Every October, the month of Ranga Shankara’s inception, the well-known theatre space hosts a festival on a grand scale inviting the best theatre groups from across the country to perform.
The 2017 Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival continues this tradition.
Every festival is curated around a theme, which has ranged from Shakespeare to Karnad, political to company theatre, and from metros to non-metros.
This year the plays are based on real-life incidents and sketches. As Surendranath, artistic director of Ranga Shankara, observes: “Theatre is said to hold a mirror to nature. It ‘imitates’ life. So what we see on stage is invariably a part of our life. But sometimes, theatre extends beyond this mirror image of nature that we see on the stage. It takes ownership of analysing an incident or personality and question them.
“In the opening play, Gajab Kahani, based on José de Sousa Saramago’s novel about an elephant’s journey from Lisbon to Vienna in 1551, the director Mohit Takalkar, takes it up further.”
“Then there are plays such as Tadpole Repertory’s Quicksand, which is a re-look on a real life incident that occurred in the Delhi airport.”
Some of the plays such as Tumhara Vincent , based on the life of Vincent Van Gogh, presented by Ranga Kalpa of Hyderabad, Outcaste, based on the autobiography of Sharankumar Limbale, adapted and directed by Randhir Kumar, are about historical figures.
But Surendranath clarifies: “They need not be a documentary. The playwrights and directors dramatise certain incidents, like A Quiet Desire, written and directed by Faisal Alkazi, which is about the relationship between Rabindranath Tagore and his sister-in-law.”
Some of the plays have unique storylines. Bloody Bombay , written and directed by Happy Ranajit, presented by Unicorn Actors Studio, Delhi, is based on the real life incidents of junior artistes in Bollywood.
A Tamil play, Nomads of Water , written and directed by Murugabhoopati, is based on the Chennai floods, and a Kannada play Dialectical Materialism Mattu Itara Charitrika Pranigalu, is based on the dialogues between Stanislavsky and Stalin, written by Abhishek Majumdar and directed by Vivek Madan.
The festival will also feature a Ranga Shankara Art Appreciation Course curated by Sadanand Menon. “Prior registration is required and the fee, including all days, is ₹7,000. For students, the fee is ₹2,000, but they have to show a valid ID proof,” informs Surendranath.
There will also be a Directors’ Round Table Discussion in which theatre directors will discuss the future of direction and theatre practices in India.
The Theatre Festival will be held at Ranga Shankara, J.P. Nagar, 2nd phase, from October 28 till November 4.
For more details about the festival, visit www.rangashankara.org . Tickets are available at the venue and at www.eventshigh.com and www.bookmyshow.com.
