‘Tis season for classics

Jagriti Season 2014 presents plays by renowned playwrights, including Habib Tanvir, Badal Sircar and Dario Fo

The open couple

Jagriti Season 2014 will feature plays by legendary playwrights Habib Tanvir, Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, Badal Sircar and Dario Fo. The plays include Dario Fo’s The Open Couple , directed by Faraz Khan, presented by 71mm Productions from Hyderabad. Under the Mangosteen Tree , based on the short stories of Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, presented by Perch, Chennai and directed by Rajiv Krishnan. The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol, directed by Akarsh Khurana and presented by Akvarious Productions, Mumbai. Stale News , by Badal Sircar, translated by Samik Bandyopadhyay, and directed by Ajith Hande. Habib Tanvir’s Charandas Thief, directed by Arundhati Raja.

Arundhati Raja, artistic director of Jagriti Theatre, explains the selection of plays for this season in an e-mail interview. “The season is for productions of a play that has been tried and tested or a production that we know has had an earlier successful run and which I think will run well again. It is also based on the track record of the company or the director. Having begun the year with a focus on new writing and devised work, I felt we should end the year with a different focus — productions of older or classical plays. These plays rich in text and language, offer a creative director and cast, a world of exciting interpretations.”

Charandas Thief! has been translated in English by Anjum Katyal. “Overall the play simply doesn't work in English but then once I placed it in an urban situation, the characters, the satirical humour all fell into place. With Prakash Sontakke’s original music score, Anita Santanam as my physical movement director and a videoscape to bring the production up to our IT city image, I think the play will be great fun and also hit home with some hard facts on the state of our society today!”

Jagriti Season is now in its fourth year. What are the reasons for its success? “It has worked because it is becoming accepted as an annual event of good plays and productions. The concept that it is not a festival where a production runs for just the one day has been difficult to get over but four years down the line, I think we've got there.”

Jagriti Season is unique as there are a number of runs of a one play. This format affects both the performers and the audience. Arundhati adds: “For viewers it works. A couple of shows or a one-day show that they can't make it for means they don't get to watch the play at all. For performers, the opportunity to run 11 shows at a stretch is unique and every company has said how great it is to be able to do this. It justifies the long rehearsal schedule and it also gives the production a chance to improve.”

The Open Couple will be staged till September 28.

Under the Mangosteen Tree will be performed from October 3 to October 12. From October 17 to October 26,

The Government Inspector will be staged.

Stale News will be staged between October 31 and November 9.

Charandas Thief ! will be staged from November 14 to November 23. The venue is Jagriti Theatre, Whitefield. Weekday and Saturday performances are at 8 p.m. and on Sundays at 3 p.m. and 6.30 p.m. Season tickets are available on bookmyshow.com. For details, call 41242879.