Playwright: Mahesh Dattani 

Director: Lillette Dubey

Group: The Primetime Theatre Co., Mumbai

Language: English & Hindustani

Duration: 2 hrs

The Play & Director’s Note

This is a fascinating story of one of the classical superstars of her time and a fiery, feisty, independent minded woman of her generation, who was the first to sing on a wax record, and whose personal life was as mesmerising as her professional one. The play also offers an exciting glimpse of that period… Allahabad, Benares, Lucknow and Kolkata at the turn of the 20th century, both from the historical, political and cultural point of view! The play will have some live singing, though it is essentially a drama. It’s an important, powerful and moving story of a person who was a pioneer of the Thumri Tradition in Indian Classical Music and the play is a revelation for the younger generation, who know little about those times or about this great musician. Her story has all the ingredients for a very exciting and dramatic script, which will appeal not just to music lovers, but to lay audiences as well.

The Director

Lillette Dubey is a renowned Indian film and theatre actor and a theatre director. She has been Artistic Director of her own Theatre Company. The Primetime Theatre Company, for over 28 years and her theatrical work, which has travelled the globe, has been much acclaimed nationally and internationally, both in the sphere of actor and Director. Over a span of nearly 40 years, she has played the lead in over 60 theatre productions ranging from Shakespeare, Greek Tragedy, Brecht, Musical Comedies, Farce, Contemporary Drama, Absurd Theatre, to Contemporary Drama, including Ibsen, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Pinter, Dario Fo, Edward Albee and a gamut of famous Indian playwrights, from Vijay Tendulkar, Partap Sharma, Mahesh Dattani, Girish Karnad, Mahesh Elkunchwar to name just a few.

Most of the plays she has produced and directed, platform outstanding Indian playwrights, and many have won Best Play of the Year awards, and many have received Best Director and Actor awards at National Festivals. Ms. Dubey herself has won several Best Actress awards for her plays and films, including for Adhe Adhure (META 2013), Pankh (Jagran Film Festival 2010), Driving Miss Palmen (Dutch TV 2007), Bow Barracks Forever (Madrid international Film Festival) and others.

Several of the Company’s productions, directed by Ms. Dubey, have traveled widely across India and abroad, with a few having played for long runs at the Bloomsbury Theatre & Watermans in London, at the Tribecca in New York, at the Portland International Performance Festival in the U.S, as well as in Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Dallas, Washington DC, Stamford, Raleigh (North Carolina), Los Angeles, Boston and New York. 

The Playwright

Mahesh Dattani is a playwright, stage director, and filmmaker. In 1998 he won the Sahitya Akademi award for his published plays. His plays are taught in several universities across the country and internationally as well. The International Herald Tribune hailed him as “one of India’s best and most serious contemporary playwrights”. He lives in Mumbai.

The Group

The Primetime Theatre Company was set up in March 1991 with the twin objectives of providing a platform for original Indian writing in English and travelling with its work across India and abroad to showcase indigenous work in different cultures and milieus, and also explore performances in different spaces and venues. The company has tried to showcase its work to the largest possible audience at prestigious International and National Festivals to Educational Institutions of all kinds, from Supper Theatre to some of the best performance venues in the world, from large open air auditoria to pocket sized black box theatres from factories to gardens. 

Cast & Credits

On Stage: Rajeshwari Sachdev, Zila Khan, Denzil Smith, Danny Sura, Rajeev Siddhartha, Gillian Pinto & Parinaz Jal

Set & Light Designer: Salim Akhtar

Costume Designer:  Pia Benegal

Kathak: Uma Dogra

Playwright: Mahesh Dattani

Producer & Director: Lillette Dubey

Playwright: Tennessee Williams
Director: Govind Singh Yadav
Group: The Dramatic Art& Design Association, Delhi
Language: Hindi
Duration: 1 hr 30 mins

The Play
Aijazis an aspiring poet who works in a factory to support his mother Nafeesa and sister Lubnawho has a problem with one of her legs. Aijaz’s father had run away many years ago.NafeesaasksAijazto find a match forLubna. Aijaz brings home Amjadwho had studied with Lubnain school. Amjad reveals that he is already engaged to another girl, and leaves. Aijazsays he wants to join the merchant navy.Nafeesa is disillusioned by now. Lubna has been preserving glass dolls since her childhood. At some point her favourite glass doll is disfigured by Amjad. Aijaz leaves home after this incident and arrives back in town after many years laden with guilt towards his mother and sister.

