Bath, UK 25th August 2025: Balwant Thakur, India’s eminent theatre director and cultural diplomat currently in the UK, visited the historic Roman Baths in Bath—one of Britain’s most celebrated heritage landmarks and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Dating back nearly 2,000 years, the Roman Baths were once central to the spiritual, social, and cultural life of Roman Britain. Today, they remain a global attraction, renowned for their innovative use of live theatre in heritage interpretation.
At the site, costumed actors portraying Roman priests, soldiers, citizens, and attendants animate the ancient complex through dialogue, storytelling, and ritual demonstrations. These performances transform the monument into a living cultural stage, allowing visitors to experience history as a vibrant human narrative rather than a static display.
Engaging with these Roman actors, Thakur praised Bath’s creative integration of theatre into heritage storytelling. For Thakur celebrated for landmark productions such as Bawa Jitto and Ghumayee, which bring India’s folk traditions and cultural histories to life the visit underscored the universal role of theatre in preserving and communicating cultural identity.
The Roman Baths demonstrate how performance can connect people across centuries,” Thakur remarked. “This is precisely what theatre has the power to do—transform the past into a lived, shared experience for contemporary audiences.”Thakur’s interaction at Bath highlighted striking parallels in global practices of heritage interpretation.
Just as Bath employs theatre to animate the Roman story, Thakur has pioneered the use of performance in India to ensure that local histories, traditions, and narratives remain accessible and relevant. His visit thus became a cross-cultural affirmation of theatre as a timeless medium that binds communities, cultures, and histories together.
Balwant Thakur is a globally acclaimed theatre director, cultural administrator, and playwright, widely recognized for his contribution to Indian theatre and cultural diplomacy. Best known for his iconic productions Bawa Jitto and Ghumayee, he has brought India’s folk traditions and regional narratives to international audiences.
He has served as Secretary of the Academy of Art, Culture, Languages, Literature and Arts Education of Jammu & Kashmir, and as Regional Director of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). He later held the position of Cultural Diplomat of India to South Africa and Mauritius. Today, he continues to champion cultural exchange and heritage preservation through innovative theatre practices.
