Kalyani Kalamandalam (abbreviated KK) is a renowned theatre group registered under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act 1961 (reg. no.: S/92162 of 1998–99). The group, a brainchild of some energetic & creative young fellows exploring new directions in theatre, started its journey on 9 June 1995 at Kalyani, a beautifully planned city of culture & education located in the Nadia district of West Bengal. KK is celebrating its twentieth anniversary in the year 2015–16. The group director is Santanu Das, a former student of the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi.
Our aim is to create a new language in Indian theatre. The group has spread its activities in various ways such as stage plays (for adults as well as children), theatre workshops (for children), and so on. The group is also continuously trying to introduce different nontheatrical art forms in our theatre.
Some of our previous major stage productions in the past 20 years are as follows.
- Romeo Jeannette [2003]
- Malua Sundarir Pala [2005]
- Manu(sh)shi [2006]
- Paglir Danga [2008]
- Oidipous Turannos (Oedipus Tyrannus) [2010]
- Ghare Baire [2011]
- Jekhane Taar Seema [2012]
- Seturam [2012]
- Durghatanabasata [2014]
- Birpurush Evam [2014]
Our latest [2015] stage production is Gollachut, written by famous playwright Kousik Bhattacharya and directed by Santanu Das. The play talks about the common man in modern time and the political scenario of the present time.
We regularly participate in the following major theatre festivals.
- Bharat Rang Mahotsav (Bharangam) organised by National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi
- National Theatre Festival organised by Nehru Centre, Mumbai
- Natyamela organised by Paschimbanga Natya Akademi
- National Theatre Festival organised by North Zone Cultural Centre (NZCC) and Manch Rangmanch, Amritsar, Punjab
- National Theatre Festival organised by Dishari, Pune, Maharashtra
- International French Drama Festival organised by Alliance Française de Dhaka, Bangladesh
- International Theatre Festival organised by Aarohan, Kathmandu, Nepal
- International Theatre Festival organised by Fame, Chittagong, Bangladesh
Our group is always busy performing different kinds of theatrical activities throughout the year. The following are the highlights of some our regular activities.
- Organizing an annual children’s theatre workshop for more than 10 years, in collaboration with National School of Drama and Paschimbanga Natya Akademi
- Organizing an annual international theatre festival called Ramdhanu Natyamela (formerly, Children’s Theatre Festival) for more than 10 years, with special emphasis on children theatre and different genres of theatre
- Organizing state- & national-level seminars or symposia on different theatrical issues
- Publishing a periodical theatre magazine named Nāṭyakalpa
- Organizing open-air theatre festivals for promoting the genre of third theatre (an off-the-proscenium intimate form of theatre introduced by the late thespian Badal Sircar)
We are responsible towards our work today, tomorrow and forever. Nowadays our group’s activity has been pumped into the sky. We, therefore, need the help of the theatre activists also from outside the group who have a very professional approach towards their work for theatre. Alternatively, we have to upgrade the attitudes of our group members by providing them with professional theatrical training.