Playwright: Harold Pinter

Director: Thawai Thiyam

Group: Chorus Repertory Theatre, Imphal

Language: Manipuri

Duration: 1 hr 13 mins

The Play

Two hit-men, Abo and Tomba, are waiting in a basement room for their assignment. As the play begins, Abo, the senior member of the team, is reading a newspaper, and Tomba, the junior member, is tying his shoes. Tomba asks Abo many questions as he gets ready for their job and tries to make tea. They argue over the semantics of “light the kettle” and “put on the kettle”. Abo continues reading his paper for most of the time, occasionally reading excerpts of it to Tomba. Abo gets increasingly animated, and Tomba’s questions become more pointed, at times nearly nonsensical. In the back of the room is a dumbwaiter, who delivers occasional food orders. This is mysterious and both characters seem to be puzzled why these orders keep coming; the basement is clearly not outfitted as a restaurant kitchen. Tomba goes to the bathroom. Abo listens carefully—we gather from his replies that their victim has arrived and is on his way to the room. Abo shouts for Tomba, who is still out of the room. The door, that the target is supposed to enter from, flies open. Abo rounds on it with his gun, and Tomba enters, stripped of his jacket, waistcoat, tie and gun. There is a long silence as the two stare at each other before the curtain comes down.

Director’s Note

The play is an expression of absurdity of life portraying the psychological contrast in human behaviour and analysis of inner truth and freedom.

The Director

Thawai Thiyam was born in Imphal on 15 August 1982. He received training in Dramatics and Performing Arts at the Chorus Repertory Theatre, Imphal. This included stagecraft, design, martial arts, direction etc. Because of his passion for theatre-arts he joined the prestigious Institute of Calcutta Puppet Theatre, Kolkata to study theatre design, theatre architecture, scenic design, property and mask making, and a section of puppetry and performance under the able guidance of Padmashree Suresh Dutta. He has participated in quite a number of major national and international theatre festival held in India and abroad. Thawai Thiyam has directed many plays in his debut including Bachae, Shaknaidaba Waree, Maharaj Indrajit, Rajya Abhishek, Punaragomon, Andha Yug, and The Dumb Waiter.

The Playwright

Harold Pinter (10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a Nobel Prize-winning British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party (1957), The Homecoming (1964), and Betrayal (1978), each of which he adapted for the screen. His screenplay adaptations of others’ works include The Servant (1963), The Go-Between (1971), The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981), The Trial (1993), and Sleuth (2007). He also directed and acted in radio, stage, television, and film productions of his own and others’ works.

The Group

The Chorus Repertory Theatre was established in the valley of Manipur, a small hill state in the easternmost part of India, in April 1976 under the able and dynamic guidance of Ratan Thiyam. Located on the outskirts of Imphal, Manipur’s capital city, Chorus Repertory Theatre’s two acre campus has been slowly built (and six times rebuilt after disastrous monsoons) to accommodate a self-sufficient way of life with housing and working quarters for the company. It is now an important regional and national centre for contemporary theatre.  On its 25th anniversary, the company dedicated its first permanent theatre called ‘The Shrine’, a 200 seat auditorium conceived and designed by Ratan Thiyam with space for set construction and storage.

Cast & Credits

Abo: Ibomcha Sorok / Robindro

Tomba: Somo

Stage Manager: Jilasana Meetei

Set & Props: Tarpon, Lokendra

Costume: Somo, Tarubi

Light: Angoutombi

Music: Tomba, Basanta

Production Manager: Ibomcha Sorok

Administration & Publicity: Dolendro

Back stage: Vijay, Tarpon, Tarubi, Rahul, Ajitkumar

Front of the House: Sandhyarani, Rojita, Russia

Playwright: Harold Pinter

Adaptation in Manipuri: Ratan Thiyam

Design & Direction: Thawai Thiyam

The Chorus Repertory Theatre was established in the valley of Manipur, a small hill state in the easternmost part of India, in April 1976 under the able and dynamic guidance of Ratan Thiyam. Located on the outskirts of Imphal, Manipur’s capital city, Chorus Repertory Theatre’s two acre campus has been slowly built (and six times rebuilt after disastrous monsoons) to accommodate a self-sufficient way of life with housing and working quarters for the company. It is now an important regional and national centre for contemporary theatre.  On its 25th anniversary, the company dedicated its first permanent theatre called ‘The Shrine’, a 200 seat auditorium conceived and designed by Ratan Thiyam with space for set construction and storage.