Director’s Note
SheeshekeKhiloneis an urdu adaptation of the play The Glass Menagerie written by Tennessee Williams and adapted by BilquisZafeerulHasan. The play questions why God doesn’t take care of us humans,as Lubna takes care of her glass menageries. Why does God leave us to wander alone in tough times? This is in fact the motive of the play as expressed by Lubna’s brother Aijaaz, at the end of the play.Based on a simple storyline, this play portrays many things, which is why a drawing room set has been chosen for the stage setting.

The Director
Govind Singh Yadavstudied at National School of Drama and BharatenduNatyaAkademi. He has to his credit the direction of plays like Lolita, AndhaYug, AdheAdhure, KhamoshAdalatJaariHai, Miss Julie, KabiraKhada Bazar Me, Duvidha, BallabhpurkiRoop Katha, Do KoudikaKhel and Tansen, his most recent show. He receivedSangeetNatakAkademi’sBismillah Khan Award for Best Lighting in 2008.He studied theatre and light techniques at the National Theatre in Korea. Recently he visited the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London to study theatre further. He has designed light for the productions of the National School of Drama Repertory Company, the Theatre in Education wing (NSD), and NSD’s student productions. He is presently working as the stage manager, and light designer and executor forNSD Repertory Company.

The Playwright
Thomas Lanier ‘Tennessee’ Williams III(1911 – 1983) was an American playwright. Along with Eugene O’Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the foremost playwrights of 20th-century American Drama.Much of Williams’ most acclaimed work has been adapted for the cinema. He also wrote short stories, poetry, essays and a volume of memoirs. In 1979, four years before his death, Williams was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.

The Group
The Dramatic Art and Design Association is an active theatre group working since 2005. The group has been active since a decade in New Delhi, Ghaziabad, Allahabad and Bangalore. Many young artists have worked in the group and gained training as actors for theatre, and also for the media i.e. TV and films.

Cast& Credits
Aijaz1: Suresh Sharma
Aijaz 2: PrasannaSoni
Nafeesa: AnjuJaitley/RatikaMehra
Lubna: Shipti Saberwal /TanviGoel
Amjad: Chinmoy Das/Deepak

Costumes: MotiLalKhare
Assistant: RatikaMehra
Music: Mukesh Kumar
Light: Govind Singh Yadav
Set: Rajesh Bahl
Property: MotilalKhare
Assistant: TanviGoel
Video Design: Nitin Kumar
Stage Manager: UpinNirmal, TanviGoel
Poster & Brochure: Govind Singh Yadav

Urdu Adaptation: BilquisZafeerulHasan
Playwright: Tennessee Williams
Design & Direction: Govind Singh Yadav

Playwright: Vasant Kanetkar
Adaptation & Direction: Pooja Vedvikhyat
Group: N.S.D. Diploma Production, New Delhi
Language: Hindi
Duration: 1 hr. 20 mins

The Play

Raktbeej is an adaptation of a famous Marathi play, Ithe Oshalala Mrutyu. It tells a story about war between two of the most powerful empires in 17thcentury, that of Marathas led by Chatrapati Sambhaji and Mughals by Alamgir Aurangzeb. The play has a complex web of characters including Yesubai the dutiful wife and queen, Kavi Kalash an ardent friend, Ganoji Shirke the devious sardar but a loving and doting brother of Yesubai and Asad Khan the devoted and loyal uncle of Aurangzeb. The play draws upon a mental canvas of conflicts between both Sambhaji and Aurangzeb as Kings fighting contradictions in personal and political battlefields.

