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PLAY: SIACHEN

Writer :                               Aditya Rawal

Director :                            Makarand Deshpande

Group :                               72° East Productions, Mumbai

Language :                          Hindi

Duration :                           80 mins

Play

A survival drama about three Indian soldiers, stuck on the Siachen Glacier – the highest, coldest battlefield on earth. After a catastrophic blizzard washed away everything in sight, they are left with no news from the base. The days that follow test their beliefs and their bonds as they wait in hope for an evacuation. Will they survive, and remain sane, before salvation comes – or will ‘General Glacier’ have the final say?

Playwright

Aditya Rawal is a writer and actor from Mumbai. He trained at London International School of Performing Arts (LISPA) before graduating from the Dramatic Writing MFA Program at Tisch School of the Arts, NYU. Aditya has written the feature films Panipat, Dear Father and Jo Tera Hai Woh Mera Hai, due for a late 2023 release. His play, The Queen, received the Best Original Script prize at the New York Innovative Theatre Awards, 2017.

Aditya played the lead role in the feature film, Bamfaad, and the Disney+ Hotstar show, Aar Ya Paar, followed by Faraaz (BFI London Film Festival ’22) and Bambai Meri Jaan (Amazon Prime Video). On stage, he recently played the lead role in the Aadyam and Dragon Rose co- production, As Bees in Honey Drown.

Director

Makarand Deshpande is an award-winning veteran of the stage and the screen. He has worked as a writer, director and actor in both mediums in multiple Indian languages for over 30 years.

His plays include celebrated hits such as Sir Sir Sirla, Joke, Maa In Transit, Pitaji Please, Ram, Shakepearcha Mhatara and his latest play, Manushya. He has donned the directorial hat on 4 feature films and acted in more than a 100, including Satya, Jungle, Sarfarosh, Swadesh, Makdee, Buddah Hoga Terra Baap and Darna Zaroori Hai.

Director’s Note

Siachen Glacier is the highest, coldest battlefield on earth — where no bullet has been fired for 20 years due to a ceasefire between India and Pakistan… Yet, their soldiers are deployed there to face the greatest enemy – mother nature. It is an absurd and tragic conflict, but the play asks: Is it also necessary?

I tried to evoke the irony of this brutal stalemate in the performances and musical score, while retaining the humor of the script. The lighting design creates an otherworldly effect, to track the disintegration of the soldiers. However, sound design and costumes are realistic – to guide the audience effectively into the world of Siachen.

It’s a story of hope, loss and longing – about a soldier’s commitment to duty in the cruelest conditions. I’ve never done a play like Siachen in my career, I believe it will be an important play for our times.

Group

72° East Productions is a group that produces works for the stage and for film. 72°E aims to back plays that are both engaging and relevant to the times we live in. In addition to the new Hindi play, Siachen, they have also produced the English play, The Queen (which enjoyed an award-winning run in New York City in 2017) and the Gujarati film, Dear Father (Amazon Prime Video).

Cast  and Credit

On Stage

Off Stage

PLAY :            BAYEN

Writer :            Mahasweta Devi

Director :         Usha Ganguli

Group :            NSD, Repertory Company, Delhi

Language :      Hindi

Duration :    95 mins

Play

Based on a story by Mahashweta Devi, Bayan is that play which creates awareness about the core expression of her writing, ie socio-economic disparities and the different shades of human life. In her work her characters grapple with illiteracy, superstition, poverty they can be seen entering the darkness, getting caught in it but then, also emerging out of it. Bayan’s Chandi Daasi is one who, at a very young age, is thrown into the work of burying dead animals. By invoking her responsibility towards the work of her ancestors, she is forced to live a live of great hardship. In time she decides to tie the knot with Malinder, a man who works in the government crematorium, and one who takes on her responsibility. However, the same Malinder later declares her to be a ‘bayan’ and Chandi Daasi loses all her rights to live a decent life. She starts believing that her life of inhuman exile is simply the norm.

The play makes a constant effort to show how Chandi, a woman who has to pay the painful price of superstition to the extent of being deprived even of motherhood, also loses the seed of her own consciousness. And that pain and that seed are what bring strength and fertility to thousands of mothers as Chandi and takes them to the pinnacle of their bravery. Finally, her son Bhagirath emerges as the symbol or representative of change in the young generation and is able to ignite the spark of self-respect and dignity.

Author

Mahasweta Devi (14 January 1926 – 28 July 2016 ) was a Bengali fiction writer and social activist. Her notable literary works include Hajar Churashir Maa, Rudali, and Aranyer Adhikar.

Mahashweta Devi wrote over 100 novels and over 20 collections of short stories. Her works are available in different languages. Her first novel, titled Jhansir Rani (1956) was based on a biography of Rani of Jhansi.

In 1964, she began teaching at Bijoygarh College (an affiliated college of the University of Calcuttasystem) while also working as a journalist and a creative writer. In her elaborate fiction, she often depicted the brutal oppression of tribal peoples, women and the untouchables by potent, authoritarian upper-caste.

Mahasweta Devi raised her voice several times against these cruel and inhumane acts from many other platforms apart from writing.

She was honoured with the Sahitya Akademi Award, Jnanpith Award, Ramon Magsaysay Award along with India’s civilian awards Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan.

Director

Usha Ganguli is a renowned theatre activist who is devoted to theatre and whose works are enriched by her scholarly and literary sense and sensibilities. This has been consistently evident in her presentations through Lok Katha, Mahabhoj Holi, Court Martial, Rudali, Kasinama, Mukti, Chandalika, Manasiand Hum Mukhtara, amongst many others.