Playwright: Sadhana Ahmed

Director: Sohag Sen, Sima Mukhopadhyay, Suranjana Dasgupta, Tulika Das, Adrija Dasgupta, Abanti Chakraborty, Ishita Mukhopadhyay

Group: Rangakarmee, Kolkata

Language:  Hindi & Bengali

Duration:   1 hr 30 mins

The Play

Saptaparnee is a collage of seven mono-acts shaped after seven women characters sketched by Tagore. They have been chosen from his novels, dramas, poems and short stories. A craving for love, and an unending search for fulfilment run through them.

Director’s Note

Saptaparnee is a tribute to the creative genius of Rabindranath Tagore and his oeuvre. We find his texts extremely rich in nuances. They motivate us to read between the lines, to search for more and more meaning hidden underneath. Rabindranath has this rare ability to keep us together at a time which is out of joint.

The Directors

Sima Mukhopadhyay, Director of Chandara, is a director, playwright and actor from Kolkata. She received Master’s Degree in Drama (Acting) from Rabindra Bharati University in 1985. At present she heads Rangroop.

Suranjana Dasgupta, Director of Kadambini, is a director, playwright, actor and singer from Kolkata. Suranjana made her film debut in Aparna Sen’s 15 Park Avenue. She has also acted in a telefilm titled Antigone Chatterjee with Anjan Dutta.

Tulika Das, Director of Chitrangada, is a director and actor from Kolkata. She was associated with Bohurupee theatre group for 28 years. In 2015, Tulika directed Nero. At present she is associated with the theatre group Bohuswar.

Adrija Dasgupta, Director of Malati, is a director, designer and actor from Kolkata. She received her PG Diploma-in-Drama (with Specialization in Acting) from NSD. Adrija is a committed theatre worker who keeps conducting theatre workshops and directing children’s productions for the economically deprived and physically challenged children.

Sohag Sen, Director of Damini, is a theatre-director and actor-trainer based in Kolkata. Her association with theatre and allied media spans a period of almost forty years. As an actor, she started her career under the guidance of the legendary Utpal Dutta, in the year 1969. Sohag Sen has been a visiting faculty at National School of Drama, Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata Film and Television Institute, The Film and Television Institute, and The Calcutta Media Institute.

Abanti Chakraborty, Director of Nandini, is a theatre director based in Kolkata. A Masters in Applied Linguistics and Translation Studies from Hyderabad Central University, Abanti had been a Special Fellow in Directing, at Yale School of Drama in 2010. In 2010 she received the Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar in Theatre Direction from Sangeet Natak Akademi.

Ishita Mukhopadhyay, Director of Ela, is active in Bengali theatre for more than three decades. Her first directorial venture was an adaptation of The Room by Sartre. Her group Ushnik was formed in 1984.

The Playwright

Sadhana Ahmed is a cultural activist and a poet-cum-playwright based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Sadhana participated in various artistic movements that led to the fall of military rule in Bangladesh in the late-1980s. She was the Founder-President of Sparsha Abritti Parishad that operated from Bhairab. Sadhana Ahmeder Duti Natak, her first book consisting of Domer Madar and Maatbring, was published in February 2017.

The Group

Established in 1976 with a small set-up, Rangakarmee today spearheads the Hindi theatre in Kolkata with 43 productions in its repertoire. Rangakarmee has performed not only in India but also in countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Germany and USA.

