A unique off-stage collaboration will take place this weekend between a group of theatre professionals. Actors, producers, drama teachers and various members of the performance community come together in a one-of-its-kind event: the Moonlight Café. This weekend-long extravaganza, entirely hosted by theatre professionals, is for both adults and kids, and will celebrate good food, teach new skills, and showcase cool stuff - and, no surprise here, it has a healthy dose of performance attached.
Theatre and beyond
The six Moonlighters behind this project are Dilshad Edibam Khurrana (Dough-Re-Mi), Shivani Vakil Savant (The Odd Hour Kitchen), Shivani Tanksale (The Baking Game), Reetha Balsaver (Tossed & Dressed), and sisters Prerna and Preetika Chawla (Pickle Shickle). And they all have one thing in common besides theatre: they are accidental entrepreneurs carving out identities in other areas.
Savant says this weekend is about giving a nudge to theatrewallahs. “A lot of our participants are selling stuff they've made or teaching a skill they've learned or taught themselves… for the first time,” she says. “We'd like the audience to see us in a new light!”. The question must be asked: can a cookie baked by an actor taste as sweet? Khurana admits that her baker self uses plenty of the creativity and improvisation she has honed in theatre when it comes to her baked goods and it can hand her more hit-or-miss surprises than being on stage.
There are other similarities between theatre and cooking, according to the sisters Chawla. The ‘high’ of performance is much the same as the high that comes of sharing their family recipes – the sisters feels a tangible joy of anticipation at the applause after a performance. With the level of excitement and engagement these moonlighting chefs are bringing to their produce; the food stalls and the all-day café promise to be a treat.
Great expectations
There will also be two performances, over the weekend, by well-known names in the theatre circuit: Improv Shots performed by Improv Comedy Mumbai and Stand Up: A Serious Play about Comedy , written and directed by Akarsh Khurana. What’s more, there’s a special evening menu planned for that after-show state of mind.
For those who like it hands-on, there are 11 workshops that cover a range of skills and talents tailored for amateur enthusiasts. There’s nail art, make-up, object theatre, photography, dance (Hindi and English), lavani, rhythm and poetry, upcycling, and more. Ad man and director Rahul da Cunha, who is collaborating with actor Digvijay Savant on a practical photography workshop for the first time, says their focus will be on “how to make a photo tell a story and tell it in a way that no one else can tell it”. There’s a definite nod to theatre there, in their emphasis on capturing mood and portraiture in everyday street life.
Of course, nothing says weekend festival like a flea market. Some of the brands on offer are already well known. For instance, there’s Loose Ends, a fun home accessories brand curated by director Tahira Nath. There’s actor Shikha Talsansia’s art under the name Obsessive Compulsive Doodler. Dhannuka offers versatile furniture made by set designer Dhanendra Kawade.
Da Cunha will exhibit street photographs taken over a span of five years and four cities: Istanbul, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Venice. Stylist, and stage and production manager Sheena Sitlani will be showcasing her designs. Theatre Potato will offer tie and dye T-shirts, and there will be jewellery by actors Mati Rajput and Shruti Sridharan. Lastly, paintings by make-up artiste Rashmi Pote, and actor Tanksale (of the aforementioned The Baking Game) round off the eight stalls.
In the hope to offer something for everyone, the Moonlight Café promises to be a real celebration of diversity. Perhaps it will give rise to new dialogues both off-stage and on-stage within the local community.
TheMoonlight Café will take place atThe Vintage Garden in Bandra on today and on Sunday May 7,11 a.m. onwards; free entry for café and flea market; seeinsider.in for more details
