Janata theatre is the leading Oriya theatre company that was established in 1953 in Cuttack, Odisha. In that year a few artists left the Annapurna Theatre to form a joint venture not owned by any particular person. Janata Theatre had its own playhouse in Banka Bazar. This was actually in the same place where once stood the legendary Odisha Theatre. The industrialist and later Chief Minister of Odisha, Bijayananda Patnaik, primarily financed the group. It was run by democratic process, with an elected body to lead the administration, headed by a manager who looked after day-to-day matters.

Productions of Janata Theatre
For some time everything worked quite perfectly. The Janata staged memorable productions like ‘Youtuk’ i.e. 'Dowry' in 1953, ‘Bharasa’ i.e. 'Confidence' in 1953, ‘Para Kalam’ i.e. 'The Quill' in 1954, ‘Uthapacheri’ i.e. 'Boundary Wall'' in 1959, and ‘Yayabar’ i.e. 'Nomads' in 1968. All these plays helped in bringing dramatists such as Gopal Chhotray, Ananda Sankar Das, Balram Mishra, Kartik Kumar Ghose, and Jadunath Dash Mahapatra into prominence and raising expectations for the future of Oriya theatre.

Downfall of Janata Theatre
After sometime, Janata Theatre started to fall soon. Heavy-handedness, nepotism and partiality gradually polluted the atmosphere as few persons attempted to grab power and ill-treated the artists, among whom dissatisfaction increased. Within a decade, mismanagement weakened the company and in 1965 the hall was finally closed. The building still stands, immersed in litigations. Nevertheless, during its short tenure, the Janata built an identity of its own.

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