The National Centre for the Performing Arts | |
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General information | |
Type | Arts, Complex |
Architectural style | International Style |
Location | Mumbai, India |
Address | NCPA Marg, Nariman Point |
Coordinates | 18°55′30″N72°49′14″E / 18.9251°N 72.8206°E |
Construction started | 1981 |
Completed | 1985 |
Opened | 1986 |
Height | 46.28m |
Technical details | |
Structural system | Concrete Frame |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Philip Johnson-concept part; Principal architect Rustom Patell of Patell Batliwala & Associates |
Main contractor | Larsen & Toubro Limited |
The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) is a multi-venue, multi-purpose cultural centre in Mumbai, India, which aims to promote and preserve India's heritage of music, dance, theatre, film, literature and photography. It also presents new and innovative work in the performing arts field.
The centre was founded in 1969 by JRD Tata and Dr. Jamshed Bhabha, [1] brother of nuclear physicist Homi Jehangir Bhabha.
The NCPA is also the home of the Symphony Orchestra of India, which was established by NCPA in 2006. [2] In 2010 the orchestra performed Beethoven's 9th Symphony in Moscow at the 5th World Symphony Orchestra Festival - the first time an orchestra from India had performed there.
On 29 December 2018 NCPA entered its golden jubilee year. [3] It is to undergo renovations to improve the acoustics and overall experience in 2019. [4]
The NCPA complex occupies an area of about 32,000 square metres (340,000 sq ft) at Nariman Point, on land reclaimed from the sea.
It has 5 theatres in its premise, each catering to a unique genre of performing arts
Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, From large format orchestras to full-scale operas, the most technically complex performances can be staged at this Proscenium theatre with a seating capacity of 1,109. Named after the founder, and operational since 1999, its technical facilities allow for international productions of opera, ballet and major musicals.
This well-equipped, elegant theatre also boasts of a historic marble staircase and a dazzling double-level foyer. The entire staircase was transplanted from another location; more as an art object or architectural folly. It is, undoubtedly, the cornerstone for theatrical extravaganzas staged in South Asia.
Tata Theatre, This distinctive space that can seat 1,010 is the best of both worlds. It effortlessly combines the intimate ambience of a small-scale venue with the splendour of a full scale arena. A revolving stage, brilliant acoustics and a foyer with a scenic view of the sea are just some of the things that make the Tata Theatre the venue of choice for both, performers and audiences. Created by the renowned American Modernist architect Philip Johnson (concept part) Rustom Patell-Patell Batliwala & Associates principal designer and the legendary acoustician Cyril Harris, this theatre opened in 1982. Today, it is Mumbai's preferred venue for Indian classical concerts, Western chamber music and theatre.
Experimental Theatre, As flexible as its name, this theatre opened in 1986 and has 300 movable seats which allow it to be configured to suit a range of events. Its unique 'black box' auditorium is the perfect platform for innovative theatre productions as well as small-scale dance and music performances. It also doubles up as a teaching and workshop space.
Godrej Dance Theatre (funded by Pirojsha Godrej Foundation) [5] is a small theatre was inaugurated in 1987, with a capacity of 200. Its small size allows everyone in the audience to have an intimate experience and appreciate dance up close.
Little Theatre was inaugurated in 1975, and is a smaller venue, seating only 114. It is mainly used to nurture and promote new talent, such as poets, dancers and musicians. It is also used for film screenings.
Throughout the years NCPA hosted many performances including classical, traditional and contemporary performing arts in dance, theatre, and music. Notable Indian performers who performed at NCPA include Vilayat Khan, M. S. Subbulakshmi, Birju Maharaj, Kelucharan Mohapatra, Savitha Sastry, Mani Madhava Chakyar, Shakuntala, Smita Patil, Parveen Sultana and Shabana Azmi. [6]
NCPA has also attracted many international performers including Yehudi Menuhin, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Navoi Bolshoi Ballet of Uzbekistan, [7] Marcel Marceau, Barber of Seville opera, production of Jane Eyre, [6] and other British Council commissioned theatre productions. [8] In 2006, New Jersey Ballet staged India's first full-length classical ballet with its Nutcracker production. [9] [10] In 2016, NCPA in association with Shapoorji Pallonji Group, co-produced Mughal-e-Azam, a Broadway-style musical based on the 1960 Bollywood film Mughal-e-Azam, which was directed by K. Asif and produced by Shapoorji Pallonji. [11]
The NCPA was registered as a public trust in June 1966 as the 'National Institute of Performing Arts' and the current name was adopted in November 1967. It was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister of India Mrs. Indira Gandhi on 29 December 1969 with the performance being held at a rented premise courtesy of the Bhulabhai and Dhirajl Desai Memorial Trust. [12]
Work on the center as it stands today at the tip of Nariman Point, in South Mumbai, began in 1973 on reclaimed land. [13]
Mughal-e-Azam is a 1960 Indian epic historical drama film produced and directed by K. Asif. Starring Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, and Durga Khote, it follows the love affair between Mughal Prince Salim and Anarkali, a court dancer. Salim's father, Emperor Akbar, disapproves of the relationship, which leads to a war between father and son.
Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64, is a ballet by Sergei Prokofiev based on William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. First composed in 1935, it was substantially revised for its Soviet premiere in early 1940. Prokofiev made from the ballet three orchestral suites and a suite for solo piano.
Aberdeen International Youth Festival was a festival of performing arts and one of Scotland's major international cultural events, which ran from 1981 to 2017.
The Queensland Performing Arts Centre is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre and is located on the corner of Melbourne Street and Grey Street in Brisbane's South Bank precinct. Opened in 1985, it includes the Lyric Theatre, Concert Hall, Playhouse and Cremorne Theatre.
The Godrej family is an Indian Gujarati Parsi family that largely owns and manages Godrej Group — a conglomerate founded by Ardeshir Godrej and his brother, Pirojsha Burjorji Godrej in 1897. The family operates in various sectors, including real estate, consumer products, industrial engineering, appliances, furniture, security, and agricultural products. The family, led by Adi Godrej, alongside his brother, Nadir Godrej, and their cousin, Jamshyd Godrej, is among the richest in India, with an estimated net worth of US$16.7 billion as of 2023.
The Krannert Center for the Performing Arts is an educational and performing arts complex located at 500 South Goodwin Avenue in Urbana, Illinois and on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Herman C. Krannert, an industrialist who founded Inland Container Corporation and an alumnus of the university, and his wife, Ellnora Krannert, made a gift of $16 million that led to the Krannert Center's construction. Max Abramovitz, the architect who designed the facility, was also an Illinois alumnus.
The Jamshed Bhabha Theatre is a 1109-seater theatre inaugurated on 24 November 1999 within The National Centre for the Performing Arts premises in Mumbai, India. It has hosted & staged Indian epics and classical concerts to western operas and ballets.
The Tata Theatre is a 1010-seat premier staging facility for music, dance and drama at The National Centre for the Performing Arts complex in the city of Mumbai, India. It is India’s first theatre designed and built keeping in mind the unique acoustic and visual requirements for the staging of Indian music, dance and related art forms, and was constructed by Larsen & Toubro Limited. The theatre was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi on the 11 of October 1980.
Pandit Bajinath Prasad also known as Pandit Lachhu Maharaj (1901–1978) was an Indian classical dancer and choreographer of Kathak dance. He came from a family of illustrious Kathak exponents in Lucknow, and also worked as film choreographer, Hindi cinema, most notably Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and Pakeezah (1972). He was awarded the 1957 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest award for performing artists, conferred by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama. He was paternal uncle of Pandit Birju Maharaj.
The Symphony Orchestra of India is a symphony orchestra based in Mumbai, India. It was founded in 2006 by the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, which is also its home.
Feroz Abbas Khan is an Indian theatre and film director, playwright and screenwriter, who is most known for directing plays like Mughal-e-Azam, Saalgirah, Tumhari Amrita (1992), Salesman Ramlal and Gandhi Viruddh Gandhi.
The New Jersey Ballet is a ballet company based in Livingston, New Jersey in the United States, founded in 1958 by native New Jerseyan Carolyn Clark and her fellow dancer, George Tomal.
Artem Vyacheslavovich Ovcharenko is a Russian classical ballet dancer. He is a principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet and a guest artist with the Hamburg Ballet.
Shapoorji Pallonji & Company Private Limited, trading as Shapoorji Pallonji Group, is an Indian conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai. It operates in construction, real estate, textiles, engineered goods, home appliances, shipping, publications, power, and biotechnology. The company was headed by a grandson of founder Pallonji Mistry, also named Pallonji Mistry, until 2012, when he announced his retirement and the succession of his son, Shapoor Mistry.
The Experimental Theatre is a 300-seat theatre at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai, India. It was inaugurated in April 1986 as a black box theatre venue with modular seating and staging units.
Shapoorji Mistry was an Indian businessman, and the founder of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group. He is the father of Pallonji Mistry. Shapoorji Mistry's grandson Cyrus Mistry was the Chairman of Tata Sons. The Shapoorji Pallonji Group is one of India's leading industrial conglomerate and a major construction company.
Mughal-e-Azam is a Broadway-style musical based on the 1960 Bollywood film of the same name, directed by K. Asif and produced by Shapoorji Pallonji. The musical was directed by Feroz Abbas Khan and produced by Shapoorji Pallonji Group.
Pirojsha Godrej Foundation is a charitable organisation based in Mumbai, India. It works in the fields of education, health, environment and disaster relief.