The Show Begins

A group of youngsters huddle together in Delhi,playing a series of games on their laptops. In the UK,another set of players do the same at the National Theatre. “Each group will be ‘present’ at the other event through a variety of digital connections like Skype,email,SMS,Facebook and Flickr,” says director Amitesh Grover,about the piece called Social Gaming that will feature at the 13th Bharat Rang Mahotsav (BRM),the annual theatre festival of the National School of Drama (NSD),that begins today. Are you wondering how Social Gaming qualifies for the stage? The performance,explains Anuradha Kapoor,director of NSD,depicts the new language of theatre,throwing light on how “the world in which we live and do theatre in is changing”.

The festival,the largest in the country,tosses together several other contemporary theatre experiments with reworked classics and age-old favourites in its line-up of around 83 plays,of which 23 are from other countries. Habib Tanvir’s popular Charandas Chor opens the festival,this time enacted by Assam-based director Anup Hazarika. “We wanted the festival to start with a laugh,” says Amal Allana,chairperson of NSD. “Hazarika’s interpretation is very physical and ebullient,telling the celebratory tale of how the underdog gets the better of the bureaucracy,” she adds.

BRM also pays tribute to Rabindranath Tagore on his 150th birth anniversary year through Neelam Man Singh’s adaptation of Stree-r Patra (A Wife’s Letter),an early piece of feminist literature,and Suman Mukhopadhyay’s depiction of Bisarjan,about the king of Tripura,who bans blood sacrifices at the altar of the Goddess,a decision that angers the high priest. Protagonist Jayasingha,caught in a war between blind faith and a desire for morality,realises that there’s only one way he can get out of the stalemate,by sacrificing himself,and thus satisfying the priest and saving the king.

Mythology and the classics,the mainstay of theatre groups across the world,are being re-invented to reflect modern sensibilities at this edition of the festival,says Kapoor. Reshmi Rumaal,for instance,draws a parallel between Othello’s Desdemona and the female actor playing the role. The Bengali and Santhali play Mahakabyer Pare,presents an Eklavya,who is stopped from sacrificing his thumb,which is claimed as a right by the entire Shudra community that has always been victimised by the powerful Kshatriyas.

Sociopolitical commentary also surfaces in Mirel Masingkha (Will of the Soul),a non-verbal piece from Imphal,which highlights the struggle of Irom Sharmila,while Kashmir Kashmir uses a hotel as a metaphor of a disturbed state.

This year will also see an enhanced number of foreign troupes performing at the festival. “Theatre groups from Chile,Bolivia,Egypt,

Argentina,Serbia and Ukraine will perform at the BRM for the first time,” says Kapoor. En Un Sol Amarillo (In a Yellow Sun: Memories of An Earthquake) is a docu-play,physical theatre and a burlesque that recreates the aftermath of a massive earthquake in Bolivia in 1998. Allana points out that Tara Arts,a group from the UK,will also be participating,an event made special by the fact that director Jatinder Verma who will stage Miranda is part of the disapora. “We never get to see the work of the diaspora. How are they Indian? The play explores this issue of identity,” adds Kapoor.

The festival will be on till January 22 at various halls in Mandi House. For details,contact: 23073647 .

Curated For You

Dhurandhar Day 28 Box Office Collection Worldwide Update: Ranveer Singh’s film earns over Rs 6 cr; likely to record lowest single-day earnings on 4th Friday

US travel ban on 39 countries comes into effect on January 1, 2026: A full list

Video of woman constable being stripped during violent Chhattisgarh anti-mining protest sparks outrage, 2 arrested