Usha Ganguli is perhaps the first and only theatre director in India to be directing a play for a Pakistan theatre group called Ajoka Theatre under their two-year long Theatre for Peace project, which includes theatre festivals, workshops, seminars etc. She has directed three short plays based on Saadat Hasan Manto’s women characters named NaamGotrohin (nameless, casteless Manto’s women) for the theatre group Nagorik NatyaS hampraday in Dhaka, Bangladesh; and has also scripted for Rituparno Ghosh’s Raincoat, Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s She, Sandip Ray’s Target, Kalpana Lajmi’s Lohit Kinare and Mrinal Sen’s Kabhi Dur Kabhi Pass.

She has received numerous awards and felicitations including Best Production and Best Director Award (1993-’94) by All India Critic Association and Paschim Banga Natya Academy for Rudali, Best Director Award for Lok Katha by Ritwick Ghatak Memorial Committee, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1998).

She is a revered member of SWAN (South Asia Women’s Network), a wing of SAARC, and the  Scholar in Residence at the Viswa Bharati University.

Director’s Note

In my creative journey in field of theatre, alongwith the works of Rabindranath, Manto, Kabir and Premchand, the works of Mahashweta Devi have also struck me with a strange sharpness and intellectual perceptiveness that moves alongside their human aspects. Even before Rudali or Ganesh mahima, Bayan’s Chandi Daasi had made a place for herself in my memory. Over the past few days, she has been helping this director search for a new vision, sometimes searching for a new theatrical language, shirking from the complexities of realism on the stage, and trying to both give and take in the exchange of creative energies. For the past many years, the prop-less stage has appealed to me and attracted me for many reasons. I believe that minimalism on the stage might be able to help in the search for a new theatre vocabulary as drawn from the power of the actor’s body language, the internally developed characterization the symbolic imagery on stage, and the sounds of music and this is what I kept trying for. ChandiDaasi and her creator Mahashweta Devi, and those human shapes that get lost in the darkness, and then remerge with strength and burn like sparks, are the ones who have been the sources of my inspiration. I am grateful for the writing that gave me a ground filled with social concern as well as with a deep loathing for oppressive and superstitious systems; and I am also filled with much affectionate gratitude for all those fellow theatre artists who have been my companions and fellow travellers in this journey of brining this simple creation to life both on the stage as well as behind it, and from even further beyond that.

Group

Established in 1964 with only 4 members, Rangamandal Company is the regular performing wing of the school. It was established with the dual objective of establishing commercial theater on the one hand and continuing regular experimental work on the other.

Cast and Credit

Female Artist

Male Artist

Off Stage

Play :  PADMAVYUHAM STORY – BURRAKATHA

Writer :            Padhasree Nazer

Director :         Premanandam

Group :            Premanandam Burrakatha Brundah

Language :      Telugu

Duration :        60 min.

Play 

Padmavyuham, a captivating ancient Indian tale, unfolds in the kingdom of Hastinapura. The renowned strategist, Shakuni, devises a cunning plan to avenge the perceived wrongs against his sister Gandhari.

In a high-stakes game of dice, he manipulates the outcome to favor his nephews, the Kauravas, leading to the Pandavas losing their kingdom. The animosity escalates, culminating in the great Kurukshetra-War. Padmavyuham, meaning ‘lotus formation,’ becomes a pivotal strategy employed by the Pandavas in the battle. It involves an intricate military formation resembling a lotus, designed to counter the Kauravas’ superior numbers.

The ensuing war tests familial bonds, loyalty, and the consequences of deceit, illustrating the timeless themes of dharma and justice in Hindu mythology. Ultimately, the Pandavas emerge victorious, but not without significant sacrifices and profound lessons on righteousness.

Playwright

Vedvyas was the esteemed writer of the timeless Indian efpic Mahabharat, one of the greatest ever works of Human values and the righteousness. He is also the author of 18 major Hindu puranas.

Padmavyuham is one of the part of Mahabharatham.

Form

Burra Katha or Burrakatha, is a highly dramatic form of the ballad of Andhra Pradesh.  The Telugu art of oral storytelling technique in the Jangam Katha tradition is performed in villages of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Burra refers to Tambura, a stringed instrument and Katha means a story. It is performed in the coastal Andhra region, Rayalseema and Telangana. The troupe consists of one main performer and two co-performers. It is a narrative entertainment that consists of prayers, solo drama, dance, songs, poems and jokes. The topic can be either a Hindu mythological story (Jangam Katha) or a contemporary social issue. It became a popular art form during the Telangana Rebellion in the early 1930-1950’s.

Shaik Nazar publicized this by performing on various contemporary issues at that time. He is known as ‘Father of Burrakatha’.

It is played on radio and TV regularly in Andhra Pradesh. Previously two performers used to participate in these plays: the storyteller and his wife. The modern form has three performers of any gender.

The main storyteller (kathakudu) narrates the story. He plays tambura and dances to music. He also wears a metal ring called an andelu on his right thumb, holds another ring in his other hand and adds more music by colliding them frequently. The co-performers plays gummeta, the earthen drums with two heads.

Director

The great stalwart of Burrakatha Mandapalli Premanandam was born on March 14, 1962 in Kudupuru village of Gangavaram mandal in East Godavari district, to Naganna-Sathemma couple.

He started his learnings in the form with the ‘Bobbili Yudha’ from master Palivela Lovaraju and gradually chose this art as his career.