Director’s Note

I wanted to explore the relevance of history in our contemporary socio – political scenarios. This play is not just a representation of a historic event, but dwells deep into complex psychological realities of those characters vividly. Although at a glance it seems like a historical narrative – of two kings and their kingdoms but its personages enact a complex web of human behavior.
Raktbeej is a story that explores varied perspectives of human personas than those just as – larger – than – life characters recorded in the annals of history. It also draws multiple facets of their natures and varied shades of their character. I approached the play through this dual purpose of having stood by an authentic historical narrative while exploring its nuance and niche.

The Director

Pooja Vedvikhyat is a Performer, Director and Designer who places her work in new spirit of emerging theater and relates it to contemporary issues. She graduated from National School of Drama 2018 while completing a course from DUENDE School of Ensemble Physical Theater under the guidance of director, John Britton. She directs plays of varied nature and flavor like: Kus Badaltana and Andher Nagri Chaupat Raja. Her forte is history and family dramas.

The Playwright

Vasant Shankar Kanetkar (20 March 1920 – 31 January 2000) was a Marathi playwright and novelist. He was born in the town of Rahimatpur in Satara district, Maharashtra, India.
After passing M.A. exam in 1948 from Sangli, he joined as lecturer in Nashik in 1950. He received wide acclaim from audiences for his play, Raigadala Jewha Jag Yete and continued writing several successful renderings for the stage. He kept the Marathi commercial theatre vibrant and alive for more than two decades with several successful stage renderings. His best five plays received awards of the year by Maharashtra State Government.

The Group

This play is being presented as a part of National School of Drama’s graduate showcase (class of 2018), which aims to provide a platform for emerging theatre practitioners, allowing them to share their work with a wider audience.

Cast & Credits

Yesubai: Pallavi Jadhao
Sambhaji: Prasanna Hambarde
Kavi Kalash: Sanjeev Jaiswal
Aurangzeb: Punsilemba Maitai
Asadkhan: Ankur Saxena
Pralhad Niraji: Salim Mulla
Ganoji Shirke: Guneet Singh
Rakshak: Ajay Khatri, Nikhil Pandey, Jayant Rabha, Ravindra Garewal, Abhishek, Tanay, Abhishek, Azim Mirza
Shahir: Snehalata Tagde, Deeksha Tiwari

Set Design: Pooja Vedvikhyat.
Sound Design & Execution: Aniruddha Bhoodhar, Vatary Bhoopati, Sham Rastogi, Akash Gupta, Nikhil Pandey
Costume& Headgear: Aruja Srivastava, Bhagyashree Tarke
Costume Assistance: Nishigandha Ghanekar
Light Design: Saras Kumar, Gaurav Sharma
Poster Design: Ujjwal Kumar, Adwait Morey

Playwright: Vasant Kanetkar
Adaptation, Design & Direction: Pooja Vedvikhyat

Playwright: Saptarshi Maulik
Director: Rudraprasad Sengupta
Group: Nandikar, Kolkata
Language: Bengali
Duration: 1 hr 50 mins

The Play
The story starts with a pregnant lady taking her dying husband to the hospital by pulling a rickshaw on her own. But the hospital refuses to treat him and finally he dies. The pregnant lady cremates her husband and takes shelter on the footpath. The night guards of the city rape her repeatedly and one night she bites their sex organs! After a few days, Rabi, a rickshaw-puller, hears a baby weeping in a pile of garbage. He adopts the abandoned baby and names her Pari. He has now found a motive to live…. in bringing up Pari.
Time passes. Now, Pari is a mother but she surrenders her little son, Bodhisotwo, to Rabi’s custody and disappears. Rabi raises Bodhisotwo and leaves behind him a stable along with poor pets – an unfledged parrot, a lame cat, etc. Will Bodhisotwo’s life maintain an undisturbed flow with these pets? Will the roads of our city allow him to grow up as its citizen? Will he be able to live alone…?

