Mobile theatre

Mobile Theatre, , is a kind of popular theatre form exists only in Assam. Unlike street plays, Mobile Theatre groups travel different places with their casts, singers, musicians, dancers and the entire crew to stage plays. Even the Tents and chairs for the audience are carried with them. The first Mobile Theatre Play was staged on 2nd October, 1963, in pathsala, Assam. Achyut Lahkar is known as the Father of Mobile Theatre. Lahkar's group, the pathsala based Nataraj Cine Theatre, exists no longer, but was hugely popular in the initial years of the Mobile Theatres. His successful productions during his career included: Bhogjora, Tikendrajit, Black Money, Beula. Lahkar took Mobile Theatres to bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, and collaborated with artists from several states. An industry with an annual turnover of around 10 crore, the Mobile Theatre of Assam has been providing people a source of entertainment for the last few decades upgrading in stature progressively.
Outlook
The Kohinoor Opera was the first Mobile Theatre group of Assam, founded by Natyacharya Brajanath Sarma, in 1930. Kohinoor Opera performed its dramas, attracting thousands of spectators, from Dhubri to Sadiya, from south to north bank of the Mighty Brahmaputra Though the Mobile Theatre of Assam has certain things in common with the Jatra of West Bengal, e.g. the performance on makeshift stages and Roaming nature; the Mobile Theatre tries to put in more technical perfection and have evolved from depictions of Mythological stories, to themes of contemporary society. The plays also provide artists from other platforms such as the Assamese film industry, an another platform to showcase their talent. Keeping an eye to the ever changing interests of audience, adaptation of ever new themes helps the genre of Mobile Theatre maintain its appeal to the audience.
The traditional Theatre is located in cities and staged indoors in auditoriums with limited capacity, but majority of people live in Villages. The Mobile Theatre Starts in a town and goes to villages and performs before thousands of people on stage. Some of the remote villages which used not to have Electricity connection to watch television, so there was the Mobile Theatre to fill the need of entertainment of the villagers. They pay for the ticket and enjoy the plays. Many local organisations invite Mobile Theatre groups to their regions and they also sell the tickets. Mobile Theatre Companies hire assign Assamese film actors who are already successful in their career and their glamour helps the Theatre group attract more audiences. Theatre groups offer a variety of plays, from Adaptations of Popular Assamese Novels and Greek Classics to those based on Hollywood Blockbusters.
Special effects
A leading Mobile Theatre group Kohinoor Theatre, has a wonderful record of winning audiences ' hearts with innovative technical proficiency on stage. In a play Abuj Dora, Achin Kanya in 2008, the group staged the tale of a dwarf and his two alikes of normal physical proportions. jatin Bora, one f the top actors of assamese film industry, played the role where he was transformed in a dwarf for one of the three characters he was playing. From lighting effects to specially tailored clothes and a little help from mumbai based technicians, the producers of Kohinoor Theatre spared no cost to ensure that the effect is complete. A local version of superman, also made its appearance on stage in Ashirbad Theatre's play. The protagonist flied around the stage with acquired powers from an outfit of special powers. In Deboraj Theatre's play, the role of a Dracula inspired Vampire had their share on stage. The group brought to life the blood sucking scenes in the play with technical help. From spreading awareness about HIV/AIDS to manifesting the life of Princess Diana, the Mobile Theatre groups rarely left any topic of the slightest importance.
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