Apart from Padmavyuham- Alluri Sitaramaraju, Sita Kalyanam, Veerabhimanyu and Ambedkar are the stories and biographies he performed in Burra Katha in public, and for Alluri Radio and Tv.

In 1990, he took part in Burrakathalu competitions under the Chilakaluripet Kalanilayam and won the third place for Alluri Katha and made his career stand out. In 1991, he won the second place in the competitions held in Draksharam. In 1992, he was selected as the best storyteller in the Jangareddygudem competitions, and, was honored by the then Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, the same year. In 2011, he was awarded by the then Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, as he was felicitated by the Department of Culture.

Born in a small village Kudupuru, he grew up to perform in Australia as well: as in 2013, he performed at World Telugu Festival held on April 12 and 13 under the aegis of Ranki Foundation, Sydney, Australia.  He performed burrakatha in the movie ‘Ookodatara Ulikki Padtara’ and performed Burrakatha in front of lakhs of audience at Visakha RK Beach in 2018 in Ugadi Rangasthalam-pre-release event. Premanandam became a well-rounded educator in leading his art form.

He was selected as a Burrakatha teacher by the South Central Zone Cultural Center Nagpur to promote the schemes of the Central and State Governments.

Director’s note :

Burrakatha started as devotional songs of nomadic people and became a popular art form. It is played on radio and TV regularly in Andhra Pradesh. It is a 20th-century name for the theater show known as Jangam Katha. The jangams lingayats were wandering minstrels who worshiped, and sang of, Lord Siva.

At the time of my  fourth standard, Luke Babu Rao, a burrakatha artiste, came to my school and performed Burrakatha. I saw the joys, sorrows, anxiety, excitement in that play and was inspired a lot. I got interested in that art and learned the Burrakatha from Lovaraju sir at the age of 16. It was the story of Padmavyuha written by Padmashri nazar that struck my mind, after that I wanted to direct it in Burrakatha. Not this only, I directed many stories and biographies as Burrakatha. I was very passionate about this Burrakatha art and I love my profession as an artiste of Burrakatha. Now, It’ up to you, the esteemed audiences, to estimate the journey- welcome to the show Padmavyuha!

Group

The ‘Premanandam Burrakatha Brundham’ was formed by Mandapalli Premanandam himself in the year 1978. The prime objective of the Brundham is to propagate and spread the form Burrakatha across the world, and initiating the training to nurture and prepare the coming generations of the Burrakatha. Group has travelled Nationally and Internationally widely to give the performances.

Cast & Credit

On Stage

Narrator :        Mandapalli premanandam

Vachanam :     Gorrela Ramam

Comedian :     Garaga thammi Raju

CASTING

Director :                              Lika Rulla

Assistant director :               Ruslan Oskanov

Language :                           Russian

Duration :                            80 min

Lika Rulla is a theater and film actress, a leading actress in the musical genre, and a teacher. She graduated from the Theater Institute in Yekaterinburg, majoring in theater and film actress. After graduating from the institute, she worked as a leading actress at the Smolensk Drama Theater.

Since 2001 she has lived and worked in Moscow.

She Played leading roles in the musicals:

‘CHICAGO’

‘We will Rock You’

‘MAMMA MIA!’ ‘ZORRO’

‘Cinderella’

‘Romeo and Juliet’

‘Monte Cristo’, ‘Count Orlov’, ‘Anna Karenina’, ‘Courtesan’

‘Primetime’ etc.

She has been teaching since 2004. She worked as a speech teacher at I. Krutoy’s Star Factory-4.

Since 2016 doing, a master course in the specialty ‘Musical Artist’ at GITIS at the Faculty of Musical Theater.

Its graduates successfully perform in leading theaters in Moscow and St. Petersburg and act in films.

So, Russian Institute of Theater Arts – GITIS offers a class-concert ‘Casting’ performed by graduate students of the GITIS musical theater faculty.

«Casting»

This frightening and at the same time encouraging word exists in the life of every artist.

Before going out on the day of the premiere, the musical artist goes through this test every time, from project to project: fill out a participant form, learn a suitable aria, prepare a choreographic sequence, save with excitement, then give it 100% and, most importantly, I’m sure you’re the best.

How does this happen?

Who’s lucky?

We offer you our version of the development of events.

Do you think the casting lasts a few hours or is our whole life a casting?

Number of participants: 16 students, director, sound engineer and dance teacher. Total 19 people.

Cast and Credits

On Stage

Students :

Off Stage

Professor :                      Rulla Anzhelika

Sound Directоr :             Khlepitko Aleksandr

Dance Teacher :           Kostetskaia Oksana

Choreographer :             Victoria Kanatkina

Assistant director :         Ruslan Oskanov

Director :                        Lika Rulla

PLAY :           RUKMINI HARAN

Writer :            Srimanta Sankardeva

Director :         Bhaben Barbayan

Group :            Uttar Sankardev Kristi Sangha, Majuli, Assam

Language :      Assamese

Duration :        90 Min.

Play

Rukmini-Haran is acquired from Harivamsam and Bhagavata Purana. It has its storyline based on love and union, blood and conflict. Rukmini, the daughter of King Bhismaka of Kundina falls in love with Lord Krishna. Both were deeply in love with each other, but Rukma, Rukmini’s brother, is against their relationship. He chooses a prince Sisupala for his sister. The marriage was arranged and Prince Sisupala with his associates came to Kundina for marriage. Rukmini, on the other hand, extremely worried and terrified, sends her message to Krishna through Vedanidhi, the royal priest acting as messenger. Krishna, on receiving Rukmini’s letter, starts off instantly from Dwaraka to Kundina. On the other hand princes from different territories began gathering for the wedding ceremony. Rukmini, after offering obeisance at the Bhavani temple, appears before the guests. To utter dismay of Sisupala, Krishna arrives there and elopes with Rukmini in his chariot.

