NSD and Bharat Bhawan Partner to Revive Rangmandal Repertory

In a significant move to rejuvenate institutional theatre, the National School of Drama (NSD) and Bharat Bhawan, Bhopal, have formalized a partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to restore the Rangmandal Repertory, which has lain dormant for over two decades. The revival aims to strengthen theatre practice, training, and performance in Madhya Pradesh and across India.

Background: What is Rangmandal?

• Rangmandal is the repertory theatre wing of Bharat Bhawan, the multi‑arts complex in Bhopal that hosts visual arts, folk arts, theatre, literature, and cultural archives.
• It has historically functioned as a production centre, space for training, and a repository of theatre resources like scripts and stagecraft materials.
• Due to various structural, financial, or institutional constraints, the repertory has remained largely inactive for about 20 years.

What the MoU Entails

• The MoU was signed on 11 October 2025 in the presence of Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
• Under the agreement, NSD and Bharat Bhawan will jointly operate a “Joint NSD‑Bharat Bhawan Rangmandal/Repertory”.
• The revived repertory will serve as a centre for high-quality theatre productions and as a training ground for actors, directors, and technicians.
• This collaboration helps bring quality theatre to Madhya Pradesh and beyond, leveraging Bharat Bhawan’s legacy as a cultural hub.
• The arrangement will likely involve sharing resources, faculty, performance spaces, script libraries, and joint programming between NSD and Bharat Bhawan.

Static Facts

• The MoU to revive Rangmandal was signed on 11 October 2025.
• Rangmandal had remained inactive for over two decades.
• The MoU was signed in the presence of Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
• The new entity is titled Joint NSD‑Bharat Bhawan Rangmandal/Repertory.