Theatre personalities of North India find and thus pour their uncouth rugged expressions in their performance, which can speak the unspoken language of the serene nature of the region. Theatre Personalities of Punjab came into repute mainly in the twentieth century. Their acclaim has now extended to India, Pakistan, UK and Canada. The amateur theatre personalities of Punjab mainly do the performances in Punjabi Theatre. Upendra Nath Ashk, Ajmer Singh Aulakh, Balwant Gargi, Manjft Pal Kaur, Gurdial Singh Khosla, Saadat Hasan Manto, Gurdial Singh Phul, Mohan Rakesh, Kirpa Sagar, Surjit Singh Sethi, Brij Lai Shastri, Atamjit Singh, Bawa Budh Singh, Gursharan Singh, Harcharan Singh, Harsaran Singh, Manohar Singh, Ishwar Chander Nanda, Balraj Sahni, Kapur Singh Ghuman, Kartar Singh Duggal, Sant Singh Sekhon are the chief Theatre personalities of Punjab.
Theatre personalities of Jammu and Kashmir have played an integral part in the Kashmiri culture. Nilamata Purana and Kalhana`s Rajatarangini of the twelfth century have revealed that the theatre personalities of Jammu and Kashmir have already attained its glory when these texts were written. Royal palaces were the main canters of theatrical activity where theatre personalities of Jammu and Kashmir were always present to point out merits and flaws. This golden age of drama in Kashmir lasted for 1500 years.
Theatre personalities of Jammu and Kashmir started to gain prominence from the beginning of the Christian era to the fifteenth century. However, very little of the dramatic literature has descended to the present generation of theatre personalities of Jammu and Kashmir, and that too only in Sanskrit language. Theatre was inseparably associated with royal glamour. The theatre personalities performed plays that were associated with celebrations and festivals of sowing, reaping, and threshing. They marked the occasions with song, dance, and music, and that a public performance was a form of religious obligation. In the earliest form of Kashmiri theatre, almost all the theatre personalities of Jammu and Kashmir could mimic for mere entertainment of a king, a sadhu, a soldier, a bridegroom, or other respectable social figures. They performed plays, equipped with simple musical instruments like a drum, dahri, and surnay. Such folk performers in Jammu and Kashmir wandered from house to house, exhibited their skill, and got their income from those whom they entertained. Mohammad Subhan Bhagat, Bhaiya Singh Gazmer, Bansi Kaul, Hari Krishan Kaul, Moti Lai Kemmu, AH Mohammad Lone, Dina Nath Nadim, Bashir Ahmad Qadri, Pushkar Bhan, Shabir Mujahid, Avtar Krishan Rahbar, Som Nath Sadhu, Sajood Sailani, Narsingh Dev Jamwal, Jagan Nath Saqui are the praise worthy theatre personalities of the Valley of beautified life where culture and tradition blends with the topographical influences of the north.
Theatre personalities of Haryana have worked to uphold the tradition of folk theatre in Haryana that is century`s old and dates back to 16th century. Theatre in Haryana is called the Natya Plays, which was made into the amalgamation of music, dance, poetry and speech by the theatre personalities of Haryana. Haryana Drama was created by the theatre personalities of Haryana not merely for pleasure but for conveying moral truths and also to strengthen the cultural integrity. Folk theatre in Haryana is divided into two categories. Firstly, temple based religious theatre, depicting Indian Epics (Mahabharata and Ramayana) and Puranas and the source material for characters and secondly community-based secular theatre, of minor forms and lighter variety.
Theatre personalities of Uttarakhand have made the theatre form in the state a popular phenomenon. The Hindi theatre has reached great heights in the last few decades and some of the main people responsible for the same are namely Brij Mohan Shah and Uzra Butt. Brij Mohan Shah was director, actor and a renowned dramatist of Hindi theatre. He was born in the year 1933 and educated in Nainital, Uttarakhand. He entered theatre at the age of 7, doing small roles for Ramlila and visiting Parsi theatre companies. Urza Butt was born on 22nd May in the year of 1917, and was the younger sister of Zohra Sehgal, a Bollywood actress who made a name for herself. She was born in Dehradun, in the state of Uttarakhand. She entered Uday Shankars ballet troupe in Almora as an Indian classical dancer, and also taught dance before joining the Indian People`s Theatre Association (IPTA) in 1944 as an actress.
Theatre Personalities of Himachal Pradesh are the talented artistes who deal with the dramatization and presentation of theatre in Himachal Pradesh. Playing a significant social role, these theatre personalities of Himachal Pradesh staunchly follow the technical aspects of theatrical performances in the state. With the passing decades, theatre in Himachal Pradesh has become popular entertainment form and an inevitable part of community life.
Theatre personalities of Sikkim created an elaborate dais of theatre that not only catered to the local audience but also the entertainment of the neighbouring states. The people of Sikkim are warm, simple and friendly with a nature gaiety; the theatre personalities of Sikkim are no exception and their nature is well reflected in their plays.
Theatre Personalities of Delhi expressed the realisms of life theatre in India and became a weapon of the mass than a sheer art form. In Delhi, theatre has a purpose and the theatre personalities of Delhi take up themes that affect their audiences. Just not scaffolding the emotions, theatre personalities of Delhi teamed with the various theatre companies in Delhi during independence and thus became lot more pragmatic. However, the concept of theatre developed in Delhi with the establishment of the National School of Drama (NSD), India`s premier theatre training, back in the year 1959. Many theatre personalities of Delhi passed out from this reputed institution. Sheila Bhatia is the face of Delhi Art Theatre.
