K. V. Subbanna is an important pioneer in the development and advancement of Kannada theatre. He acted as a dramatist, academician, director, actor, and organizer. He was born into the Vibhuti family of Kuntagodu village, Shimoga district in 1932. He is an agriculturist by profession. In 1949 his father established a theatre group, Nilakantheswara Natyaseva Sangha, which K. V. Subbanna developed into Ninasam. Classical literature and the philosophy of Gandhi and Lohia influenced him.

K. V. Subbanna constantly searched for ways of life that assimilated all the achievements of modernity yet retained the essence of the land`s culture. As a dramatist K. V. Subbanna has contributed through translations and adaptations of Kalidasa particularly Loka Sakuntala, i.e. `Folk Sakuntala` in 1990, Shakespeare, Brecht, and others. Kadinalli kathe i.e. `Forest Story`, Anchemane or `Post Office`, and Bettakke Chaliyadare i.e. `If the Mountain Shivers` are some of his plays for children. K. V. Subbanna translated Stanislavsky`s An Actor Prepares and Dhananjaya`s Sanskrit Dasarupaka. His publishing unit, Akshara Prakashana, brought out the Kannada translation of Bharata`s Natyasastra and other books on theatre. K. V. Subbanna also writes on cinema. K. V. Subbanna`s work fetched international recognition with the Magsaysay Award in 1991.