Cast & Credits

Chandara of Shasti: Karuna Thakur

Director: Sima Mukhopadhyay

Kadambini of Jibito O Mrito: Mrinmoyee Biswas

Director: Suranjana Dasgupta

Chitrangada of Chitrangada: Anubha Fatehpuria

Director: Tulika Das

Malati of Sadharan Meye: Maya Ghosh

Director: Adrija Dasgupta

Damini of Chaturanga: Senjuti Mukherjee

Director: Sohag Sen

Nandini of Raktakarabi: Kathakali

Director: Abanti Chakraborty

Ela of Char Adhyay: Sanchayita Bhattacharjee

Director: Ishita Mukhopadhyay

Calligraphy: Hiran Mitra

Production Coordinator: Tripti Mitra

Production Assistant: Anirudh Sarkar

Set in-charge: Shankar Dey

Music operator: Pradeep Dutta

Light operator: Shashanka Mondal

Stage Design: Sanchayan Ghosh

Light Design: Badal Das

Music Score: Bhadra Basu

Dramaturge: Anshuman Bhowmick

Original Scrip: Sadhana Ahmed

Concept: Usha Ganguli

Established in 1976 with a small set-up, Rangakarmee today spearheads the Hindi theatre in Kolkata with 43 productions in its repertoire. Rangakarmee has performed not only in India but also in countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Germany and USA.

Please listen to Prof. Manohar Khushalani’s Review & Discussion with Prof. Suresh Sharma

Playwright: Joseph Stein
Adapter: Asif Ali Haider Khan
Director: Suresh Sharma
Group: NSD Repertory Company, New Delhi
Language: Hindi
Duration: 2 hrs 20 mins

The Play

This play is a translation of Fiddler on the Roof written by Joseph Stein. It is a musical that deals with the displacement of communities. The story is neatly bound to the Kashmiri situation in our country. Prithvi Nath loves his daughters, and goes against the traditional norms, allowing them to marry men of their choice. Shuhul, the third daughter chooses to marry a Muslim…

Director’s Note

Going along with the central theme of the play, the contemporary situation of our society took the forefront. The final situation chosen is the plight of the Kashmiri Pandit community. This choice is to support the script with a relevant social background which can be projected on a larger canvas, and can highlight the pain and problems of the people who have been displaced from their own land.

The Director

Suresh Sharma did PG diploma with specialization in Acting from National School of Drama in 1985.

In 1987-88 he established the only non-government Repertory in the district of Mandi (Himachal Pradesh). From 1996-98 he worked as the Artistic Director of Sri Ram Centre for Performing Arts, Delhi. In 1998 he established the first non–government fully residential Theatre Academy in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. Mr. Sharma has been felicitated by Sahitya Kala Parishad. Sangeet Natak Academy awarded Mohana, a play written and directed by him, under the Young Director’s Scheme.

The Playwright

Joseph Stein (May 30, 1912 – October 24, 2010) was an American playwright best known for writing the books for the musicals Fiddler on the Roof and Zorba. His greatest success came from writing the book for the 1964 musical play Fiddler on the Roof, for which he won three major awards, including two Tonys.

The Adapter

A playwright, actor and director of great repute, Asif Ali Haider Khan obtained a PG diploma with specialization in Acting from Nation School of Drama. Later, he worked with NSD Repertory Company as an actor for many years. He received the Sangeet Natak Academy’s Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for playwriting in the year 2006. Currently, he is teaching Modern Indian Drama at National School of Drama, New Delhi.

The Group

Established in 1964 with only four members, the Repertory Company is the regular performing wing of the School. It was set up with the dual purposes of establishing professional theatre on one hand and continuing with regular experimental work on the other.

