Marathi Theatre

1. Thanjavur Maratha kingdom:

The rulers of the Bhosale family of Tanjore were great patrons of drama. Some of them had written a few plays and also translated Sanskrit plays.

2. Vishnudas Bhave:

• Vishnudas Bhave is known as the "Father of the Marathi theatre".
• He staged the first Marathi language play "Sita Swayamvar" in Sangali in 1843.
• Bhave's plays were one-man shows.
• The stories of his plays were rooted in Sanskrit mythological and religious literature. Songs and music were the strengths of Vishnudas Bhave's dramas. 
• Historical, mythological, and lighthearted comedic theatre plays were produced in Maharashtra to continue the trend that Vishnudas Bhave began.
• The farcical plays made funny references to social issues.

Vishnudas Bhave

3. V.J. Kirtane 

• Initially, no written scripts were used. Often, only the lyrics were written down but the dialogues used to be spontaneous. 
• The script for "Thorale Madhavrao Peshwe" was first written in 1861 by V.J. Kirtane, and a printed version of it was made available.
• This signified the beginning of the custom of preparing a complete written script prior to presenting a play.

4. Balakrishnabuwa Ichalkaranjikar:

• Balakrishnabuwa Ichalkaranjikar was a famous Hindustani vocalist and the "founder of Khayal music in Maharashtra"
• He learned the Gwalior Gharana and brought it to Maharashtra.
• Ustad Alladiya Khan, Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, and Ustad Rahimatkhan all made significant contributions after him.
• Through their efforts, the audience in Maharashtra was able to acquire a taste for classical music.

Balakrishnabuwa Ichalkaranjikar

5. Annasaheb Kirloskar:

• The rise in popularity of classical music resulted in the birth of Marathi musical theatre.
• Kirloskar Natak Mandali founded by Anna Saheb in 1880 was the pioneer and breakthrough performing company in Marathi theater.
• The Musical play "Sangeet Shakuntal", written by Annasaheb Kirloskar, earned great popularity. Kirloskar added 198 musical pieces to his Marathi Shakuntal. They were a mixture of light music and traditional Hindustani and Carnatic music.

Balwant Pandurang Kirloskar

6. Krushnaji Prabhakar Khadilkar:

• "Sangeet Manapaman" was written by Krishnaji Prabhakar Khadilkar.
• Keechakvadh is a symbolic drama that Khadilkar created to criticize British rule.
• It was predicated on certain incidents from the Mahabharata. Draupadi stood in for the defenceless Mother India, Yudhishthira for the moderates, and Bheem for the extremists. Keechaka stood in for the arrogant Viceroy Lord Curzon.
• The characters used to be perceived in this way by the audience, which made them angry at the British government's imperialist policies.

Krushnaji Prabhakar Khadilkar

7. Natasamrat:

• Shakespeare's well-known drama "King Lear" served as the inspiration for the play "Natasamrat," which was written by the renowned author-poet Vishnu Waman Shirwadkar, commonly known as Kusumagraj. It rapidly gained popularity. 
• The tragic lead character of Natasamrat, Ganpatrao Belvalkar, is a combination of two well-known early Marathi theatre figures, Ganpatrao Joshi and Nanasaheb Phatak.