Jorhat, Aug. 2: There is good news for theatre enthusiasts! Suruj Drama Productions Works, a well-known group based here, has come up with a handbook in Assamese covering all aspects of drama.

Fifteen renowned drama personalities of the state have written on different aspects of theatre. Prayugik Natyakala, a 288-page book priced at Rs 300, will be released on August 7 at a function here.

Manabendra Sarma, secretary of Suruj Drama Productions Works, and one of the three editors of the book, told The Telegraph that it was an attempt to give all the necessary information on drama in Assamese for newcomers as there was no such book on the technical aspects of theatre so far.

Sarma, whose group has completed 26 years and has been performing in the nooks and corners of the state, said while holding summer camps for budding drama enthusiasts annually for the past 20 years, the group felt the need for a handbook with all relevant information on all aspects of theatre. He said most of the languages in the country already had such handbooks on drama in their respective languages and Assamese was lagging behind in this regard.

Sarma said the project was initiated last year after consulting many thespians.

He said the book touches different aspects of drama like stage geography, make-up, lights, sound, acting, dialogue delivery, mime, music, scriptwriting, settings and direction. Sarma, who himself is a dramatist, actor and director, said the variations in different types of drama, like amateur drama, mobile theatre, drama broadcast by radio and TV and drama projected through cinema are in the book.

Citing an example, he said loud acting was needed in mobile theatres as people sit far in the back in the galleries. The settings, too, in such theatres are large and expensive, with music, songs, lighting and sound effects, too, advanced.

The book also has the evolvement of drama worldwide and the development of drama in the state. Modern trends in drama being practised across the world in present times, impact of the body during acting, problems faced by newcomers in drama, TV serials and cinemas and how to overcome them are among the subjects in the book.

The drama personalities who have contributed in the book are Arun Sarmah, Salim Ali Ahmed, Karuna Deka, Akhil Chakraborty, Prasanta Sarmah, Tarid Choudhary, Arup Borthakur, Sapunjyoti Thakur, Moinul Haque, Jintu Bhattacharyya, Anil Saikia, Debajit Sarmah, Nilu Chakraborty, Prastuti Pras-har and Manabendra Sarma.

Sarma said their drama group has plans to bring out books in Assamese with details on different aspects of drama individually.