Rashtriya Rangotsava, a theatre festival in memory of C.G. Krishnaswamy (CGK as he is known among theatre circles) is being organised in Bangalore by Ranganirathara, a troupe founded by him from April 28 to May 4. The annual festival began five years ago when the members thought they needed to continue in a bigger scale the tradition and values instilled by their master.
“CGK used to insist that theatre of a region should be familiar with that of another and there must always be regular interactions among art circles. To realise this in the present times, we came up with the National theatre festival that would bring theatre of other languages to Bangalore,” states Chandru, Secretary, Ranganirathara.
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Speaking on the selection of plays Ravi, co-ordinator of the festival says that six plays were picked which were in tandem with the values propounded by CGK from a set of 40 plays received from all over the country. “This time, unlike the previous years, we have not assigned any theme for the festival as we wanted to highlight the value of the production more,” he says. Hence, a variety of plays line up to be staged over six days that engage with issues from plastic hazards to rape to war.
Avvai , a Tamil play directed by A. Mangai and written by Inquilab will be enacted by Marappachi group on April 29. Shikhandi is an English play written and directed by Faezeh Jalali. Presented by Fats the Arts, Mumbai, it will be staged on April 30. On May 1, Caucasian Chalk Circle by Bertolt Brecht will be staged in Kannada, translated by B. N. Raghunath Rao. The play, directed by Chandra Keerthi B, will be enacted out by Theatre Artistry, Bangalore. The Transparent Trap will be staged on May 2, directed by Shrikant Bhide. The play which is a non-verbal enactment seeks to come out of the dependency on plastic.
Code Red , directed by Dr. Indudipa Sinha, revolves around a psychologist who has retreated from war and a girl who is a war-rape survivor. In the story, they collectively realise that life is all about journeying from destruction to genesis, and the ultimate truth of human existence is to win friendships. It will be enacted out in Bengali by Project Prometheus.
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The uniqueness of Mahabharath is that it employs puppetry in human theatre and that it will be presented in three languages -- Kannada, Hindi and English.
All plays will begin at 7 p.m. every day at Ravindra Kalakshetra. Free passes are being issued at Subbanna Ranga Taaleemu hall, Ravindra Kalakshetra.
CGK festival has film screenings and storytelling sessions on all evenings before play for the day begins. ‘Chitra Koota’ consists of short-films directed by amateur artistes and in ‘Katha Padasaale’ six women, Aparna Athreya, Ramya Srinidhi, Shylaja Sampat, Jyotsna B. Rao, Sushma S.V. and Sneha Kappanna, recreate the art of storytelling. “I have always wondered how mysterious the art of storytelling is, as all that I have heard from my grandmother is still crystal clear in my memory. It is an attempt to bring that magic alive for this generation,” says D.K. Chowta, Honorary Director of the festival.
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The festival makes sure that it recognises young entrants who have been working tirelessly for the promotion and survival of Kannada theatre in the State. With ‘Ranga Vasantha’ recognition, Ranganirathara introduces these amateurs on this distinguished platform. “CGK has recognised and brought to light countless amateurs in the theatre space and so we have chosen 50 of them this year,” informs Ravi.
Chandru adds that more than anything else, the festival acts as a meeting space not just for playwrights, actors, critics and directors but for enthusiasts and youngsters. As “CGK was an architect of human relationships, he built social connections beyond region and caste. This festival wants to facilitate it,,” says Chandru. The group wants to inspire youngsters to tread the path of theatre.
