Theatre fests to make dramatic week

CHANDIGARH: City’s theatre lovers will be in for a feast from Sunday when many artists’ groups from Delhi, Mumbai, Ambala and the city will present their performances as part of different theatre festivals. Students from National School of Drama (NSD) will stage six different plays at the event — ‘Tota Bola’, ‘Papa Laden’, ‘Jannat Mahal’, ‘Mirage’, Ferrous’ and ‘Zero One’ at Tagore Theatre.The event ‘Graduate Show-2011’ is being organized by NSD and Department of Indian Theatre, Panjab University.
‘Tota Bola’ is based on a story by Kannada playwright Chandrashekhar Kambar. Adapted into Hindi by Sajal Mandal, the play is a satire on the society which, despite its forward march, is unable to respect women who cannot bear children.
‘Zero One’ explores the response of the performer as well as viewer in both the states of living and dying. In this play, viewers and performers evolve various moments of living and ‘‘dying’’ together. Another play ‘Papa Laden’ is based on a middle class family, whose members are a man, his wife and his father.
The man loves to live in a fantasy world and that proves to be quite a nuisance for his father and his wife. His father’s cruel behaviour makes him call him ‘Papa Laden’. ‘Jannat Mahal’, ‘Ferrous’ and ‘Mirage’ are also new plays. Another play ‘Hum Dono’, directed by Mumbai-based B P Singh will be staged during ‘Sukriti- 2011 Multi-art Theatre Festival’ on Sunday. The play is based on the love story of an old couple.
Apart from this, other plays like ‘Patthar-the stone’, directed by Ambala based M R Dhiman, will be staged Monday. Other plays based of different stories like ‘Kuffar Ki Mohar’, ‘Bhola Ram Ka Jeev’, ‘Papa Main Hindustan Lunga’ and ‘Pani Aur Pul’, directed by city-based Praveen Jaggi will also be staged at Punjab Kala Bhawan.