Waman Kendre, the director of National School of Drama (NSD), has taught theatre for more than 30 years now. He holds the maximum pride in two things—his students and his stage shows. Presenting the 17th edition of the annual Bharat Rang Mahotsav, he stands proud by each of the 82 plays being showcased.
The festival that started on February 1 will go on till February 18. Of course, there will be many stories that will be narrated in the form of plays as part of the presentation, but besides that, there will also be some first-time features like rock shows by various college bands, lectures and demonstrations by people like Kathak maestro Birju Maharaj, and photographer Raghu Rai. Seminars will also be conducted to highlight important issues that the world of drama is facing today. An upcoming one is titled Marginal in the Market of Theatre, which is a three-day programme, starting today, going on till February 10.
Taking the spirit of the festival outside Delhi, a parallel festival is being organised in other cities as well, comprising a small selection of plays from the main stage. Kendre tells us that the initiative took some planning before it could be implemented, but they’ve managed to extend the ethos of the fest to cities like Lucknow, Bhopal, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Jaipur and Amritsar in the last few years. This time round, it travels to Imphal and Guwahati. A host of international scripts will also find a chance to come alive during the theatre fest. Artistes from the US, the UK, China, Poland, France and Bangladesh, among others, are all lining up to show their talent. One of the plays to watch out for is Israeli play Postal Delivery to God, directed by Ruthie Osterman and Amit Zarka. Being staged on February 12, the narrative deals with two pious girls in search of God. The characters present a dialogue of conflict with the creator.
Another interesting feature of the programme is the mini market place that’s been set up at NSD. Books, jewellery and other trinkets are up for sale. Don’t miss the food stalls too. For date, time, venue and price details, log on to nsdtheatrefest.com. You can also call the information desk at the venue.