In the aftermath of the gargantuan Bharangam of the National School of Drama featuring over 70 productions in several languages, and the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Festival with plays from across the country, theatre activity in Delhi normally comes to a brief stop. But not this year.
Quite immediately two large festivals of local plays have been hosted by two local groups. The Natsamrat Theatre Festival, now in its 16th year, played out at the tiny, well-appointed Mukhtadhara Auditorium. It is unfortunate that this auditorium cannot host ticketed shows. The festival offered a range of plays from the socially relevant to the farcical.
From the out and out comedy Hai Mera Dil to the sentimental study of old age in Sandhya Chaaya, from Einstein on the life of the great physicist to the existential angst of Waiting for Godot, this festival spanned various genres of theatre. A notable addition was inviting five college theatre groups to perform daily after the main shows were over.
Almost simultaneously in the Chittaranjan Bhavan, a 60-seater auditorium, several groups united to create a Theatre for Truth Festival. It featured 14 plays in Bangla, Hindi and English drawn from groups across the capital. A notable addition was the involvement of college theatre groups with their street performances.
A play by special kids, a body sculpting workshop, the reading of a new Bangla play on Karna, a musical from the Bengali Theatre among several other initiatives, added to the festival’s unique character.In yet another alternative performance space in South Delhi, the Tadpole Repertory Company presented their latest production Rakshas—an adaptation of a play from the Soviet era. A little known fact about Vladimir Lenin is that, soon after the Russian Revolution, he laid great emphasis on the support of children’s theatre.
Hall rentals were waived, actors got subsidised housing and all professional adult theatre companies were required to also create special material for child audiences. He hoped in this way to develop an entire generation of Soviet youth who would have imbibed socialist ideals from a young age. But the implementation of any such massive scheme always allows a few to escape from between the cracks. And to ask essential questions.
Evgeny Schwartz was one such playwright and The Dragon on which Rakshas is based was one such play. In a fairytale setting, the play challenges the very foundation of a totalitarian state. And it completely escaped censure at the time. As a result, it is often performed internationally.
With a whimsical touch, theatre director Bikram Ghosh and his team have created a delightful and innovative production that will appeal to both children and adults. Abhinav Khetrapal’s light design adds tremendously to the production. Using shadows, side lighting, unusual sources such as light bouncing off a thali, tube lights and torches, he paints an ever-changing picture. Similarly, the soundscape, that accompanies the text, is designed by Neel Chaudhari and uses buckets, bottles, gongs, a xylophone and various percussion instruments to create a rich aural tapestry.
Supported by an Arts Practice grant from India Foundation of the Arts, it has evolved from its first shows in October 2018. A worthy addition to Tadpole’s repertoire of plays.
The writer is a Delhi-based theatre director who can be contacted at feisal.alkazi@rediffmail.com