Here’s
wishing you all a super, duper new year!
Let me begin
this new year post by declaring something I read somewhere.
Theatre was
created to tell the truth about life.
Now, I’m
really not sure where I came across this quote, or if it is by some famous
personality, but it has stayed with me ever since I read it. Maybe because a
lot of what I saw on stage this year, and the years before, has made me think
deeply about things I never gave a second thought to, reflect on things I never
imagined I needed to, and at times, even question some of my own beliefs.
Theatre, let me tell you, can be quite an eye-opener.
Last year, I
managed to pack in a number of good stage performances, heard some veterans
open their hearts about their passion for theatre, and generally soak in the
positive energy that only a good theatre experience can induce. The year began
with the Aditya Birla Group’s super initiative Aadyam, with the purpose of
bringing theatre closer to people. 2015 also saw the grand musical Beauty and
The Beast being performed in Delhi and Mumbai. The NCPA and Prithvi Theatre,
again drew in theatre lovers with their respective festivals.
Gauhar will be staged as part of Lillete Dubey's play festival
But the new year
is upon us now, and there’s lots more to look forward to in the world of art and
culture. The success of Aadyam has ensured that we get another round of five
new plays this year too. The talented Shankar Mahadevan will lead an ensemble
of 22 musicians in a musical production which will seek to capture the
diversity of India’s musical legacy at the NCPA at the end of this month. Pack
your bags and head to Jaipur as the city gears up for the Jaipur Lit Fest from
January 21 to 25. Renowned speakers and literary heavyweights include Stephen
Fry, Margaret Atwood, Esther Freud among others.
While
Akvarious completed their 15 years last year, Lillete Dubey’s theatre company
Primetime Theatre completes 25 years this year, and some of their best plays
including Dance Like A Man, Adhe Adhure, Wedding Album, 30 Days in September
among others will be staged at three different venues in the city from January
15 onward. It’s a landmark year for Rage as well, as it will be 15 years since
they conducted their first workshop in 2001. Ten brand new plays will mark
their Writers’ Bloc to be staged in April this year.
Rage's Writers' Bloc will take place in April
Imran Zahid,
the actor who played the lead role in Mahesh Bhatt’s play Hamari Adhuri Kahani,
tells us that this year, we will also get to watch Milne Do, an Indo-Pak
collaborative play, in which actors from both countries will be seen promoting
the message of peace. “While I play the main lead, the actress cast opposite me
is from Pakistan,” he adds. Ustad Ghulam Ali will be lending his voice for a
song in the play which will be staged in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lahore and
Karachi. Rajat Kapoor continues his love for Shakespeare and is again donning
the director’s hat for a new play, As You Like It. The play is expected to be
staged in the first week of March.
And while
all these guys are doing their best to give us an awesome stage experience in
the new year, let’s keep the spirit of theatre alive by encouraging and
supporting their endeavours. The Art Addict plans to make the most of this
journey. Will you?
Cheers!
Much love,
The Art
Addict
