Department of Theatre Arts

The Department of Theatre Arts came into existence as a result of the initiative taken by the famous stage actor Sri Ballari Raghava. He proposed that Theatre Arts should be taught in the University as a subject. A committee was constituted by the University with Dr. Toleti Kanaka Raju, the then Member of the Executive Council of Andhra University and Rao Bahadur Sambadan Modaliar, who was considered as the father of modern Tamil theatre. As a result of their recommendations, the Department of Theatre Arts was established in the year 1961 which was the first department of its kind in any University in India. Dr. K.V.Gopala Swamy was the founder Head of the Department, who later became the Registrar of Andhra University. The succession list of the Head of the Department includes such luminaries as Sri. Mantri Srinivasa Rao (Fellow of British Drama League), Sri Chatla Sriramulu, Sri Attili Krishna Rao, Dr. Abburi Gopalakrishna and Dr. Ramavarapu Sarat Babu. The efforts put in by Sri K.Venkateswara Rao, Stage Director of the Department of Theatre Arts has resulted in bringing out many artists, directors and screen play writers. They include Devadas Kanakala, Potti Prasad, Sakshi Ranga Rao, S.K.Misro, Krishna Chaitanya and Vankayala Satyanarayana Murty etc. At present Prof. G.Subrahmanyam, Principal, Colleges of Arts and Commerce is looking after the Department as In-charge Head of the Department.

Several Internationally know personalities like Sri Sambhu Mitra, Director, Asian Institute of Drama, Sri N.C.Jain, Director, National School of Drama, Sri B.V.Karant, Director of Films, National Academy of Drama, Padmabhushan A.R.Krishna, Secretary, International Theatre Institute, (UNESCO) and Abburi Ramakrishna Rao, Chairman, Bharatiya Natya Sangh and Director, Natya Vidyalaya etc., have been associated with the department as members of the Board of Studies.