Journalism of Courage
The stage is set. Plays by distinguished playwrights will unfold under the spotlight. The 4th annual Vinod Doshi Memorial Theatre Festival will be held from February 27 – March 2 at the Yashwantrao Chavan Natyagruha auditorium,Kothrud. With five non-commissioned plays being showcased,this theatrical extravaganza will witness works by playwrights who have been a part of the experimental theatre movement. My husband was passionate about experimental theatre. As a tribute to him,we have brought in plays which are not usually staged in the city, said Saryu Doshi,eminent art historian and wife of late Vinod Doshi. Playwright Satish Alekar described the festival as an ideal platform for young and upcoming directors of the city who experiment with theatre.
The festival will open with Stories in a Song,a musical collage of theatre,literature and history,conceived by Shubha Mudgal and directed by Sunil Shanbag. February 28 will have the play – Preth – being staged. This directorial venture by Gopal Dutt and Purva Naresh is a musical drama about an ill-fated villager who is in awe of the king and who escapes after being sentenced to death. Padma Bhushan Sai Paranjpaye’s Aalbel will be staged on February 29. It is loosely inspired by Jean Paul Sarte’s classic,No Exit. In contrast to the classic,the protagonists are alive in Aalbel and prove to be each other’s redemption, said Paranjpaye. Praveen Bhole’s Bandhlelyachi Manogata is scheduled for March 1. It is based on a Greek classic,Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus. Though not a complete translation,it traces the power of being in a high position. Comrade Kumbhakarna,directed by Mohit Takalkar,will be staged on March 2 and is a part of the National School of Drama acting repertoire.
