Chirabande Wade
Kannada, 150 mins
Presented by: Rangayana, Mysore
Written by: Mahesh Elkunchwar
Translated by: Maruthi Shanubagh
Directed by: Pramila Bengre
Date: November 5
Time: 7.30 pm
Chirabande Wade is a mirror that shows most of us where we come from - a feudal system that created the great Hindu joint family.
Over 150 intense minutes, the playwright paints a moving canvas that marvelously recreates the story of a family in a small town. A story that is our own.
Ganapati
English, 75 mins
Presented by: Adishakti, Puducherry
Written & directed by: Veenapani Chawla
Date: October 29
Time: 7.30 pm
Different patterns and textures of rhythm form the basis of communication in the play. And the rhythms have origins in Koodiyattam and music from south-east Asia. In an auditorium like Ranga Shankara, these rhythms, played live of course,
create an out-of-the-world experience.
Ismat Apa Ke Naam
Hindustani, 120 mins
Presented by: Motley, Mumbai
Written by: Ismat Chughtai
Directed by: Naseeruddin Shah
Date: November 9
Time: 3.30 pm, 7.30 pm
Ismat Apa Ke Naam was performed in Ranga Shankara’s first festival in 2004. It was rumoured that the tickets for the show were sold in theblack market. And an over-enthusiastic security guard at Ranga Shankara stopped Naseeruddin Shah from going to the green room. Lesson learnt - give badges to every participant in a fest.
Boy with a Suitcase
English, 80 mins
Presented by: Schnawwl, Mannheim
Directed by: Andrea Gronemeyer
Written by: Mike Kenny
Date: November 1
Time: 3.30 pm, 7.30 pm
Boy with a Suitcase is a dream play that features a multi-country cast and crew. Produced through Indo-German funding, the play deals with the topic of displacement brought about by war.
Love Letters
English, 90 mins
Presented by: Rage, Mumbai
Written by: A R Gurney
Directed by: Rahul da Cunha
Date: November 8
Time: 3.30 pm, 7.30 pm
Shernaz Patel and Rajit Kapur have been playing Melissa Gardner and Andy Ladd III for 22 years now and have done around 250 shows. What is it that draws a full-house of weeping, laughing repeat audiences and new converts for life, every time there is a show? Find out for yourself.
Kaumudi
Hindi, 125 mins
Presented by: Indian Ensemble, Bangalore
Written and directed by:
Abhishek Majumdar
Date: November 4
Time: 7.30 pm
Eminent critic Shanta Gokhale says the following about Kaumudi: “The play challenged viewers with multiple layers of meaning, speaking to them eloquently through each meticulously crafted element of theatre - script, performance, sound (Abhijeet Tambe) and light (Anmol Vellani).
Maya Bazaar
Telugu, 120 mins
Presented by: Sri Venkateswara Natya Mandali, Hyderabad
Written by: Malladi Venkata Krishna Sharma
Directed by: R Nageswara Rao
Date: October 30
Time: 3.30 pm, 7.30 pm
Maya Bazaar is a throwback to the era of company drama. It shows us how entertainment was before we invented CGI, with laddus flying into Ghatotkacha’s mouth, arrows of fire being doused by those of water and hand-painted sceneries changing in a jiffy.
Marathi (with English surtitles), 135 mins
Presented by: Aasakta Kalamanch, Pune
Written by: Girish Karnad
Translated by: Pradeep Vaiddya
Directed by: Mohit Takalkar
Date: November 6
Time: 7.30 pm
Uney Purey Shahar Ek (translates to ‘one city - give or take some’) is an adaption that dazzles. Deploying intelligent stagecraft, Mohit Takalkar packs the pace and punch intended by the playwright. The subtitles help those of us who can’t follow Marathi but the narrative, the actors and the everyday situations that all of us live through are what thrills you.
Ms. Meena
English, 110 mins
Presented by: Perch, Chennai
Written by: Rashmi Ruth
Devadasan
(Inspired by Friedrich Durrenmatt’s The Visit)
Directed by: Rajiv Krishnan
Date: November 3
Time: 7.30 pm
Ms. Meena is a picture of everything that modern Indian theatre is — aspirational, devised, local, multi-cultural and multi-lingual with phenomenal ease, attention to detail and high quality, and energy at its best.
Naga Mandala
Punjabi (with English surtitles), 90 mins
Presented by: The Company, Chandigarh
Written by: Girish Karnad
Directed by: Neelam Man Singh Chowdhry
Date: November 2
Time: 3.30 pm, 7.30 pm
The communities of the Himalayan region are witnessing the revival of ethnic and religious consciousness This collection engages with the rapid social change and acute identity crises that have emerged in the area from Gilgit to Eastern Nepal.
Neenaanaadre Naaneenena
Kannada, 120 mins
Presented by: Sanket
Written and directed by: S Surendranath
Date: October 31
Time: 3.30 pm, 7.30 pm
Neenaanaadre Naaneenena is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors. Crafted with skill and played out to perfection, the play starts on a high note, only to reach higher octaves as it proceeds. That well-known actors from Kannada TV and big screen form the cast makes it all the more a treat.