Group

Sattra are a kind of medieval Vaishnava religious institution forded with the explicit purpose of propagating the Bhakti movement, conceptualized by Srimanta Sankardeva, the great saint preacher, playwright, artist, philosopher and social reformer in 15th,16th century Assam. Badulapadma Ata established Uttar Kamalabari Sattra in the year 1673 in Majuli,Assam.

 ‘Uttar Kamalabari Sattra, Sankardev Kristi Sangha’  a cultural organization was formed at Uttar Kamalabari Sattra (Majuli,Assam) on 23 Dec. 1976, with an objective to improve and spread Sattriya art and culture with a good artistic ability among the people of the country. Since its inception, the organization has been able to introduce a good number of artists each year and serving the country exhibiting Sattriya art and culture nationally & internationally. Many artists of this institution have been successfully able to gain cultural pension from the State and Central Government. One couple of aged renowned Sattriya artists of this particular institution Adhyapak Paramananda Barbayan and Oja Adhyapak Gopiram Borgayan Burabhakat have won Sangeet Natak Academy Award in 2000, Tagore Academy Award in 2011 and the Padmashree in 2021 respectively. Another aged member (at present outside of the monastery) Jogen Dutta Bayan won Sangeet Natak Academy Award in 2013. Initiative of this institution is conducting the dance workshops, lecture-demonstrations and seminars for academic as well as artistic purpose.

Director’s Note

This drama is noted for its attempts to depict the love of Krishna for his devotees and his competence is also rightly justified in the play. On being deceived Sisupala and Rukma along with other princes call for a battle with Krishna. Krishna proves his prowess and wins over them. On Rukmini’s appeal Krishna pardons her brother Rukma. Krishna and Rukmini were finally married at Dwaraka. Here, in the play the character of Rukmini is well portrayed as a woman in divine love with her lover. Being the central character of the play Rukmini is projected as a woman with intense dignity, wise with unfathomable love and adornment for her lover. The other characters are also portrayed with sympathy and insight. Sankardeva possibly portrayed these scenes in order to create an atmosphere of popular appeal. The drama mainly focuses on Dance, Abhinay, Tall, Raag, Geet (music), Brijawali language, Traditional Maku-up etc.

Director

Adhyapak Bhoben Barbayan was born in 1962 at a village called Uzuati in Majuli, Assam. At around the age of five, he was sent to Uttar Kamalabari sattra by his parents to grow up as a celibate  neo-Vaishnava artiste/devotee. Since then, leaving behind all the family love and care, Barbayan has committed his whole life towards practicing and continuing the sattriya dance, drama and music tradition.

Residing at Uttar Kamalabari sattra (a Hindu neo-Vaishnava monastery) in Majuli, Assam, he has been, since 1980s, working as a lead traditional artiste of different genres of sattriya dance, drama, and music. He also works at the same sattra as a director of Ankianat (a genre of one act play based on mythical stories) tradition. Apart from that, Adhyapak Barbayan has recently taken the responsibility of working as a conductor of sattriya music. He teaches traditional sattriya dance, drama, and music every year to more than hundreds of students through the Gurukul system.

Cast and Credit

OneRK

Writer – Director :              Imtiaz Ahamed

Group :                               Kamla Chhabra Repertory Company of MCCC, Mumbai

Language :                          Hindi

Duration :                           90 minis

Play

OneRK (One Room Kitchen) is a poignant and relatable play that delves into the lives of young migrants and strugglers hailing from smaller towns and villages who flock to bustling metropolitan cities in pursuit of a brighter future marked by wealth and success. In these cities, they find themselves forced to coexist in one-room kitchen apartments due to financial constraints, forming a unique community of hope and uncertainty. The play vividly portrays their initial struggles, dreams, and camaraderie within the confined living spaces, where friendships are forged, and aspirations are kindled. As they start their journeys from these modest abodes, the characters disperse into the unknown, symbolising the uncertainty that lies ahead in their quest for a better life. ‘One Room Kitchen’ serves as a powerful reflection of the aspirations, challenges, and shared experiences of young migrants in the urban landscape.

Playwright – Director

Imtiaz Ahamed is a Post Graduate in Dramatics from National School of Drama (NSD) – batch of 2004. He has been doing theatre for more than 25 years. He has worked as an actor in NSD repertory company for one year, and has conducted many theatre workshops under NSD’s extension Program and individually. Since graduating from Drama School in 2004, he has acted in more than 100 plays & directed more than 40 plays. He has also worked as a Music Director in more than 50 Plays, and acted in films like Rocket Singh, Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl, Shuddh Desi Romance, Fan, etc. Along with films, he has done many serials like Crime Patrol, Savdhaan India, CID, Aapki Antra, Muskaan, Sambhav Kya, etc. In his writing corner, he has some unpublished plays like Sard Hawayein, One RK, and some poetries and short stories.

Director’s Note

‘OneRK’ is not just a play; it’s a window into the lives of everyday people, their dreams, struggles, and the simple yet profound moments that define their existence. The play takes place within the confines of a One Room Kitchen (OneRK) apartment, and within those walls, we explore the vastness of human emotions and connections.

