The passion for theatre runs deep among the youth. Every college has a vibrant drama club. But as there aren’t enough platforms to showcase their talent, Chennai’s Crea-Shakthi’s bridges that gap. For five years, CreaShakthi has been funding youth theatre. This year they move to Bengaluru to host the sixth edition of My Theatre Festival. 10 colleges, some from Bengaluru and some from Tamil Nadu, will be participating. They will stage short plays of their choice under the Campus Theatre Festival. Dushyanth Gunashekar, founder and creative head of Crea-Shakthi, says: “Our aim is to reach out to young thespians under age 25. When we started Crea-Shakthi we were clear we wanted to invest in the youth. We wanted to make theatre groups financially sustainable,” says Dushyanth, adding that Crea-Shakthi has invested in dramatics for Sarang (IIT), National Law School’s theatre festival Admit One, Mood Indigo Mumbai, among others.
The plays were selected by the students themselves. “We didn’t want to tell them what to do. They chose plays that resonated with their own group. We only guided them. Over 45 days, we sent in professional directorial guides to give them inputs, based on which they worked on the play. We also provide funds, the auditorium, sound and lights.”
Anuraag Vikram Kate, co-ordinator for Crea-Shakthi in Bengaluru, has been actively working with the students. “I was inspired by the energy they bring to stage, the different perspectives on life itself, and there’s a quite a buzz around theatre as much as there is with films.” All they needed was a platform to showcase their talent. “And that is why we tied up with Jagriti.”
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Apart from the student plays, there will be two plays by Crea-Shakthi: The Protector, which will be staged on February 17 at 8 p.m. and The Line on February 18 at 8 p.m. Campus Theatre Ensemble will be staged on February 19 at 3 p.m. and 6.30 p.m.