Cast & Credits

Prithvinath Jutsi: Shanawaz Khan

Jungaash: Shruti Mishra/ Sampa Mandal

Shuhul: Meenu/Anamika Sagar

Sheen: Sakshi Sharma

Nonika: Anamika Sagar/Rukmani Sarkar  

Himaal: Aparna Menon

Didda: Bornali  Borah

Leelawati: Sampa Mandal/ Shruti Mishra

Shambhunath: Deep Kumar

Gaffara: Sikandra Kumar

Bakshi Singh (Kimma): Shubham Pareek

Brijlal: Raju Roy

Rajguru: Rahul Kumar

Policeman: Naveen Singh Thakur

Somnath: Naresh Kumar

Badrinath: Virendra Singh

Paadshah: Shiddheshwar Kashinath Thorat

Makkhan Lal: Khwairakpam Punsilemba Metei

Krishanpir: Parag Baruah

Firdous: Ashutosh Banerjee

Grandmother: Shruti Mishra / Sampa Mandal

Chorus: Moti Lal Khare, Abdul Kadir Shah, Naveen Singh, Thakur, Md.Suleman, Dharam Singh Bisht, Naresh Kumar, Virendra Singh

Bijja: Aparna Menon

Male: Naresh Kumar

Male-1: Naresh Kumar

Male-2: Virendra Singh

Kukka: Moti Lal Khare

Woman-1: Meenu

Woman-2: Shruiti Mishra / Sampa Mandal

Male-1: Dharam Singh Bisht

Male-2: Rampratap/Pradeep Aggarwal

Set Design: Bansi Kaul

Set, Props Execution: Rajesh Bahl

Set Execution: Ram Pratap, Dharam Singh, Manoj Kumar

Light Design & Operation: Govind Singh Yadav

Assistance: Md. Suleman, Pradeep Aggarwal

Costume Design: Kirti V. Sharma

Assistance: Pushpa Vishwakarma

Costume in-charge: Budh Ram

Chief Costume Coordinator: C.S. Bhatia

Assistance: Parvati Bisht

Sound Operation: Mukesh Kumar

Sound & Music Recording: S. Manoharan, Subhanjan

Property Design : Suresh Sharma

Property in-charge: Motilal Khare

Music: Kajal Ghosh

Rhythm Sequencing: Pakaj Banai

Key Board: Kishore Kumar Malhotra

Mixing & Mastering: Mayur Malhotra

Recording Studio: Ved Films

Tabla & Dholak : Om Prakash

Octopad: Narender Kumar

Harmonium: Naveen Singh Thakur

Tumbkh: Feroz Ahmed

Rabab: Gulam Qadir

Gara: Fearoq Ahmed

Sarangi: Syed Yaseen

Kashmiri Diction: Ashwath Bhatt

Dance Classes: Sonal Modi Vorah

Choreography: Norbu Tshering

Make-up: Raju Roy, Shruti Mishra

Assistance: All Repertory Artists

Playwright: Joseph Stein

Adapter: Asif Ali Haider Khan

Director: Suresh Sharma

Watch Meet the Director segment for the play

Established in 1964 with only four members, the Repertory Company is the regular performing wing of the School. It was set up with the dual purposes of establishing professional theatre on one hand and continuing with regular experimental work on the other.

Playwright: Manoranjan Das

Director: Debabrata Pattanayak

Group: Dynamic Platform, Bhubaneshwar

Language: Odiya

Duration: 1 hr 45 mins

The Play

The Great Paika Rebellion of 1817 happened under the leadership of Buxi Jagabandhu, the commander of the forces of the King of Khordha. Colonel Harkot, who was in-charge of the British East India Company in 1803, was planning to capture Odisha, which was strategically placed between Bengal and Madras, after the British had conquered Bengal in the North and Madras in the South. To achieve this, the first target was to make a treaty with Deogan and slowly bring Odisha under the Company’s control. Colonel’s scheme was to conquer Puri via Chilika Lake. Mukunda Dev II was the then king of Odisha. Colonel managed to get Maludar Fateh Mahammad into his fold and entered Odisha. Subsequently, they imprisoned King Mukunda Dev II. The Minister of Mukunda Dev II, Jai Rajguru was brutally killed fighting against the British. In the end, despite Buxi’s perseverance and constant resistance, he was killed by British officer Fletcher and a rumour was spread that a tiger killed Buxi. Fletcher saluted Buxi for his heroism and bravery to protect his motherland.

