<p>Two of the world’s most prolific playwrights, David Hare and Girish Karnad, here on Friday discussed their works and debated whether theatre still holds relevance as an art form.<br /><br /></p>.<p>In a programme titled “Stage by Stage,” award-winning playwright and film-maker David Hare emphasised the differences between television, cinema and theatre. He called theatre “an evening of great conjuring.”<br /><br />Girish Karnad talked about live performance, observing that “there is some kind of electricity when actors face audiences, which create meanings that are contemporary. “<br /><br />“The same play could come alive in different ways in different cultural contexts and periods of history,” Hare said. The film-maker also said penning plays is a pleasure for him, insisting that there should be room for “grown-up plays on grown up subjects.”<br /><br />Comparing western theatre with that of India, Karnad said: “Tradition of sitting still and quietly during performance is a Western tradition. it is an entirely different audience culture to India. Indian audiences are never quiet, they are always talking.” <br /></p>
<p>Two of the world’s most prolific playwrights, David Hare and Girish Karnad, here on Friday discussed their works and debated whether theatre still holds relevance as an art form.<br /><br /></p>.<p>In a programme titled “Stage by Stage,” award-winning playwright and film-maker David Hare emphasised the differences between television, cinema and theatre. He called theatre “an evening of great conjuring.”<br /><br />Girish Karnad talked about live performance, observing that “there is some kind of electricity when actors face audiences, which create meanings that are contemporary. “<br /><br />“The same play could come alive in different ways in different cultural contexts and periods of history,” Hare said. The film-maker also said penning plays is a pleasure for him, insisting that there should be room for “grown-up plays on grown up subjects.”<br /><br />Comparing western theatre with that of India, Karnad said: “Tradition of sitting still and quietly during performance is a Western tradition. it is an entirely different audience culture to India. Indian audiences are never quiet, they are always talking.” <br /></p>