Pak plays to be staged at NSD

NEW DELHI: Theatre as a facilitator of dialogue between tense nations. Idealistic as it may sound, National School of Drama's 11th Bharat Rang Mahotsav (BRM09) that commences on January 7, promises to be a livewire exchange of ideas through art.
The festival, which concludes on January 19, will feature 63 productions, of which 12 are international. Plays from Pakistan, like Jinnay Lahore Nahin Dekhiya, a dramatization of the upheavals of Partition, as well as Waterlilies, based on the trauma of 9/11, are part of the foreign repertoire.
"We firmly believe that artistic dialogue between countries is a helpful thing.It facilitates contact at a personal level,'' says Anuradha Kapoor, director of NSD. Apart from Pakistan, productions from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Israel, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Japan and Poland will also be featured.
Plays included in the festival are a rich amalgam of collaborative works, adaptations and pieces developed through training and workshops. A Marathi play, `Awagha Rang Ekachi Zala' that is the tale of Appa Velenkar, a well-known kirtankaar, will open the festival in the city. Tagore's `Rakto Korobi' has also been included on recommendation by theatre legend Badal Sircar.
Says Kapoor, "We've selected plays based on non-dramatic texts poems, even newspaper articles. And to understand the different ways in which a classic can be interpreted, we've brought in Tagore.'' Eighteen productions will travel to Lucknow, on January 11. A remake of the eternal love story, `Laila Majnu', by director Ram Gopla Bajaj will make for a poignant start to the Lucknow BRM.
Amal Allana, chairperson, NSD, emphasizes the fact that the festival attempts to be as representative of diverse groups as possible. "We sifted the productions from around 400 entries. Some of the plays may not have fantastic production value, but they still qualify as good theatre.'' According to her, small theatre groups from the nooks and corners of the country may not have artistic merit, but are nevertheless, fresh in perspective. She also explains that this year, NSD has made a conscious effort to classify the plays in various themes: "There's a contingent of political plays that reflect the current state of affairs terror, a slump in the economy, uncertainty.''
The spotlight will be on new talent - the work of ten young directors, who have interpreted older, even classic texts in a manner that is contemporary and relevant to current realities, has been included in the festival. In sharp contrast, 10 established directors will also be showcasing their work, as their range reflects a continuity of the contemporary theatre movement.