Breaking new grounds

Short+Sweet is an Australian brand that had its first edition in Sydney a decade ago. It had its first chapter in India in Delhi last year. The best plays of that edition were staged in Mumbai nine months ago at the Comedy Store. A dear friend of mine was performing in one of them and urged me to come and watch him. I was extremely excited and loved the concept instantly. Soon I met the festival’s artistic director Mark Cleary and also roped in my mom Lillette Dubey to be a part of this event and hold it in Mumbai under the aegis of Primetime Theatre Co (founded by my mother). After that there was no looking back.

What got you excited about this concept?

Firstly,it’s ideal for a young theater-going generation that thrives on SMSes and Twitter. Secondly,it’s a good way for us to explore theater. This medium is extremely close to me as I have been performing in plays since the age of five. Primetime Theater Co has always strived to promote original Indian writing in English so this is a good way for us to promote this genre further. Thirdly,people who are not professional actors are also participating in the festival,so in a way,it encourages fresh talent.

What kind of plays are being staged as part of this festival?

The event features 10-minute plays that have been divided into two sections each and are being staged under two groups – Orange and White (the main colour schemes of the festival). Plays under the orange group were staged on October 2,4 and 5 while plays under the white group will be performed on October 6,7 and 8. Diverse themes,styles and genres like romance,fantasy,drama and comedy will be covered in these productions. Everyday,one best play will be chosen by a judge and members of the audience who will cast their votes. On October 9,we’ll have a gala night when two shows will be held wherein the plays will be staged and adjudged by personalities from the theater world like Anahita Uberoi,Denzil Smith,Raell Padamsee and Kitu Gidwani. Finally,we’ll have an award ceremony where the best production,script,director,actor and actress will be honoured.

So what can one expect from Short+Sweet?

There is a rich diversity in the themes and styles — comedies,reflective pieces,character-driven pieces,fantasies,drama etc. The plays range from romances between inanimate objects (The Fat Lazy Bumpy),dramas and sci-fi elements in a store where mannequins come to life (It’s The Quiet Ones You Have To Watch Out For),young couples arguing about fidelity (Testing Waters),prison dramas (Main Thak Gaya Hoon) to fantasy spoofs (Because The World Needs Unicorns) and dark comedies (The Chocolate Affair) to very contemporary,relationship-based pieces that address themes like social networking and gender and sex changes (Fab New World & HE & SHE) and others. We also have two Hindi plays. Seventy per cent of the writers are Mumbai-based. About 10-20 per cent of the plays are from Delhi,Chennai and Bengaluru and about another 10 per cent are international scripts that have been working well across the world for about a decade.

How were the plays shortlisted for the event?

Once we decided to organise Short+Sweet in Mumbai,we conducted a three-day workshop in May that focussed on the various aspects like how to script 10-minute plays,how to perform them etc. Around 50 per cent of the plays that are being staged in the festival came out of these workshops. I must have read around 150 scripts. Alex Broun,one of the driving- forces behind Short+Sweet and one of the world’s leading 10-minute playwrights,my mother and I shortlisted 30 plays and then sent them to the festival director. Later,we called for entries for the festival wherein actors,writers,directors,independent theater companies and even volunteer crew could register through our website. We also had a group on Facebook where we had an open call for auditions. Later,we roped in experienced directors like Mita Vashisht,Utkarsh Mazumdar,Akarsh Khurana and Shivani Tanksale,who are reputed actors in their own right,so that the younger artistes could learn from them. We allocated scripts to them as per their preferences.

How do you perceive the future of Short+Sweet?

It has a huge potential. It is definitely not a one-off thing. Ten-minute plays are a great way to keep the audiences engaged. Abroad,there are Short+Sweet cabarets,dance performances and musicals,so it’s just a matter of time before these concepts come to India.

rinky.kumar@expressindia.com