When Sushama Deshpande a familiar name in experimental Marathi theatre noticed the theatricality of artist Sudhir Patwardhans paintings,she put a group of actors through an art appreciation workshop. She encouraged them to bring out the emotions that a bunch of paintings by Patwardhan evoked. These responses were improvised later and given the structure of a play under the title Chitragoshhti. This experimental piece from the Awishkar group will open Pratibimb,a festival of Marathi plays,on Friday. In its third edition,the five-day festival at National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA),Mumbai,will host six new plays. Meant to showcase contemporary Marathi plays,each show during the festival will be followed by an interactive session with its cast and crew. NCPA has assembled an array of contemporary Marathi plays. Old stories have been given a new form by newcomers,and new writers are bringing their fresh vision on stage. It enables the audience to have a glimpse of the best of contemporary Marathi theatre, says Khushroo N Suntook,chairman,NCPA. The plays for the festival are largely centred on relevant societal themes,making a powerful collective statement. Other than Chitragoshhti,Lakh Lakh Chanderi,written and directed by Manaswini Lata Ravindra; Shokaparva and Apoornat Apoornam,both written and directed by Pramod Kale; Shivaji Underground In Bhimnagar Mohalla,directed by Nandu Madhav,and Satyashodhak,written by GP Deshpande and directed by Atul Pethe,will be staged during the festival. Satish Alekar,one of the most progressive Marathi playwrights,will be felicitated at the festivals opening. It seems apt to honour him on such a platform considering the fact that the first play staged at NCPAs Experimental Theatre after its inauguration was Pralay,an adaptation of German writer Gunter Grasss The Flood,directed by Alekar.
