National Theatre Festival: Play Spartacus highlights gladiatorial rise of the oppressed

During the performance of Spartacus, a play directed by Partha Banerjee, one could feel most of these things working. The second day of the National Theatre Festival being organised by the Manch-Rangmanch, Amritsar, and the Virsa Vihar Society, the play originally written by Badal Sircar and directed by Partho Banerjee was staged. Badal Sarcar is a known reformist and dramatist, whose anti-establishment and critically acclaimed works are known during Naxalite movement in the early 1970s. A pioneering figure in Bengali street theatre, Sircar’s play Spartacus is an adaptation of Howard Fast’s novel, which focuses on the Roman slave revolt led by Spartacus.

Spartacus delves into the themes of slavery, social inequality, and the fight for freedom, making it relevant to contemporary issues of human bondage and social injustice. The setting is quite relevant to India and its many vice, the timeline could not be any more befitting as the rise of capitalism not just in India but across the world is witnessing a revival of socialist ideals once again.

While the Howard Fast’s work remained true to its original inspiration, Sircar’s version takes the themes of human bonds beyond the historical context, connecting them to contemporary issues of oppression and exploitation. The play’s five acts – the

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capture of innocent people, their sale, forced labor, gladiatorial combat, and crucifixion – highlight the brutality of slavery and the struggle for freedom. The play emphasizes physical performance and audience interaction. A talented group of young drama artists Jasveen Kaur, Hemant Singh, Piyush Sharma, Navdeep Singh, Gurpyar Singh, Kulwinder Singh, Ananya Parihar, Kushal Jaiswani, Shubham Nama, Gurpreet Singh and others enacted with conviction. Partha Banerjee is an alumni of National School of Drama, New Delhi and with a theatre experience of two decades, he directs the layered story, steering clear of any judgements or moral declarations. Only the subject and its premise hit you hard.