work of Probir Guha
Exploring boundaries through theatre, movement, and community
A noted Playwright/Director, has been acting and directing since 1965, particularly in agitprop and non-proscenium theatre. He formed the Living Theatre, Khardaha, an industrial suburb,19 km from Kolkata, in 1977. The Group went on performing plays, mostly written and directed by Guha, in intimate environment spaces, often picking up local and regional themes and issues, and experiences for immediate presentation and critical analysis. While trying to improvise production/performance methods to communicate with rural -urban audiences, he later went on to form the Alternative Living theatre in 1991 at Madhyamgram and till now he has written and directed more than 85 plays. Plays in country and abroad.
Important plays are:
Ahalya,Samudra Asthir, Ekhon Majhrat, Ganyer Panchali, Kalo Basti, Shona katha, Dhusar Pandulipi, Bela Abelar Galpo, 1857 a neglected past, Allah Megh De Pani De, Jaibati Kanya, Tritiya Juddha, Amma, Victimized, Shilari, Thiru Yatra, Hum, Ghare Ferar Gan, Bishadkal, Titas ekti nodir naam, Red Alert etc.
He has had working experiences with some major directors of the world like Jerzy Grotowski in Poland, Eugenio Barba in the former west Germany, Peter Brook in France, J.B Hatch, Anna Hallprin, Roger Simon, Richard Schchner, and Peter Schuman in United States, Toshi, Tsitchuteri in France and India, John Martin from England. He has worked with dancers like Sanjukta Panigrahi (Oddisi,India), Micado Cadet (Vudu,Haiti), I made Pasek tempo ( Topeng and Legong ,Bali), Katsuko Ajuma ( Kabuki and Noh,Japan), Sudhir kumar Chhow, India), Lokendrajit Singh (Kabui Naga,India), Ojha Mangi( Thang Ta,India ), Hu Chun Lin(Peking Opera,China), Krishna Das ( Kalari pyyat,India), P.N.Rajeev (Kathakali,India).
His theatre activities abroad include the workshop he conducted at the Tisch School Of Drama,New York University. He directed many plays in different states of the country as well as in Bangladesh, Nepal and one play in collaboration with Hong Kong Peoples Theatre, staged in India, Bangladesh, nepal, Thailand and HongKong. All together he has written and directed 56 plays for ALT and other groups. He was Creative Initiator for the projects “Aditi” and “Mela” for the FESTIVAL OF INDIA in United States where he directed a collective performances by seventy five folk performers from india at the Smithsoniun Institute, Washington. He also directed “WE ARE” with Castillo Theatre Centre, New York. He participated in 1980, in the Theatre Of Sources, conducted by Grotowski in Poland, and the International School for Theatre Anthropology, conducted by Eugenio Barba at Bonn. He was also participated as a resource person in Images of Asia in Denmark. He was also invited in Tokyo and Sendai in Japan for Asia Meet Asia Festival.
He has contributed new, inexpensive but very strong forms of
communication in theatre. He has conducted many workshops in most of the major cities in country and beyond like Bangladesh ,Pakistan, USA, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, Germany, Poland, Nepal, Holland, France, Denmark, Sweden, China and in several places of West Bengal. Beside the theatre groups he also worked with many big NGOs in the country and in Nepal, Bangladesh and Denmark, namely, BRAC, RUPANTAR,BITA, CARE, CARITAS, GSS, ACTION AID, CRY, BAL SAKHA, PSU, BANGLANATAK.COM, SEAGULL FOUNDATION) and with many NGO’s. He was the President and founder member of NATI ( Nation Wide Alternative Theatre Initiative),Executive member of SATCO( South asian Theatre Committee), member of IDEA ( International Drama/Theatre & Education Association,Netherlands),Ex General Secretary, Bahirangan( A forum of experimental theatre groups), ex member, Paschim Banga Natya Akademi, He is also visiting faculty in many theatre Institutions and Universities in India and abroad , alongwith LBSNA (IAS Academy), Mussouri.
● He has recently joined as Director of Centre for Performing Art, Swami Vivekananda University, West Bengal.
In 2005 he was felicitated by Anya Theatre, Kolkata ( Dir: Bibhas Chakraborty ) for his life time achievement and in 2006 felicitated by Theatre Workshop,Kolkata, ( Dir: Ashoke Mukherjee ).
In 2008 he has been awarded Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for
direction by Honourable President of India.
He also received Commemorative Awards for his contribution in
People’s Theatre from American Biographical Institute.
He has been awarded RANG PARSAI SAMMAN by VIVECHANA ,Jabalpur and HABIB TANVEER LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD by The FAC , Begusarai in 2014, PRACCHYA, Kolkata life time Samman in2019. CHIDAKASH SAMMAN lifetime Samman in 2020, GURU SAMMAN, LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD BY EBONG AMRA, BARDHAMAN IN 2022, EKATRA award by a joint collaboration of 23 groups in Rourkella in 2022, GURU PRANAM Award by Lakkhya Padatik and JADAVPUR MANTHAN life time achievement award in 2023, Nattya Yoddha Samman by Purbaranga, Kolkata in 2023, Vivek Jyoti Ananya Samman by Swami Vivekananda University, Barrackpur, West Bengal in 2023. BADAL SARKAR SAMMAN by Remembrence Theatre Group, Vallichera, Thrissur, Kerala in 2024. Till the date he has acted in two film by Buddhadev Das gupta and Sandip Roy. He has also directed two tele film in Santhali and one documentry on Santhali Culture in Bengali language.