Our talented cast and crew have worked diligently to capture the essence of the characters and the world they inhabit. Every interaction, every piece of dialogue, and every gesture is a piece of a larger puzzle that we invite you to solve. As you watch the story unfold, you may find yourself reflecting on your own experiences and the significance of the relationships in your life.

‘OneRK’ is a testament to the power of storytelling and how it can bridge the gap between the ordinary and the extraordinary. It reminds us that the smallest spaces can hold the biggest emotions. We hope that as you watch the play, you’ll connect with the characters and their journeys in a way that resonates with your own.

After the performance, we encourage you to engage in discussions with your fellow audience members, to share your thoughts and interpretations.

 Thank you for being a part of this experience, and we hope you enjoy the performance.

Group

The Kamla Chhabra Repertory Company is a dynamic and innovative theatre group dedicated to the art of live performance. Founded by Mukesh Chhabra, in the fond memory of his mother late Shrimati Kamla Chhabra.

With a diverse ensemble of talented & trained actors, designers, and technicians, dancers and musicians the Kamla Chhabra Repertory Company consistently delivers powerful and thought provoking performances. Their repertoire spans a wide range of genres and themes, from classic plays to cutting-edge, experimental productions, always pushing the boundaries of artistic expression.

This theatre group fosters a deep connection with its audience, sparking important conversations and fostering a love for the theatrical arts. The Kamla Chhabra Repertory Company continues to be a shining example of excellence in the world of theatre, captivating and inspiring audiences with each new production.

Cast and Credit

On Stage

Dance Team

Back Stage

JUNGLEE MIRCH KA ISHKIYA GHOL

Writer :                               William Shakespeare

Director – adaptation :        Nupur Chitale

Group :                               NSD Diploma Production, New Delhi

Language :                          Hindi

Duration :                           80 mins

Play

Our play ‘Junglee Mirch ka Ishkiya Ghol’ brings in a new definition of Shakespeare’s ‘A midsummer night’s dream. This is a story of love. ‘Love’ which seeps in the social strata in different forms. This story speaks in favour of matriarchy. The story has been woven with consideration of contemporary times in such a way that it creates a new magical world of dreams and desires.

Hero of this play is a labourer (Bottom) who chooses his simple wife (Bottomi) over Jungle queen (Titaniya).

Urban lifestyle is submerged in tribal culture and conflicts of characters in such a way that it acts as a political bridge between romance, drama, womanhood and reality. The protagonist of this play is a Jungle queen (Titaniya) who loses in the battle of heart but wins the ultimate power throne. The scenic design expresses Indian culture and aesthetic in such a way that creates newness of exotica. Characters of lovers (Lysander, Harmia, Demetrius and Helena) are conceived in a way that creates a postmodern conflict which uplifts the story beyond gender.

Playwright

Junglee mirch ka ishqiya ghol is a play based on Shakespeare’s A midsummer night’s dream.

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England’s national poet and the ‘Bard of Avon’

Junglee mirch ka ishqiya ghol is adapted and scripted in a witty yet thoughtful manner by the director herself. While adapting, Nupur has rearranged the storyline and characters in such a way that it highlights the  undercurrents of gender, power, lust and desire.

Director

Nupur is the founder of Leela arts foundation and has been working in the field of theater since her childhood. She completed her post graduation from National school of drama, New Delhi by pursuing specialization in design and direction in 2023. Currently she is stationed in Maharashtra and works with rural and tribal artists to create community arts. Nupur is also known for her works as an actor in Marathi television and films.

Junglee mirch ka ishkiya ghol is play based on Shakespeare’s  A midsummer night’s dream.

Finely

Director’s Note

In society, individuals are categorized as either established or marginalized, and determining my place in these groups proves challenging. Coming from a Hindu-Brahmin upper-middle-class background, I was ingrained with a sense of superiority. However, a decade of living beyond my home has prompted a reality check, questioning not only my family’s values but societal norms and caste-based beliefs.

‘Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ once a beloved romantic play, now reveals the harsh realities of love and desire, transforming into a protest play with socio-political undercurrents. Attempting to adapt it, I grapple with an existential crisis, torn between embracing tribal life and adhering to puritanical constraints ingrained in my upbringing. Choosing this play is driven by its problematic depiction of female characters, prompting me to challenge and reinterpret their portrayal through a contemporary feminist lens in 2023.

Group

This is a presentation of the Graduate Performance Wing (Class of 2023) of the National School of Drama. Its objective is to provide a platform to emerging artists to present their work to a wider audience.

Cast and Credit

On Stage

Off Stage

CHICKEN TIKKA

Writer – Director :    Sandeep Rawat

Group :                     Samarth Theatre Group, Delhi

Language :               Hindi

Duration :                 mins

Play

The play, Chicken Tikka serves the recipe for the best chicken tikka ever made in the history of tikka making. This recipe is served with a special human touch where few men and women are trapped in a dystopian setup to cook the best tikka. Their involvement in the process of the recipe unfolds their characters’ association with the outcome, where each individual has to deal with their prejudices.

The entire procedure from having the best chicken pieces to preparation of the best marination, to mixing the right amount of spices, to blending it well forms Unity in Diversity. From having the right color to having the right quantity, everything is meticulously performed under the guidance of a Man in Power running the operation.  But this chicken tikka is not just for non-vegetarians. This time it will interest vegetarians too.

