If you think software engineers are only happy handling their mouse and monitors while seated snugly in air-conditioned offices, think again. A team of 40 software professionals associated with ‘Hi5 Stage and Screen Productions’ are pursuing their passion for stage performances in spite of their busy work schedule.
But as they have very little time to spare, they have chosen short plays to perform on stage. If long plays are chosen, then practice sessions are also long, so their productions are restricted to 10-minute plays.
“We have staged nearly 40 short plays in 15 months. They have been houseful corporate shows,” says Jayanth V.M., director of Hi5 Stage and Screen Productions. “As most of us in the IT field were already theatre artistes we came up with the idea of producing short plays to suit the present times,” explains Jayanth. “We were attracted towards ‘short and sweet’ theatre that originated in Australia. Gradually we worked towards this and came up with these shorter versions that bring in all the ingredients and the drama and have the audience attention in full,” he adds.
The theme of the ‘beginning, end and the twist’ as in street theatre is what gets transformed into ‘short plays’ in auditoriums. “Less is more” evens out in handling the economics too as far as financing the stage setting, actors and costumes are concerned,” says Jayanth. The team has nearly 50 short plays in their library which they will perform during the fest of short plays, ‘Avatars’ on October 2 and 3. The festival will feature all genres of plays. “Our 10-minute mini-productions are like T20 cricket matches, short and focussed with all the excitement and energy,” he says. They may be abridged or condensed versions, but they serve the purpose both for actors as well as audience,” says Jayanth, who recently resigned from TCS to concentrate on the dedicated theatre group.
Hi5 Stage and Screen Productions has organised the festival of short plays, ‘Avatars-2015’ on October 2 and 3 at Rangasthala, Rangoli Metro Art Centre, M.G. Road. The shows will begin at 4 p.m. on both the days, and repeat shows will be at 7 p.m.
