (Vir Bala Aggarwal, 2002)
Command or instructive function
The second important function of communication is command or instructive function.
Communication as a command or instructive function posits that the primary purpose of
communication is telling the recipients of the information what to do, how to do when to do etc.
Theatre has always been a chosen medium of instruction since the ancient times. In the words of
Bertolt Brecht, “Oil, inflation, war, social struggle, the family, religion, the meat market, all became
subjects for theatrical representation. Choruses enlightened the spectator about facts unknown to
him….Right and Wrong courses of action were shown. People were shown who knew what they
were doing, and others who did not. The theatre became an affair for philosophers, but only for such
philosophers as wished not just to explain the world but also to change it. So we had philosophy, we
had instruction.” (Mukhopadhyay, 1999)
Persuasive function
The third important function of communication is the persuasive function. According to David Berlo
(1960), the sole purpose of communication is to influence people and persuade them into any
particular way of thinking or acting. The persuasive function of communication is extremely
important for inducing people into changing their behaviour in any particular desirable direction.
Theatre, through repeated use of messages over long period of time, can persuade its audience in the formation of certain attitudes and behaviour patterns. History has shown us how the theatre has often
acted as a vehicle for agitation and propaganda.
The first significant drama of social protest in India was Nildarpana (The Mirror of Indigo Planters)
by Dinabandhu Mitra, published in 1860. The play dramatizes incidents drawn from the revolution of
1858 in which Bengali indigo cultivators were mercilessly persecuted by the British planters for
refusing to sow their crops. The play aroused considerable public sentiment in Bengal against British
rule and paved the way for a host of patriotic works written along similar lines elsewhere in the
country. (Richmond, 1973)
Education function
Education has always been one of the most important functions of communication throughout ages.
However, communication for education has been generally limited to formal communication
practices and has rarely been experimental in nature. However, theatre can be effectively used as a
medium of education. In Chapter I of the Nātyasāstra, the great sage Bharata narrates to us the
educational purpose of drama as declared by Lord Brahma. Thus says Bharata, “This (Nātya/
Drama) teaches duty to those bent on doing their duty, love to those who are eager for its fulfilment,
and it chastises those who are ill-bred or unruly, promotes self-restraint in those who are
disciplined, gives courage to cowards, energy to heroic persons, enlightens men of poor intellect and
gives wisdom to the learned… It will [also] give relief to unlucky persons who are afflicted with
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