Director

Sandeep Rawat is a Lecturer, Theatre Director, Writer, and Drama Curriculum expert. His areas of interest that he has been exploring for the past decade are Western Acting Techniques, Western Theatre Philosophy, Design, and Direction. He is the Founder-Director and head Faculty of the Delhi-based Drama Institute, Samarth Theatre Group. He is a faculty at the Department of Education, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee College, University of Delhi. He is a recipient of the Rex Karamveer  Chakra Award instituted with the United Nations, for Samarth Theatre Group and has been selected as Young Director 2024 by Sahitya Kala Parishad, Delhi.

He donned the director’s hat for more than 40 plays namely Tagore’s Women, The Open Couple, Khaamosh Adalat Jaari Hai, Mother Courage And Her Children, Rumors, The Storyteller, Ten Little Indians, Amrita, Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay!, Arsenic and Old Lace, Kutti, Sapiens, Vijay Kahan Hai? and Depth With No Exit, Sawant Auntee Ki Ladkiyan. Because of My Name, and Chicken Tikka among others.

Director’s Note

The beginning of the chicken tikka play was witnessed one day while observing the making of chicken tikka, a strange thought crossed my mind, “Can we also be skewered like this someday?”  This question became connected to topics like mob lynching, and research work was initiated with actors. Firstly, the recipe for making chicken tikka was understood, and then it was integrated into the research and this play was hence devised. Conversations and debates among the actors were gradually transcribed, eventually taking the form of a script.

This play is not just a concept; it has been transformed into a play and reached the stage. I have more questions than answers, and that’s what I want to give my audience.

What is chicken Tikka?

How is chicken Tikka made?

Group

Samarth Theatre Group was founded on 15 January 2014 by Sandeep Rawat and Deepika Bisht with the motivation to make theatre available to all and give a platform to individuals desirous of Training in theatre. Since then they are trying to look out for a new grammar for theatre. Today Samarth Theatre Group having produced more than 40+ productions and 300+ graduates since its inception has taken the shape of a reputed theatre company where students also get trained through a rigorous curriculum called ‘Acting & Theatre Arts’ Here, students are taught all the practical and theoretical aspects of acting and theatre arts by renowned drama teachers and directors from India.

Cast and Credit

ANTIGONE

Writer :          Sophocles

Director:        Chandan Kumar

Group:           N.S.D. Diploma Production, New Delhi

Language:      Hindi

Duration:       60 Minutes

Play

Antigone is a Greek play written by Sophocles around 400 BC. The story is about a girl named Antigone who wants to bury her brother, killed in the war, with due rites, and honors, while her maternal uncle, the ruler of Kingdom issues an order to not to bury him. Antigone disobeys the edict and buries her brother’s dead body. As punishment, King Creon orders that Antigone be mured alive. Antigone is fiancee of Creon’s son Haemon, who could not stand it and commits suicide. Creon’s wife and Haemon’s mother gives up her life after hearing the news of her son’s death. In the end only Creon survives!

 Playwright

Sophocles was the descendant of the Greek dramatist Aeschylus and a contemporary of Euripides. He was born in Colonus, a village beyond the walls of Athens. His father, Sophilus, was a wealthy, armors-manufacturer. Sophocles was highly educated. When he was only 16 years, he was chosen to lead the paean (a choral chant to god) in 480 B.C., for his charming built, athletic and musical skills, to celebrate the Greek victory over the Persians at the battle field of Salamis.The relatively scant informations available about Sophocles’ civic life suggests that he was a popular figure who actively participated in his community and displayed great artistic potentials. In 442 B.C., in the Delian League he served as one of the treasurers-responsible for collecting and managing tribute-money from the specific associates of Athens. In 440 B.C., he was selected as one of the 10 generals (executive officials at Athens) as a junior colleague of Perisilis. Later in 411 B.C., at the age of about 83, Sophocles was again selected as one of the commissioners (Probouloi) who responded to the catastrophic destruction of the Athenian expeditionary force in Sicily during the Peloponnesian War. The last authentic work of Sophocles was, before the festival, in 406 B.C., leading a chorus mourning his dead rival Euripides. Sophocles died in the same year.

Sophocles penned a total of seven plays in his lifetime – Oedipus Rex, Philoctetes, Oedipus at Colonus, Electra, Ajax, Antigone, The Trachiniae.

In his timeless ‘Poetics’, the great Greek philosopher Aristotle used Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex as an example of the highest achievement in the tragedy.

Director

Chandan Kumar is an actor and director from Begusarai, Bihar. He completed his training in theater at National school of drama, New Delhi with specialization in direction in 2023. Chandan is known for his musical productions based on Bihari folks-like, Gabarghichor, Bidesiya, etc. He has worked with great theatre mentors like Anuradha Kapur, Prasanna and others. Currently Chandan is put up in New Delhi and working in the field of theatre and visual arts.

Director’s Note

In the present time, the need to perform this play is felt, so that a possible harmony can be created between ideas and humanity. The tragedy of this play is quite pathetic which shocks my humanity at personal level. The characteristic of Greek tragedy is that it teaches man to test the criterion of humanity by crying over his mistakes, or say- innocently. The story is about a fun-loving family who go on making mistakes one by one in delusions, and end up destroying everything.

Many times I get scared by the tragedy of this play and think that Antigone could have prevented the destruction that happened later; at least that, what happened to her. But, then it seems to be my own fear. Antigone was on the path of humanity, and I think that there is no need to be afraid. The tragedy that happened to Antigone is perhaps necessary for building a sophisticated humane society. In this struggle of destruction and construction, it becomes necessary to protect the tender feelings of human beings. At a time, when I am scared as an artist, this story thrills me.

