Theatre Without Walls: Indian English Drama in a Post-Proscenium World

Abstract

The decline of theatre is a general perspective through which the contemporary Indian English drama is seen, especially in contrast with the increasingly popular film and online series. This paper re-investigates that belief and suggests a different interpretation of the current events. The research insists that cinema and internet platforms are more like the expanded performative venues of dramatic forms in different composition rather than being considered as the competitors of drama. The study shows that with the advent of liberalisation, dialogue-based stories, ongoing moral dilemmas, and fine character development, all of which are part of dramatic writing, have steadily spread throughout the media. The research focuses on urban anxiety, identity negotiation, power dynamics, and daily forms of alienation as thematic concerns across theatre, cinema, and web series using a comparative approach. In the context of modern storytelling practices, this study also investigates how cultural hybridity, language and performance assist in understanding and interpreting the idea of Indianness. In comparison to global performance trends, Indian English drama does not hold a peripheral position. In fact, it is actively involved in wider transitional cultures. The amplification of drama beyond theatres is an indication of the growth of the drama. This study negotiates the position of drama as a dynamic genre. It is an essential component of the cultural fabric to understand how modern Indian stories are produced, performed, and circulated, by appreciating films and web series as valid dramatic spaces.