So what happens next? This is the kind of anticipation and excitement that Divya Bhatia, a veteran of the performing arts, holds as a benchmark for a good play. If the audience doesn’t look wide-eyed, eager for what’s to come next, the show is a no-show. Doubtless, that’s not going to happen at Aadyam, an Aditya Birla Group Initiative, aiding and helping the theatre space grow. Over the next eight months, it’ll be presenting 45 shows of five new plays in Mumbai and Delhi. It’ll set a great stage for story-telling, says its artistic director Bhatia, who, over the years, has told many a tale by the virtue of being a performer, director and facilitator.
Lighting the stage with their portrayals will be eminent groups like Rage Theatre, Masque, QTP, Arpana and Akvarious, as they enact new productions. “Each narrative, in its own way, responds to an aspect of our lives in the city, therefore, the telling is modern. Yet, they vary in style,” says Bhatia, who feels that the power of each story lies not just in its content, but also in its telling.
Grateful that there are hundreds and thousands of tales of human experience that have had a vast and deep impact over centuries, Bhatia feels those must be narrated again and again. “Each period and every era had its own significant story line-up and they were all inspiring,” he smiles.
The productions that you could watch out for are The Merchant of Venice, a cult play by Shakespeare; The God of Carnage about two sets of parents wanting to settle a matter relating to their children in a civilised manner but end up in chaos; The Siddhus Of Upper Juhu, a comedy based on life in a metro; Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon, a musical; and finally, The Hound of the Baskervilles. “I have to watch The God of Carnage, as I’m a parent with two children in school. It should be interesting,” says Bhatia, scurrying to the rehearsal room in the distance, before it’s late.
Date On till August 23 in Delhi
Time Log on to www.aadyam.co.in/schedule.php
Venue Kamani Auditorium, Copernicus Marg
Tickets Available at www.bookmyshow.com and at the venue on the day of the show, and a day prior.