Mumbai theatre troupes to enthral people from Feb 15

Pune: Theatre and art lovers can soon witness theatre performances by Mumbai-based production houses right here in the city, courtesy Curtains Up Festival of Theatre (CUFT).

The festival will open on February 15 with 'Beastly Tales' performed by Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Heeba Shah and Kenny Desai.

CUFT is an effort towards curating a theatre festival for the purpose of bringing theatre performances to the city and providing a common platform for interactions, conversations and artistic engagements.

After the opening production 'Beastly Tales', which is a collection of fables, poems and short stories by Vikram Seth and James Thurber, the festival will feature a performance by Trishla Patel's ‘Wolf’.

To be staged on February 16, ‘Wolf’ revolves around a field trip by city children to study Korku tribe in Satpura forest in Madhya Pradesh.

Makarand Deshpande's ‘Joke’— based on an atheist born in the time of terrorism— on February 17 will be the last performance of the theatre festival.

In the coming years, theatre enthusiasts from not only Pune but also from other cities can be part of the festival by either staging a performance, being a part of the audience or volunteering backstage, the organisers said.

The festival will also showcase CUFT bazaar where tribal artisans will display articles made from natural materials like grass, metal and wood.

The festival will be held at Liberty Square, Phoenix Market City.