Rudraprasad Sengupta

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications.
Primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of the article are generally not sufficient for a Wikipedia article. Please include more appropriate citations from reliable sources, or discuss the issue on the talk page.
This article has been tagged since August 2007.

Rudraprasad Sengupta (born January 31, 1935) is a famous Bengali Indian actor, director and cultural critic.

1 Biography
2 Works:-
3 External links
4 See also

[edit] Biography

He was born in East Bengal (now Bangladesh),as the son of Anant Sengupta and Usha Prabha Sengupta. He studied at the Scottish Church College of the University of Calcutta from where he earned his B.A. and M.A degrees in English literature.He was formerly, a reader in English at the Brahmananda Keshab Chandra College, Calcutta and a visiting lecturer in Drama Department of Rabindra Bharati University.

From 1961 he joined the Kolkata based theatre group Nandikar. In the early 1970-ties he started to direct several plays for Nandikar. From the late 1970-ties he became the leader of the group.

In his career as a thespian, he received several awards including the highest national award from Sangeet Natak Academy in 1980. He has also appeared in some Bengali art films, Bernardo Bertolucci's Little Buddha and Roland Joffé's City of Joy.

He is married to Swatilekha Sengupta, who also is one of the leading actresses of Nandikar. She is famous for her role in Satyajit Ray's Ghare Baire.

[edit] Works:-

A.'Director

Directed for Nandikar

Antigone (Sophocles & Anouilh) • Football (Terson) • Khorir Gondi (Brecht) • Sankhapurer Sukanya (Brecht) • Jakhan Eka (Wesker) • Hanan Meru (Euripides) • Neela (Bergman) Mudrarakhsasa (Visakhadatta) • Mananiya Bicharak Mandalee (Kurosawa) • Shesh Sakshatkaar (Dozortsev) • Feriwalaar Mrityu (Miller) • Gotraheen (Miller) • Shanu Roychowdhury (Russell) • Brechter Khonje (In Search of Brecht : a dramatic montage) • Ei Shahar Ei Samay (a dramatic collage) • Pata Jhore Jaye (Buddhadeva Basu) • Jaha Chai (a ‘lost’ Shakespearean Play – adaptation in Bengali by Sukanta Choudhury - in collaboration with Harvard University)

Guest Director

At National School of Drama, Delhi: Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author in Hindi for the N S D Repertory. & Brecht’s The Exception & The Rule in Hindi for Students At Madhya Predesh Rangmandal, Bhopal: Antigone • Football (both in Hindi) At Bharatendu Natya Akademi, Lucknow: Brecht’s The Exception & The Rule (Hindi)

B.Adaptation & Translation

Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author • Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle • Brecht’s The Good Person of Szechwan • Brecht’s The Exception and The Rule • Strindberg’s Erik XIV • Duras’ La Musica • Bergman’s Nora • Wesker’s Roots • Dozortsev’s Last Appointment • Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman • Arthur Miller’s View From the Bridge • Willy Russell’s Shirley Valentine • Dostoyevsky’s The Gentle Spirit • Olwen Wymark’s Find Me and a number of Black and Latin American Plays.

C.Leading Actor in major productions of Nandikar

Natyakarer Sandhane Chhati Charitra • Manjari Amer Manjari • Jakhan Eka • Sher Afgaan • Tin Poyshar Pala • Shahi Sambad • Antigone • Football • Feriwalaar Mrityu • Gotraheen • Nagar Keertan • Ei Shahar Ei Samay • Sojan Badiyar Ghat • Pata Jhore Jaye • Jaha Chai and a host of others

D. Authored: Western Drama: From Ibsen to Albee (a critical book in Bengali) Edited a Collection of contemporary European One Act Plays Contributor to some leading Dailies & Journals, e.g. The Statesman, The Telegraph, Ananda Bazar Patrika, Aajkaal, Pratidin and New Frontier, Sangeet Natak Akademi Journal etc.

E.Hony, Director (since 1989): Theatre-in-Education Project, supported by the Deptt. of Education, Govt. of India Hony. Director (1992-1998): In Search of Children’s Theatre Project, supported by the Ford Foundation Hony. Director (since 1995): Theatre for the Youth Project supported by Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Govt. of India Hony, Director (since 2004): Project of Theatre with Children and Young Persons in collaboration with Swedish ITI & Swedish Development Cooperation Agency,Sweden.

