Published Oct 28, 2023 | 10:00 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 28, 2023 | 10:00 AM
With the theme Narratives & Narratives, the festival will showcase six different ways of presenting theatre. (Supplied)
If you are a theatre lover, you’d know that October here in Bengaluru is festival time! One of the most awaited theatre festivals of the country, the Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival is back with its 19th edition.
With the theme Narratives & Narratives, the festival will showcase plays that explore a distinct ways of approaching narratives.
A still from ‘Jo Dooba So Paar’. (Supplied)
“We have chosen six plays that show six different ways of dealing with their narratives. These are not plays that normally come to Bengaluru. They are all Broadway-kind of experimental shows. So I urge the Bengaluru audience to give these people who have come from around the country a resounding welcome by watching their plays,” Arundhati Nag, founder and managing trustee of Ranga Shankara.
The six plays lined up for the festival are Slices of the Moon Swept by the Wind by Ranga Shankara, Jo Dooba So Paar by aRANYA Theatre Group, Urmila by Adishakti, Patigalum by Thinainilavaasigal, Ghanta Ghanta Ghanta Ghanta Ghanta by Asakta Kalamanch and Mahilabharatha by Drushya Rangatanda.
The festival begins with Slices of the Moon Swept by the Wind, a reading of S Surendranath’s novella by Arundhati.
‘Jo Dooba So Par’ by Ajitesh Gupta is a musical take on the life of Ameer Khusrau. (Supplied)
She tells South First “In the play, the reader does not do any dramatization or acting. The audience is instigated to build their own word pictures. It’s unlike a regular play where you have actors, set and costumes. Here, the play allows the audience to shut their eyes and listen.”
Meanwhile, the play Jo Dooba So Par by Ajitesh Gupta is a musical dastaan that traces the life of Ameer Khusrau, weaving interesting talks and anecdotes in the format of a Dastangoi.
“The play is a musical Dastangoi based on the life and times of Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya and Hazarat Amir Khusrau. It tells the story of how Qawwali as an art form was invented in India by Amir Khusrau,” shares Gupta.
A questioning of an incident in the Ramayana, Urmila by Nimmy Raphael looks at the story where Lakshman asks the goddess of sleep to make him stay awake for 14 years. When the goddess asks to find someone to trade his sleep with, he chooses Urmila.
“Urmila being the dutiful wife, obediently accepts her fate. So we are questioning the notions of consent, of free will and whether she had the agency to protest. We are raising these questions through her,” shares Raphael.
A still from ‘Urmila’. (Supplied)
Meanwhile, the Tamil play Patigalum Pazhamozhigalum will see male actors dressed up as old women, singing songs by the famous cross-gender artist O Mutthumari.
Director Bagrudeen tells South First, “There used to be times when grandmothers used to gather around and share the tales of the town. Through proverbs and songs, they captured a lot of emotions with these stories. This play serves as a poignant tribute to our grandparents, aiming to resonate with audiences of all backgrounds.”
The Marathi play Ghanta Ghanta Ghanta Ghanta Ghanta is a high concept drama about a couple who embarks on a quest to unravel life’s meaning, love, and politics. And Mahilabharatha will show how the female narratives in the play blur the lines between myths and reality.
For the first time in its history, Ranga Shankara is taking part of its festival to the Jagriti Theatre. A selection of four plays will be showcased there from October 29 to November 1.
A still from ‘Patigalum Pazhamozhigalum’. (Supplied)
“We have noticed that audiences have found it a challenge to take part in cultural activities in the city. So, for the first time, we are twinning the festival at Jagriti. It is a huge leap of faith for us and we hope that audiences will make the best of this opportunity,” shares Nag.
Besides the plays, audiences can also look forward to the platform performances and talks planned as part of a host of ancillary programs.
27 October to 1 November at Ranga Shankara, JP Nagar.
29 October to 1 November at Jagriti Theatre, Whitefield.
Tickets are available on Book My Show.
