End of the Block

Since the lack of original writing is much lamented in the contemporary Indian theatre,the training offered by the Royal Court Theatre — Britain’s home of new writing — during the workshop offers a great opportunity. “All the applications,are screened by the Royal Court Theatre,which selects 12 playwrights for the workshop,” says Patel. The chosen dozen will attend a two-week,all expense paid,residential workshop near Nashik,Mumbai,in October. After that they will work on the first draft. Six months later another workshop will be held to develop the script further. “For the second workshop,we often get actors and directors to work with the writers,” she says. The process is explained on ragetheatre.co.in along with other details.

This one-and-a-half-year-long event culminates in a festival,it’s also a great way of acquainting the Indian theatre community as well as the audience about the new writings. The Writers’ Bloc festival,which has premiered 20 plays in the past,is likely to be held towards the end of 2011 next. “We at Rage work as facilitators. We try and find producers,directors and actors for some the plays that develop during Writers’ Bloc,” she says. One of the longest running plays,The President is Coming,is a product of the Writers’ Bloc. The other prominent plays to come out of this national playwright camp are Crab,Pune Highway,Smell and Turel.

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