‘Natak Express’: A 24-hour theatre experiment in Pune tests speed and craft

Supported by the Maharashtra Cultural Centre and the Bhasha Centre, the event also served as a fundraiser for the Changbhala Foundation, which works in art and social initiatives.

For producers Vaishnavi Ratna Prashant, Laya Kumar, and Phalguni Vittal Rao, the format was intended to bring artists together through a spontaneous process rather than a conventional performance setup.

“You have to say ‘yes’ to whatever is on the script,” Prashant said, adding that limitations can lead to unexpected results. “There’s no ‘I’, only ‘how do we make this happen?’” Kumar said, highlighting the collaborative nature of the format.

In a city where audiences often gravitate towards familiar names, the event also featured lesser-known artists. “Pune is a very competition-heavy city, and there’s always a tendency to try to impress somebody. We wanted to see what happens when you remove that,” Rao said.

Playwright and director Niranjan Pednekar said that the unpredictability of working with unfamiliar actors and limited time made the process more engaging, helping teams discover each other’s strengths quickly. “Constraints lead to creativity,” he added.

Across the two days, performances varied in tone and style, ranging from light-hearted and satirical pieces to more layered narratives, with humour featuring in several of them, often drawing laughter from the audience.

Actors including Rohan Tandale and Riya Lohia said the format pushed them out of familiar routines and into working with new collaborators. Tight timelines meant immediate staging, with backstage teams building sets and handling transitions under pressure.

Kamble said the experience pushed him to reconsider control within the process, allowing actors more space to shape the performance. “My learning was to let the actors speak,” he said, adding that the format brought together participants from different cities, experience levels, and backgrounds, creating a more level playing field.

In Pune’s theatre culture, often shaped by networks and repetition, the experiment pointed to space for spontaneity alongside refinement, moving beyond familiar patterns.

(Piyush M Padwale is an intern with The Indian Express)