I want to make this drama with such unresolved questions and feelings. Its structure should be like a mythical lecture. There is a conflict between two ideas. There are two types of tension in it – one is emotional, and the other- a political one. As I discussed the ideas and humanity earlier. both these situations run parallel in the journey of the play and make us aware of various aspects of the lives of the characters. For example, such scenes that are described are played, and there are scenes that are described. We will transform the music, the scene, the dialogue and the pace of the actor into our own self, so that many times, coming out of the original play, we may address the story of the play with our own identity. Everyone thinks for one thought.

Group

This is a presentation of the Graduate Performance Wing (Class of 2023) of the National School of Drama. Its objective is to provide a platform to emerging artists to present their work to a wider audience.

Cast  and Credit

On Stage

Off Stage

Play :                 AARMIN PATHER

Writer :               Gh. Mohi Ud Din Aajiz

Director :            Shaah-E- Jahan Ahmad Bhagat

Group :               National Bhand Theatre, Wathora,Chadoora, Budgam. J&K (UT)

Language :         Kashmiri

Duration :           60 min.

Play

Aaarmin Pather is a very popular Kashmiri Folk Play. A Pather mostly depends on suggestive costumes speech, gestures and emotions and without any realistic or set succeeds in gripping the attention of spectators for hours together. The word pather is derived from sanskrit term patre meaning dramatic personal while Bhand is from another Sanskrit term Bhanna one of the forms of satirical and realistic dramas. Unlike Bhana which is usually a monologue Bhand Pather is a Drama, involving many characters lampooning the evil in society.

The characters involved in the play are Arum, Armen, gare pathuk (son-in[1]law) and Maskhara. The languages used are Kashmiri,No special costumes are used apart from the usual typical Kashmiri dress.

Director

Born on 23 January 1981 in village Balapora Wathoora Chadoora J&K Shah-e-Jahan Ahmad Bhagat Belongs to Gharana dar Bhand family affiliated with theatre. He inherited the art of performing Bhand Pather from his father Gh. Mohi.u.Din Aajiz of traditional Bhand Gharana of Wathoora Kashmir, and has further received redesigning training in Bhand Pather from Sh. Moti Lal Kemmu/Sh. Balwant Thakur for two years, and participated in the folk plays Aka Nundun & Heemal Nagri. Also received scholarship from C.C.R.T. New Delhi. Being a traditional family artist he has been taking part in pather plays as an actor and dancer, having been exposed since childhood to the National Bhand Theatre and has made a mark as a young talent in early life and performed widely. Has also acted and directed in television serials for doordarshan. He received  the Ustad Bismilla Khan Yuva Puraskar by Sangeet Natak Akademi in the year 2009.

Director’s Note

Aarmin Pather, a Kashmiri historical folk play is written/collected by well known Kashmiri writter Gh. Mohi di Aajiz.

This pather depicts the lifestyle of aarem (Vegetable Farmers) section of the society.They used to marry their girls in a different manner. Here the groom had to leave his house to gain entry into brides house and live there. And when it came to offer a man for begaar (forced labour), a worst form of extortion and exploitation, to the ruler, they would offer their son-in-law. So the play condemns the menace of begaar and at the same time ridicules the people to rise against the system to make themselves free from tyrants. Child marriage custom is also depicted and condemned.

Playwright

Gh Mohi Ud Din Aajiz writes and collects the Aarmin Pather. He lives in a famous Cultural village of Wathoora, Tehsil Chadoora, Budgam. He belongs to Classical Soofiyana / Bhand Gharana (GHARANA) of Wathoora. He received best Direction Awards from JK Academy-1996, Best Direction Award from NZCC-2009. Best Costume Award from JKFMAC 2011 and National Lavel certificate of Honour by Kashmir Society International-2020.

His Published work includes Moulana Roome (translation of 12 stories in Kashmiri), Bhand Pather te Rang Bavach (collection of 5 Bhand Pather), Pather Chu Jaari Collection of Folk Plays of Gh. Ali Majboor, Soone Meeras IV- 2nd collection of seven traditional Bhand Pather’s and Mani Sawi Depi a collection of Kashmiri Phrases.

Cast & Credit

On Stage

Off Stage

Nasir Ahmad, Javaid Ahmad Bhagat, Abid Ahmad Bhagat, Bilal Ahmad Bhagat, Zeshan Riyaz, Shakir Mushtaq, Rameez Hilal

Play :                NEELA BHOOMI

Writers :            Prarthana Chettri, Tamilarasi R

Director :          Tamilarasi R

Group :             NSD Diploma Production, New Delhi

Language :        English & Hindi

Duration :         75 mins

Play

This play is about a lesbian couple who both are theatre artists. One of them is a writer/director and the other an actor. They have recently moved in to a new house which they are trying to make into their home. They find out that there are rats in the house. The play deals with how they continue to live their lives, all the while dealing with the ‘rats’. The play makes space for the mundaneness of life, the excitement of little shared joys in the everyday as well as the challenges. And that’s it! That’s the play.

Playwright

Prarthana Chettri is a theatre artist from Kalimpong, North Bengal. She has completed one year residential course from National School of Drama, Sikkim Theatre Training Centre in the year 2016. She has worked as an artist in the Repertory Company of National School of Drama, Sikkim for 6 years. Currently, she is an acting student in the National School of Drama, New Delhi. She has conducted various theatre workshops and has written short plays and solo pieces that were staged in Kalimpong, and Sikkim.

