| Formation | 1973 |
|---|---|
| Type | Theatre group |
| Purpose | Theatre and arts |
| Location |
Jana Natya Manch (People's Theatre Front; Janam for short) is a New Delhi–based amateur theatre company specialising in left-wing street theatre in Hindi.[1] It was founded in 1973 by a group of Delhi's radical theatre amateurs who sought to take theatre to the people.[2] Theatre personality Safdar Hashmi is the best-known figure associated with the troupe.[3]
Janam collects donations after each performance and funds its work in this manner. As a matter of policy, the group does not accept donations or grants from state, corporate or NGO agencies. The company does street as well as open-air proscenium performances, and also occasionally organises talks, discussions, workshops, exhibitions, film shows, etc.
The company has performed its plays in festivals organised by Prithvi Theatre (Mumbai), National School of Drama (New Delhi), Sahitya Kala Parishad (New Delhi), Natrang Pratishthan (New Delhi), Sangeet Natak Akademi (Kerala), Natya Akademi (West Bengal) and others.
So far this group of self-trained actors has done over 8,500 performances of nearly 80-odd street plays and 16 proscenium plays in about 140 cities in India. The company has performed outside India once, in spring 2007, when they toured the United States, performing, lecturing and conducting workshops on several university and colleges campuses.