Drama fest revisits classics and folktales

With the primary goal to nurture young minds and create awareness about the craft of theatre in school level, the second edition of the Bangalore One Act Theatre Festival (BOAT) is set to kick start on the October 26 at Alliance Française de Bangalore. The three-day theatre fest will stage a total of 12 plays, weaved together by 11 schools, under the guidance of eight mentors.
Speaking about the theme of the dramatic pieces, theatre educationist and festival director, Anita Mithra says, “The scripts of the plays are contemporary adaptations of classics and folktales. ‘Home’ is a recurrent theme in most of the theatricals, touching upon aspects such as displaced children, refugees and orphans. The 2018 edition of the fest also includes schools that were not part of the initiative earlier. Educational institutions that do not have enough access to the arts have been particularly made chosen, among the rest.”
A Tortilla Entertainment Company project, the dramatic pieces will run for a duration of 10-12 minutes. This year, BOAT has also collaborated with Bangalore Little Theatre (BLT) and Storywallahs.
BLT’s Minti Jain has designed and directed the play, titled “The play is adapted from Zai Whitaker’s short story, which revolves around the themes of conflict and coexistence. It narrates how every animal has a space of their own – a concept akin to human beings as well,” says Minti, adding, “Although the play has been crafted within a short span of time, the children involved in it have shown keen interest in theatre, despite limited exposure to the art form.”

STARFISH – directed by Aditya Nair
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REPTILES? – directed by Minti Jain
BABA YAGA – directed by Prithesh Bhandary
AUDUN AND THE BEAR – directed by Prithesh Bhandary
WHERE DO I BELONG? – directed by Murtuza Khetty
PEGGY THE PINT SIZE PIRATE – directed by Sunayana Premchander
HOUSE IN THE WOODS – directed by Sanjukta Deb
THE DISTANCE WE HAVE TRAVELLED – directed by Aditya Nair
REPLENISH THE EARTH – directed by Prashant Jade
YUUKI AND THE TSUNAMI – directed by Prashant Jade
STRUGGLING ROOTS – directed by Archana Shyam
IRUVANTHIGE – directed by Sunayana Premchander