Director’s Note

The play is based on the hero of Paika rebellion, Bidyadhar Bhramarabara Rai. He is popularly known as ‘Buxi Jagabandhu’. With the support of common people, he became the leader of the first rebellion of the Paika (Soldiers of Odisha) against the British Rule. I thought of doing this play, written by Padmashree Manoranjan Das, on the occasion of 200th anniversary of Paika rebellion, to encourage the youth of Odisha by reminding them about Buxi’s heroism, love towards the nation, and the Paika rebellion.

The Director

Born on 28th January 1989 in Odisha, Debabrata Pattanayak is a Post Graduate in Drama (Direction) from Utkal University of Culture, Odisha. He has acted in about 30 Odia plays, written 7 plays and designed-directed 25 plays till now. Mr Pattanayak formed his own theatre group Dynamic Platform in 2015. He has undergone serious training under Rudra Prasad Sengupta, Satyabrat Rout and Subodh Patnaik. He has been recognised as a regular practitioner of contemporary theatre in Odisha. Presently he is serving as an Art Education Instructor (Theatre) in DIET, Puri, Odisha. He has been conducting theatre workshops with children and university students in different educational institutions.

The Playwright

Manoranjan Das was a contemporary Odia writer. He received many prestigious awards like Orissa Sahitya Academy Award (1964), Central Sahitya Academy Award (1971), Orissa Sangeet Natak Academy Award (1978), Central Sangeet Natak Academy Award (1981), Sarala Award (1989), Governor’s Plaque of Honour for play writing (1992), Padma Shri (2004), and Govt. of  India’s Senior Fellowship and Emeritus Fellowship, etc. He was a pioneer in the New Theatre movement in Odisha, had acted in stage plays and films, and written screen plays and Radio plays.

The Group

Being established as a contemporary theatre group in 2015, Dynamic Platform, has been producing plays since 2013. It was started with a mission to encourage the creative young talent by using theatre as a tool with systematic practice and training. The group has produced many significant plays and has participated in state as well as national theatre festivals such as International Peoples’ Theatre Festival of Natya Chetana, Panchamveda, and Arohan. The group also organises children’s theatre workshops to promote their creative potential and expression.

Cast & Credits

On Stage : Ch. Jayaprakash Das, Naveen kumar Parida, itendra Pattanaik, Pranjya Ranjan Khatua, Udit Guru Mohapatra, Subrat Kumar Dash, Dharmasis Behera, Rakesh Kumar Parida, Nilakantha Parida, Chiranjib Biswal, Ganesh Chandra Jena, Jyotirmayee Mishra, Hemanta Kumar Behera, Aditya Kumar Jena, Swarup Ranjan Das, Bhakti Ranjan Das, Saunika Sahu, Barshabasini Barik, Subhasmita Sing

Music: Pratap Chandra Rout

Set Design: Pranjyadutta Sahoo

Light Design: Bikas Kumar Pradhan

Costume: Prasana Kumar Satapathy

Make-up: Ramesh Chandra Sahu

Playwright: Manoranjan Das

Design & Direction: Debabrata Pattanayak

Being established as a contemporary theatre group in 2015, Dynamic Platform, has been producing plays since 2013. It was started with a mission to encourage the creative young talent by using theatre as a tool with systematic practice and training. The group has produced many significant plays and has participated in state as well as national theatre festivals such as International Peoples’ Theatre Festival of Natya Chetana, Panchamveda, and Arohan. The group also organises children’s theatre workshops to promote their creative potential and expression.

Playwright: Badal Sircar

Translator: Pratibha Agarwal

Director: Bipin Kumar

Group: Yuva Rangmanch, Ranchi

Language: Hindi

Duration: 1 hr 45 mins

The Play

The play is woven around the simple promise of four men, from different walks of life, chatting at the funeral of a young woman. The play is set in a Shamshaan Ghat (Cremation ground) where the girl’s dead body is being exhumed on the funeral pyre while the four men, drink and play cards. A mystery shrouds her death but, when they try to examine the reason/truth behind her death, skeletons from their past start falling on them. Unraveling the deep secrets of their – external and internal worlds. The woman’s specter haunts, staring down on the four, compellingly to encounter their lost, love and guilt, while revealing her lifelong longing for true love.