Director-Playwright

Tamilarasi R. is an independent theatre artist, working on issues of gender and sexuality. Her theatre career began in Chennai, Tamilnadu, with Marappachi theatre trust, in 2013, as an actor. She is an alumnus of the National School of Drama, New Delhi, with a specialization in Design and Direction along with a special interest in writing, directing and light designing. She intends to creat and share art with a sense of responsibility to embrace the essential intrinsic diversity of people and the various ways they express in, through various modes of performance.

Director’s note

I want to imagine a world. A dream world. A world without problems. A world where love is the norm. People tell me ‘that’s boring, undramatic’. They are right. I have nothing to prove them wrong. I surrender.

Do you want to surrender?

This was the question that kept me going through the process of writing and directing the play Neela Bhoomi. The shape of the play emerged from my own personal craving to see a happy and healthy lesbian couple. What if there was a lesbian love story without the usual social stigma and the challenges that come with them? What if a play could showcase everyday life of a lesbian couple with all its mundaneness?

I hope the sheer simplicity and reality of this often unseen life on stage will provide rest, solace, and a deep yet simple joy to members of the queer community and all those who wish to see a world where everyone can live everyday lives in a society where ONLY love is the norm. 

Group

This is a presentation of the Graduate Performance Wing (Class of 2023) of the National School of Drama. Its objective is to provide a platform to emerging artists to present their work to a wider audience.

CREDITS

On Stage

Aditi Gautam

Tsering Lhamo

Off Stage

Play :                  Babuji 

Writer :               Vibhanshu Vaibhav

Director :            Rajesh Singh

Group :               NSD Repertory Company, New Delhi

Language :         Hindi

Duration :           120 Minutes

Play

In a way, Babuji plays represent every person in our society who wants to live life with his own freedom and conditions. The protagonist of the play, Babuji, is a hero who wants to keep the artist inside him alive along with social responsibilities in his life. His mind is engrossed in folk drama like Nautanki, but due to his love for this drama, his own family life is also shattered. He is thrown out of his own house. Despite all this, the beat of the tabla and the echo of the harmonium remain with him till his last breath.

Playwright

Mithileshwar is a well-known name in Hindi story. Born on 31 December 1950 in Baisadih village of Bhojpur district in Bihar, India, he is a Hindi writer famous for writing on rural areas of India. His stories are a poignant portrayal of the psyche of the poor, exploited people in the villages or those going through diverse circumstances in rapidly industrializing modern India.

His major works are- Babuji, Meghna Ka Nirnaya, Harihar Kaka, Chal Khusro Ghar Aapne (story collection) Junia, Yuddhsthal, Prem Na Badi Upaje and Ant Nahi (novel).

Director’s Note

When I thought of doing it with the Repertory, I came to know that this play was performed by Rang Vibhuti Late B.V. Karanth ji for the first time with Shri Ram Center Repertory. He has used the endangered folk and nautanki style in this play.

Nautanki is one of North India’s most popular folk opera theatre forms. Before the advent of Bollywood, Nautanki was the biggest entertainment- medium in the villages and towns of North India. Nautanki’s rich musical compositions and humorous, gripping stories have a profound impact on the imagination of rural people. Therefore, I have tried to keep the folk songs composed by Kanratji in the play intact, yes, considering the graph and tone of the play, I have used two more folk songs separately. The play is a tribute from us artistes to our inspirational and most venerable revered Late Shri B.V. Karanth ji.

Director

A graduate from Bihar University, Rajesh Singh received his initial training in theatre from Shri Ram Centre for Performing Arts, New Delhi. He also worked as an artiste with the Sahitya Kala Parishad Repertory and Shri Ram Center Repertory. In 2006, he graduated from the National School of Drama with specialization in theatre Techniques and design and studied Theatre Design, Direction and Stage Management at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, United Kingdom in 2008-09.

He developed his own special style of design and direction. His acclaimed directorial works include  ‘Rara’, ‘Raag Darbari’, ‘Babuji’ etc. In 2009, he was awarded the Mahindra Award for Music design of the play Laila Majnu directed by Prof. Ram Gopal Bajaj. He was awarded the Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar by the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi for Visual  design, and Virendra Narayan Samman in the year 2017. He was a member of the Review Committee at the 54^th International Film Festival of India (IFFI). He is currently the Cheif of the National School of Drama Repertory.

Adaptation

Born in Pratapgarh in 1965, Vibhanshu Vaibhav is a multi-faceted playwright, actor, director, screenplay- dialogue writer and drama trainer. After graduating from Allahabad University, he obtained a diploma in dramatics from the Bhartendu Natya Academy, Lucknow. From 1987 to 1992, he worked as an actor at Shri Ram Center, Delhi and was also the Chief of the Repertory. Vibhanshu Vaibhav has directed and written many plays, including Maharathi, Babuji, Kaho To Boloon, Thumri, Manthan, Panchali, Gunda Sol Saga, Naseebonwali, Tarsat Jiyara Hamar, Chuttan Dubey Ke Sapne, Shab-B-Khair, Na Main Dharmi Na Adharmi etc.

He has been honored with many prestigious awards of the country along with the Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for playwriting.

Group

Established in 1964 with only 4 members, the Repertory Company is the regular performing department of the school. It was established with the twin objectives of establishing professional theatre on the one hand and continuing regular experimental work on the other.

Cast and Credit

On Stage

Off Stage