Bangalore Little Theatre’s Courtyard Theatre programme is premised on the imagery of performing in an intimate courtyard space, so the plays are typically hosted for a small audience in intimate surroundings. Due to lockdown, though, the plays has been uploaded online. The scripts have been developed in a two-actor format with minimal stage / light / sound requirement. At present three plays— Salaam Moliere , The Court Jester-Tales of Tenali Rama and TheMagic Drum— have been uploaded on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiDJNIuLUSn_tF5Zn8zxOCA/playlists .
Salaam Moliere is a collection of sketches from plays written by Jean-Baptiste Poquelain, also known in theatre as Moliere. He was a master of comedies while having a knack for controversy. Watch the lovable rascals - they have got the charms, they have got the jokes, as they ridicule people of all professions – doctors, lawyers, noblemen, godmen.
The Court Jester-Tales of Tenali Rama is a collection of sketches from the treasure trove of stories about the legendary jester in the court of Emperor Krishnadevaraya. Watch the legendary Tenali Rama in action as he outsmarts his envious peers and wins the hearts of King and common people alike.
In TheMagic Drum , kings and misers, princes and paupers, wise men and foolish boys, the funniest and oddest men and women come alive in this collection of short stories by Sudha Murthy. The Magic Drum is a folktale of good and truth winning over lies and evil.
The team involved in these productions are Sridhar Ramanathan, Archana Kariappa, Vijay Sharma, Shatarupa Bhattacharya, Shantheri Mallya and Murtuza Khettty. Sridhar says that though it has been a challenge to rehearse online videos and calls, he says: “Then again when you are provided with a constraint that you come up with innovation.”
Play day Sunday
“You can attend a Zoom call for our Play Day Sunday on April 12 at 5 pm,” says Sridhar, adding: “We will be reading from Maya Bazaar Act II, a humorous adaptation of the story of Ghatotkacha and his band of merry men from the record-breaking movie of yesteryears. You can read or just listen, it is all about being part of the community.” It is free of cost. Zoom call details: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/174203203 , meeting ID: 174 203 203. For details visit their Facebook page.
