BANGALORE: Looking back on this year’s theatrical scene, Kannada theatre attracted non- Kannada theatre lovers. “Kannada theatre has always drawn a certain section of people. But as this year’s festival was a celebration of company theatre, Kannada plays were watched by a diverse crowd.
There were converted footfalls,” said Arundhati Nag of Ranga Shankara. This explains the success of Sadarame, the play presented by B Jayashree. Written by Bellave Narahari Shastry, the story revolves round a middle class girl who marries a prince. Other factors also attributed to the scenario. “Generally, English theatre attracts sponsors when established artistes are involved unlike Kannada theatre which enjoys support from the government and other funding agencies. With very little funding and few public spaces to perform, not much happened on the English theatre scene,” rued Ranji David of Yours Truly Theatre.
Probably a silver lining is the Invisible River. Written by Gautam Raja and directed by Ruchika Chanana, science and religion came together in the play which revolved round the healing-mystic power of Ganges. An established popular vocabulary like Maya Bazaar proved a safe bet this year. Staged during the Ranga Shankara festival, it had trappings of a successful show. The Telugu presentation raised curiosity level of youngsters with its special effects used to depict images of fire and rain. Senior citizens connected nostalgically, since the story had shaped an entire generation.
Moving on, children’s theatre held promise.
Like Sound of Music which was presented in 2005, this year’s Peter and the Wolf staged at Alliance Francaise gave the same degree of pleasure. A musical tale, its highpoint was the various musical instruments which blended with different characters.
It’s difficult to imagine that it was the maiden performance of most children.
“Children’s plays like The First Leaf which was also staged in Kannada as Gumma Banda Gumma were well received. Bordering around fun and fantasy, these plays focused on children bonding together regardless of any barriers,” said artist Nandini Ranji.
Dramatic backdrops, sound and lighting have been put to optimum use. Alarms and Excursions, presented by Sharanya Ramprakash’s Dramanon, drew energy from an original soundtrack and life-like sets created by an NID student, which gave it a cinematic effect. “Apart from stage craft, this year saw a lot of flourish in amateur theatre which is good sign for theatre. It’s to be seen how many will go on to become a good theatre team,” said Kishore Acharya, theatre artist.
Perhaps an innovative way of handling established themes challenges the boundary of theatre and wins audience appreciation.
As theatre-goer Rakhee Lalvani put it, “The cast makes the biggest difference and I look for known talent and director.
The quality of sets and AV, also make a difference on the overall impact. A lot also depends on its director.”
kavita@epmltd.com