Baan theatre

The most significant and a landmark development in the cultural life of Assam was the establishment of the Ban Stage (old) or Baan theatre, the first modern Assamese theatre hall at Tezpur in 1906. The Ban Stage gave a platform for development of the Socio-Cultural scene of Assam. The great cultural trio Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha and Nata Surya Phani Sarma blossomed here. Phani Sarma along with Bishnu Rabha directed the most successful Assamese movie Siraj.

The Ban Stage (old) was constructed on the same plot of land donated to the Oxomiya Bhaxa Unnati Xadhini Xobha and with the donation from the public. Jyoti Prasad wrote several successful dramas which were played in the Ban Stage. Padmanath Gohain Baruah, Dandinath Kalita, Phani Sarma also wrote a number of successful plays for staging them in the Ban Stage. The tradition of staging dramas at the Ban Stage continuous till today.

History

Ban Theatre, an institution of excellence in performing arts and cultural, dates back to 1906 and is now about to become 100 years old. The Ban Theater has a glorious and long history. Before going into it we have to go back few years for the circumstances that lead to its birth. It is an accepted fact that the modern drama movement in Assam was started just after first freedom struggle i.e. in 1857 (popularly known as Sepoi Mutiny). The play by Historian Late Gunabhiram Baruah “Ram Nabami Nat”, which was first published as serial in ‘Arunodai’ from 1857 and published as book later in 1867 is the considered as the first step of this movement. Up to 1906, the establishment year of famous “BAN THEATRE”, different writer wrote at least 25 Dramas and these were performed in their respective places. At Tezpur, this drama movement was closely associated with the famous “Asomiya Bhashar Unnati Sadhini Sabha” Tezpur Branch estd.1890 and “Tezpur Armature Theater Party” estd.1895. “Tezpur Armature Theater Party” had both Assamese and Bengali members, however due to an incident in 1903 Assamese Members get away from that organization, and decided to form a theater party under “Asomiya Bhashar Unnati Sadhini Sabha”, which was later known as “Ban Theatre”. “Ban Theatre” was situated at Kolibari up to 1958. A devastating storm in 1953 and the availability of land in centralized location of the town led general body to decide shifting the premise to the present location in 1955 and constructed up to a usable level in 1958.

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