Jatinder Verma

Jatinder Verma has been a pioneering figure in the development of British South Asian theatre, and a prominent spokesperson for the importance of increased diversity amongst playwrights, actors, directors, designers, and producers on the mainstream British stage. As co-founder and former Artistic Director of Tara Arts, he developed a new aesthetic style known as 'Binglish' which creates a hybrid dramaturgy of languages, training and performance forms, and styles of acting, and design, that operates to establish a negotiation between cultures which reflects contemporary Britain. Verma is acknowledged as being a leading practitioner and director, as well as writer about theatre and culture, who has transformed the face of theatre in Britain and internationally.

This book combines:

• a detailed biography giving the social and artistic context of Verma’s work and his work with Tara Arts;

• an exploration of Verma’s own writings on ‘Binglish’, including his use of a range of performance forms and philosophies from different cultures, such as the importance of the Natyashastra in his thinking and practice;

• a stylistic analysis of his key productions, including Tartuffe, The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, and the Bollywood pantomimes;

• pathways into some of the practical exercises relating to the dramaturgical style of ‘Binglish’ devised by Jatinder Verma.

As a first step towards critical understanding, and as an initial exploration before going on to further, primary research, Routledge Performance Practitioners offer unbeatable value for today’s student.