The Director

An Alumnus of National School of Drama, Bipin Kumar has directed approximately 30 plays in various Indian languages with theatre groups & corporate sectors in India. He was conferred with Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Direction in 2018. Formed Kshitij Theatre Group (1988) in Delhi, and has been associated with it since then. He is a visiting faculty member of drama departments at Ranchi and Gwalior University. Co-produced feature film Kaala Heera for Zee channel, on Chasnala coal mine disaster; a comedy serial of 13 episodes name Gadbad Ghotala for Doordarshan. Currently he is deputed as zonal director of the National School of Drama’s Sikkim Theatre Training Centre, Gangtok, Sikkim.

The Playwright

Badal Sircar (15 July, 1925–13 May, 2011), was an extremely influential Indian dramatist and theatre director, most known for his anti-establishment plays during the Naxalite movement in the 1970s. He was responsible for taking theatre out of the proscenium and into the public arena, when he founded his own theatre company, Shatabdi in 1976. He was a pioneering figure in street theatre as well as in experimental and contemporary Bengali theatre with his egalitarian ‘Third Theatre’, and continues to be one of the most translated Indian playwrights. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1972, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1968 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, the highest honour in the performing arts by government of India, in 1997. He was proffered with the Padma Bhushan by the government of India, in 2010.

The Group

With some young artists trained in NSD workshop held in B.I.T. Mesra Ranchi in 1981 along with some unemployed youth, hailing from tribal and backward areas and some engineers, journalists, teachers, students and industrial workers, Ajai Malkani, Avinash Singh, Bipin Kumar founded the Yuva Rangmanch, with an aim to motivate common people through theatre and other cultural activities, for their active participation in bringing about a change for the betterment of society.  The group has organized 50 workshops in the tribal region and has trained about 1000 budding talents and has successfully given a scientific direction to the theatre movement in Jharkhand by staging 500 shows of almost 50 plays inspiring both rural and urban youth. With its founder director, Ajai Malkani the group members are theatre professionals from NSD, BNA Lucknow and Department of Indian Theatre, Punjab University.

Cast & Credits

Kartik: Ajai Malkani

Sattu: Pulkit Raj

Shashi: Shankar Pathak

Himadri: Pawan Kumar/ Ajay Kumar

Ladki: Kumari Pooja

Malti: Sikha Swaroop

Mili: Meera Singh

Lakshmi: Neha Prasad/ Puja Kumari

Stage Manager: Abhiraj Kumar

Set design assistant &Light Design: Chakra Bahdur Chetrri

Set Execution: Tashi Lepcha, Munna Lohar

Properties: Munna Lohar, Pawan Kumar

Music (Score): Abhiraj Kumar

Assistant Director, Costume & Choreography: Gargi Malkani

Production Coordinator: Purnashish Ghosh

Playwright: Badal Sircar

Hindi Translation: Pratibha Agrawal

Design & Direction: Bipin Kumar

With some young artists trained in NSD workshop held in B.I.T. Mesra Ranchi in 1981 along with some unemployed youth, hailing from tribal and backward areas and some engineers, journalists, teachers, students and industrial workers, Ajai Malkani, Avinash Singh, Bipin Kumar founded the Yuva Rangmanch, with an aim to motivate common people through theatre and other cultural activities, for their active participation in bringing about a change for the betterment of society.  The group has organized 50 workshops in the tribal region and has trained about 1000 budding talents and has successfully given a scientific direction to the theatre movement in Jharkhand by staging 500 shows of almost 50 plays inspiring both rural and urban youth. With its founder director, Ajai Malkani the group members are theatre professionals from NSD, BNA Lucknow and Department of Indian Theatre, Punjab University.