Theatre to entertain and to make a difference: This is the goal of Renegade Arts and Theatre Society (RATS). Their latest production Urban Daze is a bouquet of five 10-minute plays. The plays include Cate Blanchet Wants to be my friend on Facebook , The Processional , Telephone , Lynette at 3 am and Roadtrip . Though each of the plays is a hilarious look into city life, it is also a commentary on the issues that confront urban people. Sudhir Selvaraj, production head of RATS, says: “The issues are relevant to urban people; from authenticity of relationships to how technology has affected our lives.”
Cate Blanchet Wants to be my friend on Facebook is about a construction worker who “ignores” a world famous actor on Facebook, but when she shows up at his work, life gets complicated. The Processional is about a chaotic night before the wedding. It is up to the priest, however, to bring order, but can he do it? Telephone is about a girl moving away, but will her boyfriend understand? What do their friends think? Are they going to break up? Lynette at 3 am is how young Lynette can’t fall asleep at 3 am, so she switches on the TV, and meets a young Puerto Rican man, Estaban, who was murdered just a floor below. Roadtrip is about couple about to meet the groom’s parents for the holidays. Renegade Arts and Theatre Society was formed in 2006. “Our endeavour is to expand our group and reach out to a wider audience with every production,” says Sudhir.
Urban Daze is directed by Sudhir Selvaraj, Naomi Menon and Vivek Warriar, and will feature Mario Jerome, Shubangi Sundar, Nashra Aziz, Rakshit Ashok, Alan Polson, Naomi Menon, Vivek Warriar and Sudhir Selvaraj. “The directors are the founding members of RATS. The actors are a mixed group, some will perform for the first time on stage and others are experienced.”
Urban Daze will be staged on August 9 at Alliance Francaise at 7.30 pm and on August 11 at BFlat at Indiranagar at 8.30 pm. All tickets are priced at Rs. 200 and a part of the proceeds will go towards supporting Stree Jagriti Samiti, an organisation that works for women’s rights.