F. Activities in Allied Fields -Film, Television & Radio Acted in a number of Bengali Films by Mrinal Sen and Tapan Sinha and in Bernardo Bertolucci’s Little Buddha & Roland Joffe’s City of Joy.Directed a 13-episode TV Series Abirata Chena Mukh.Directed Sophocles’ Antigone in two parts for Calcutta Doordarshan Acted in lead roles in more than a score of Series as also in Doordarshan’s own plays Anchor Person in ETV Socio-Cultural Programme ‘Naveen Vs Praveen’(Youth Vs Elderly) Retainer-Producer & regular actor in All India Radio.Conducted Workshops for Corporate Sectors & Management Institutes: e.g. at Murugappa Group of Industries(Chennai), Tata Institute of Social Science (Mumbai), Sumedhas, Calcutta etc. to explore Theatre as a tool for communication & Aid to Human Development Conducted Workshops – sponsored by C.U. Staff College, Visva Bharati & Rabindra Bharati Universities – for teachers of these and other national Universities and their Affiliated Colleges to hone Art & Philosophy of Communication & Theatre as Teaching Aid.

G. Distinctions Hony. Director I.C.S.S.R.–Cressida research-project ‘Socio-Economic Context & Significance of Alternative Theatre Movement in West Bengal’ (1980-1984) Member, Script Committee, National Film Development Corporation • Member, Expert Committee, National School of Drama • Member, Jury for ‘Kalidas Samman’ • Co-ordinator, Peter Brook’s Theatre Days Programme in Calcutta • Member, Expert Committee, Sangeet Natak Akademi • Member, Expert Committee, Deptt.of Culture, Govt. of India

H. Award National Award as Best Director from Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1980 State Award as Best Actor in 1981 Best Director’s Award from Critic’s Circle of India in 1979 Best Actor’s and Director’s Award from Theatre Journalist’s Assn. (W.B.) in 1975 &

           1976  Girish Award as Eminent Theatre Personality in 1980
           Kalakar Award as Best Actor in 1997

Carey Award for life-long contribution in 1998 Natya Swapna-Kalpa 2000: Best Bengali Living Director’s Award for C 20 Senior Fellow, Deptt. of Culture, Govt. of India (1984-1987 & 1996-1998)

           Dinabandhu Puraskar (Highest Theatre Honour from the State of WB) in 1906
           B V Karanth Samman (Bhopal) in 1907.

I.Invitations Indian Delegate to Brecht Dialogue in Berlin in 1980, 1988 British Council Visitor to England 1981 & 1991 Theatre Delegate to Poland in 1980 Inaugural Speaker in 9th World Theatre Congress in Leipzig in 1981 Indian Delegate to ITI Theatre Congress in Berlin in 1983 Indian Delegate to the Festival of India in Berlin in 1992 Indian Delegate to ITI Seminar in Dhaka in 1991 & 1998 U.S.I.S. Visitor to the U.S.A. in 1991 Visited U.S.A. in 1991, 1993, 1994, 2005 to perform in various States and address Theatre Deptt. at New York University & University of California, Riverside Visit to the U.S.A. in 1998 to perform in International Fringe Theatre Festival, New York, as also in 13 other States and Offer Lecture-Demonstrations in University of Georgia Visit to U. K. in 1998 and 2005 to Perform & Offer Lecture-Demonstrations in London and Edinburgh.Performances & Seminars in Goteborg International Dance & Theatre Festival, 2002 Theatre Interaction in Norway in 2002 with Nordic Black Theatre, Greenland Free Theatre, Torshovteatret & National Theatre. Visit to Sweden (Goteborg and Stockholm) in 2002 for multi-levelled interaction with Swedish Theatre Community Visit to England in 2002 for interaction with English Children’s Theatre Companies Visit to U.S.A. in 2003 to participate in Nashville BANGA MELA:2003 and perform at Kansas City. Visit to Canada in 2003 and 2005 to act as a Judge in International Bengali Drama Competition in Toronto and perform in Ottawa and Toronto Visit to U.S.A. in 2004 to participate in BANGA SAMMELAN : NABC: 2004 at Baltimore Visit to U.S.A. in 2005 to perform in CHICAGO BANGA MELA: 2005 Visit to U.S.A in 2004 and 2005 to perform and conduct workshops in Cary, N C, Baltimore, MD, Washington DC, Minnesota, Minneapolis, Houston, Texas, Pittsburg, Memphis, Detroit and Cleveland, Ohio.Visit to Bonn, Germany in 2006 to perform Chokh Gyalo in BIENNALE BONN: INDIEN 2006 Theatre Festival.Visit to U.S.A. in 2007 for Perform and conduct workshop in NABC at Detroit.