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Series:   Elements in Women Theatre Makers

Maya Rao and Indian Feminist Theatre

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 August 2022

Bishnupriya Dutt
Bishnupriya Dutt
Affiliation:
Jawaharlal Nehru University

Summary

Maya Rao, performer, performance maker and feminist, has not only contributed to Indian feminist theatre, but is a trailblazer, who set new standards in solo performances, mapped an alternate career trajectory for women in theatre and, in the face of right-wing state repression in India, has engaged significantly in performance activism. This Element looks back at her early career in the 1980s when she was creating agit prop theatre for the feminist movement and forward to her performance activism in the twenty-first century, with detailed attention to Rao's acclaimed protest Walk, and her participation in the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The study also encompasses her parallel work in the theatre, from early collaborations with feminist directors to her solo projects. The author traces her creative-political journey towards an egalitarian feminist future.
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Keywords

Maya Krishna Raoperformance activismgenderexperimental theatresolo performances
Type
Element
Information
Series: Elements in Women Theatre Makers
Online ISBN: 9781009071987
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication: 08 September 2022

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