Authors : Anirban Banik

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 5 - May

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/4jaw4dhb

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/2p9zzmmj

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26May727

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : Transcreation in theatre is a subtle art of cultural translation, wherein the spirit of a story is retained while translating it to appeal to new linguistic and cultural contexts. This article discusses transcreation as a key instrument for cross-cultural communication in Indian theatre, where various performance traditions, based on folklore, mythology, and community forms, tackle the challenges of adaptation for wider audiences. Though Indigenous and refugee populations throughout India have traditionally employed theatre as a storytelling medium, their stories struggle to be transcreated for national and international audiences. Drawing on the transcreation of theatre throughout India, with observations from northeastern practices, the paper discusses how narratives deeply rooted in culture, full of local imagery, rituals, and sociohistorical detail, are transcreated to be used internationally without losing their emotional resonance and authenticity. By case studies of folk performances, adaptations of classical theatre, and marginalised narratives, this essay foregrounds the ways transcreation cultivates empathy, intercultural understanding, and the retention of marginalised voices. The analysis will look at the sensitive tension between linguistic accuracy and creative reinterpretation, underscoring how transcreation protects cultural heritage while making Indian theatre an interface between traditions and new-world storytelling.

Keywords : Transcreation, Cross-Cultural Communication, Indian Theatre, Cultural Heritage, Marginalised Narratives.

References :

1. Bassnett, Susan. Translation Studies. Routledge, 1991.
2. Bharucha, Rustom. Theatre and the World: Performance and the Politics of Culture. Routledge, 1984.
3. Kapur, Anuradha. Actors, Pilgrims, Kings and Gods: The Ramlila of Ramnagar. Seagull Books, 2006.
4. Chatterjee, Partha. The Nation and Its Fragments: Colonial and Postcolonial Histories. Princeton University Press, 1993.
5. Thapar, Romila. Cultural Pasts: Essays in Early Indian History. Oxford University Press, 2003.
6. Banerjee, Sumanta. The Parlour and the Streets: Elite and Popular Culture in Nineteenth-Century Calcutta. Oxford University Press, 1989.