Short+Sweet Theatre, which is probably the biggest festival of 10-minute theatre in the world, is back with its fifth edition in Chennai. This time, in a new avatar: Short+Sweet South India.
The event, which premiered in Chennai in 2013, is presented by Prakriti Foundation and The Blu Lotus Foundation, in association with the Alliance Française of Madras. For the upcoming edition, which starts on July 6, over 150 scripts were received, assessed by seasoned theatre practitioners, and finally shortlisted to a set of 48 plays. These theatre pieces will be performed over three weeks at the Édouard Michelin Auditorium, Alliance Française. This year, the festival will also see Bangalore-based theatre groups perform in the city.
Looking back at the history, Short+Sweet Festival began in Australia in 2002, and is now held annually in seven different countries across 30 cities. It aims to provide a platform for actors, writers and directors to create high-quality new work in professional theatre, and a collaborative environment where established practitioners pass on knowledge to others in the theatre arts. The festival presents high-quality theatre in the form of short pieces, thereby developing new audiences for Indian theatre and encouraging people to write for stage, thus helping to foster new playwrights and artistes in India.
Each of the three weeks in the Top 30 plays and the Wild Card rounds will showcase 18 plays. The plays will be staged between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on each of the days from July 9 to July 10; July 13 to July 17; and July 21 to 24. There are no performances on July 7 and 14. Wild card rounds will be held between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on July 9, 10, 16 and 17.
The 10 best plays of the festival, seven picked by a panel of judges and the rest picked by audience votes, will make it through to the gala finals. Best Play, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Script (selected by a panel of judges) will receive prizes. The audience can also vote for ‘TI Cycle Play of the Day’ at every show. The awards and finale will be held between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on July 27, 29, 30 and 31.
The event is ticketed at Rs. 200 per day and can be booked online at www.eventjini.com. For further details, call 87544 15362.