The Director
Rudraprasad Sengupta was born in Calcutta (now Kolkata), Bengal. He studied at the Scottish Church College of the University of Calcutta where he earned his B.A. and M.A degrees in English literature. He was formerly a reader in English at the Brahmananda Keshab Chandra College, Calcutta, and a visiting lecturer in the Drama Department of Rabindra Bharati University. In 1961 he joined the Kolkata-based theatre group Nandikar and in the early 1970s started to direct several plays for the group. In the late 1970s he became the leader of the group. He has directed many plays for Nandikar including Football and Feriwalar Mrityu among others. He has also appeared in some Bengali art films, Bernardo Bertolucci’s Little Buddha, and Roland Joffé’s City of Joy. He has received numerous awards to include Best Actor and Director Award from Theatre Journalists Assn. (W.B.) in 1975 & 1976, Best Director’s Award from Critics’ Circle of India in 1979, the highest national award from Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1980, Girish Award as Eminent Theatre Personality in 1980, Senior Fellowship, Department of Culture, Government of India (1984-1987 & 1996-1998), Kalakar Award as Best Actor in 1997, Carey Award for life-long contribution in 1998, Natya-Swapna-Kalpa 2000, Dinabandhu Puraskar in 2006, B V Karanth Samman (Bhopal) in 2007 and many more.

The Playwright
Saptarshi Maulik is presently the Assistant Treasurer of Nandikar. He is also a Training Assistant in Nandikar’s In- House Training and Theatre-in-Education Programmes in schools. He has worked with the inmates of Dumdum Central Correctional Home; students of IIEST, Shibpur; students of Seth Anandram Jaipuria College; and the students of IMI, Kolkata. He has acted in Nandikar productions and is the author of four plays.

The Group
Nandikar is a 56-year-old institution which has been at the forefront of the national theatre movement. Nandikar has participated in International festivals in the New York Fringe Theatre Festival, Bonn Biennale, four festivals in Sweden, and the London Nehru Centre and Edinburgh Festival in the UK. It has interacted with Universities of New York, California, and Riverside; Brecht Zentrum, FIRT and a number of ITIs in various countries. It has worked with the Ministries of Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports, Women and Child Development, and Human Resource Development (Department of Education); and also with the Sangeet Natak Akademi, Sahitya Akademi, National School of Drama, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, and the Indian Council for Social Science Research.

Cast & Credits
On Stage: Saptarshi Maulik, Anindita Chakraborty, Arghya Dey Sarkar, Rakesh Das, Shubhadeep Roy,
Ayon Ghosh, Pritam Kalyan Chakraborty, Souvik Bhattachraya, Somesh Saha

Costume: Solanki Dev
Decor: Ayon Ghosh
Light: Arghya Dey Sarkar
Music: Souvik Bhattacharya
Make-up: Shusree Mukherjee
Associate Director: Sohini Sengupta

Playwright: Saptarshi Maulik
Director: Rudraprasad Sengupta

Playwright & Director: Tripurari Sharma
Group: NSD Sikkim Repertory, Gangtok
Language: Nepali
Duration: 1 hr 30 mins

The Play
This is a tale which revolves around the life of a couple that leads an ordinary life and bicker incessantly. The wife is depressed about how her life turned out to be and hopes for salvation. One day the God of Death, Yama sends his messengers to inform her that she has only twenty-four hours from now to live, after which she would depart from the earth. The husband grows furious when he learns of this but is later deeply saddened by the news. He gradually realizes how precious his wife is to him. The wife, knowing that her end is near, tries to live her entire life within the span of a day. The play follows how the husband finds ways and means to fight the order of universe and dissuade the God of Death from taking her away.

Director’s Note
The Gond tale, on which the play is based, deals with the ingenuity of a man who wants his wife to live. The story reflects the imagination of a community which places men and Gods in a frame of combat that has reference both in the might of the divine and human behavior. The tale talks of a time when Gods personally came to earth to take a person away at the time of departure from earth. This is also a moment of reckoning, of being born anew and a rediscovery of the world. Set in the midst of mist and clouds, the performance creates a narrative of fantasy. The simple minded clear focus of husband contrasts with that of wife’s emotions oscillating between life and death; and the narrow minded avarice and complacency of others around. The logic that a woman cannot go without her husband’s consent is carried to extreme in order to keep her away from death. The tale with its ambiguity intrigues. The man is both villainous and heroic. The triumph renders possessiveness, tempered with love and integrity, almost a virtue. It was a rare opportunity to explore the tale with the actors of the Repertory Company of Sikkim, NSD. Each moment was full of spirit and delight.

The Director & Playwright
Prof. Tripurari Sharma, born in 1956, is a graduate from Delhi University with Honors in English Literature. She completed her diploma from NSD in 1979 with specialization in Direction. She has written and directed a number of plays and has been associated with several theatre groups throughout the country and abroad. She has written scripts of critically acclaimed films like Mirch Masala and Hazar Chaurasi Ki Maa and has also written and co-directed a few short films on the theme of the adolescent girl child and has been associated with the Street Theatre Movement. Prof. Sharma has travelled with her group to Norway, England and Pakistan and represented India in the first Women Playwright‘s Conference in USA, 1988. She was honored with the Sanskriti Award, Delhi, in 1986 and also by the Delhi Natya Sangh in 1990. In 2013, she was conferred with the Sangeet Natya Akademi Award for her immense contribution in the field of theatre direction. At present, she is a Professor of Acting in the National School of Drama.

The Group
Sikkim Theatre Training Centre is the first centre of the National School of Drama outside Delhi established in the year 2011. Situated in the lush green picturesque valley of Gangtok, the centre offers a year-long extensive training in theatre. In 2012, the centre started its Repertory Company in which students from the previous year’s training program are selected as artists.

Cast& Credits
Maya: Ranjana Manger
Santey: Bikram Lepcha
Bhatti Wala: Tashi Lepcha
Bhatti Wali: Prarthna Chettri
2 Old Women: Pabitra Kri. Gautam, Tila Rupa Sapkota
Yam Doot 1: Satyam Gurung
Yam Doot 2: Buddiman Rai
Yamraj: Tushar Nirala
Pregnant Woman: Chandrika Chettri
Shikari Kancha: Birbal Subba
Old Man: Nitlesh Chhetri
Sabji Wali: Balsrame A Sangma
Jhakri: Birbal Subba
Bhes Dance: Suman Rai / Birbal Subba
Badal: Chandrika Chettri, Prarthna Chettri, Suman Rai, Balsrame A Sangma, Vupen Gurung, , Bhuwan Sharma, Barsha Basu Thakur
Dance: Chandrika Chettri, Tashi Lepcha, Prarthna Chettri, Vupen Gurung, Bhuwan Sharma, Balsrame A Sangma
Villagers: Vupen Gurung, Anil Kr. Manger, Tashi Lepcha,Nitlesh Chhetri, Birbal Subba, Pabitra Kri. Gautam, Prarthna Chettri, Tila Rupa Sapkota, Balsrame A Sangma, Bhuwan Sharma, Barsha Basu Thakur.

Technical in-charge: Goge Bam
Production Coordinator: Lhakpa Lepcha
Stage Manager: Chakra Bdr. Chettri
Light & Set Design: Dipankar Paul
Light Assistant, Execution & Operation: Chakra Bdr Chettri
Set Execution: Tashi Lepcha, Sanjeev Sharma
Costume Design: Anil Kr. Manger
Sound Execution: Nitlesh Chhetri
Assistant: Uttam Gurung
Musicians: Uttam Gurung, Birbal Subba, Subrata Banerjee, NishithMajumdar, Tathagata Banerjee, Partha Sil, Suman Rai, Sayan Chakraborty

Stenography Painting: Dhiraj Pradhan
Poster & Brochure: Sangeet Shrivastava
Choreographer: Kiran Lama
Nepali Translation: Hasta Kr. Chettri
Property Design & Making: Jeewan Limboo
Assistant: Prem Pradhan, Buddiman Rai
Assistant Director: Bikram Lepcha
Associate Director: Vinod Bahadur Rai

Music Director Raghuvir Yadav
Playwright & Director: Tripurari Sharma

Playwright: Bratya Basu
Director: Kanchan Mullick
Group: Paikpara Indraranga, Kolkata
Language: Bengali
Duration: 1 hr 50 mins

The Play
Madhab Marik is a politician who aspires to become the leader of the country. He dreams of taking the oath as the Prime Minister. But everything goes haywire when during his dream of oath-taking ceremony a voice interrupts calling him a hooligan, cheat, and rioter. Madhab realizes the voice to be that of his childhood friend Satya who had died when he was in school. Madhab’s latest transition from one party to another keeps him wondering about what people are actually thinking about him. Through his encounter with Satya, Madhab’s fears come to light. Satya, to get his friend out of the turmoil, helps him with the magic lamp of Aladin. But this lamp functions a bit differently. It helps Madhab to see the true face of the person towards whom he points the lamp. Madhab finds that all his political party members, high-command leader, even his elder daughter and her husband, have pretentious faces, and the lamp reveals them all, except for his wife, and Satya’s mother who genuinely care for him. Madhab breaks down knowing the reality. He returns the lamp. Satya suggests Madhab to leave all his political pursuits and settle down and look after his family but Madhab disagrees and decides to start exploring his life afresh in a different light, for the people.

Director’s Note
This was the first time I was asked to direct a play, and I will always cherish this offer and respect the confidence Paikpara Indraranga showed in my abilities. I had a smooth experience directing the play since the group is so professionally managed that besides direction I did not have to get involved in any other aspect of this big production. I especially thank Bratya Basu for believing in me and for giving me the opportunity to direct a play for the first time ever in my 27 years of living and breathing theatre.

The Director
In the year 1990 Kanchan Mullick started his theatre career with the group Hindol. He has been associated with the theatre group Swapnasandhani for almost 25 years. Here he learned acting, back stage work, set, light etc. Kanchan Mullick is known as a Bengali film and television actor. He has acted in movies like Mahakaal, Ranjala Ami Aar Asbo Na, Dhruba, Kelor Kirti, Lakshyabhed etc.

The Playwright
Bratya Basu, is an accomplished theatre artist, a playwright and director, who started his career as a sound operator. He is a theatre thinker and activist, and has served Bengali theatre for nearly 20 years. His plays have been staged by various directors like Suresh Bhardwaj, Bapi Bose, Arpita Ghosh, Debesh Chattopadhyay, Suman Mukhopadhyay, Koushik Sen, Kishore Sengupta, Anirban Bhattacharya, Sekhar Samaddar, Biplab Bandopadhyay, Debashis Biswas, Debashis Ray, Debashis Dutta, Avi Chakraborty etc. A compilation of his plays has been published in three volumes in 2004, 2010 and 2016 respectively.

The Group
Indraranga was renamed Paikpara Indraranga in 2012. Ekdin Aladin is our fifth production since then, after Nishshanga Samrat, Arabya Rajani, Awdyo Sesh Rajani and Banijye Basate Lakshmi. Our six-year journey in the world of group theatre has been one of ups and downs. It was a learning experience, for it taught us the philosophy and introspection of the art of theatre.

Cast & Credits
On Stage: Kanchan Mullick, Taranga Sarkar,Indrajit Chakraborty, Aruna Mukhopadhyay,Sumana Mukhopadhyay, Shantanu Nath, