Lillete Dubey on the Evolution of Indian Theatre: From Shakespearean Adaptations to Teleplays

Veteran theatre stalwart Lillete Dubey has spent over five decades deeply embedded in the world of live performance, and her passion for the stage remains as fierce today as when she first discovered theatre in her youth. In a recent interview, Dubey reflected on how the craft has transformed through time — and why its core stays timeless.

For Dubey, theatre is a medium unlike any other: immediate, fleeting and profoundly human. “On stage, the actor is king — in film, it’s the director,” she observed, underscoring the unique creative freedom that live theatre offers performers. Her journey from college stages to acclaimed productions spans a wide array of styles and traditions, from classic Shakespearean works to contemporary Indian plays.

Storytelling at the Heart of Performance

Despite advancements in stage technology and production values, Dubey believes the essence of great theatre remains unchanged. She stresses that at its core, every compelling play is driven by a powerful narrative, strong acting, and a clear directorial vision. While lighting, costumes and effects can enrich a production, they should never replace the foundational elements of honest storytelling.

Dubey highlighted that the test of a great play is its ability to engage audiences even when stripped of elaborate technical enhancements — a testament to why timeless works by playwrights such as Vijay Tendulkar, Mohan Rakesh, Shakespeare and Anton Chekhov continue to be staged across the world.

Championing Indian Playwrights and Translations

One concern Dubey raised is the relative under-representation of classic Indian theatre in wider linguistic and cultural circles. She notes that many important regional plays have yet to be translated into other languages, limiting their reach. To counter this, she has made it a mission to adapt these works into English — often surprising audiences with the depth and quality of regional writing they may not have encountered before.

Dubey also advocates for cross-cultural adaptations in the opposite direction, encouraging Indian theatre makers to translate foreign classics to Indian languages, thus fostering broader national and international dialogue.

Growth, Innovation and Persistent Challenges

While Dubey has observed a notable rise in new theatre groups, improved production values and growing audience interest in India and abroad, she also acknowledges ongoing challenges. Financial limitations often constrain the creative vision of Indian directors and companies, especially when compared to well-funded international productions that can afford advanced staging and technical finesse.

She argues that Indian theatre has the talent and imagination to match any global production — it simply needs greater resources and support.

Archiving and Teleplays: Documentation for Posterity

Dubey also stressed the importance of preserving live theatre — a historically ephemeral art form — through recording and archiving. While documenting plays wasn’t common just decades ago, today more groups are capturing productions on camera. Her recent theatrical work Jaya, a rock musical inspired by the Mahabharata, was professionally recorded using multiple cameras to create a lasting record.

Another development aiding preservation is the advent of teleplays. Platforms such as Zee Theatre, which film and edit classic plays in a teleplay format, are helping to archive important works for future audiences — something Dubey hopes will continue to expand, both for classic pieces and her own plays.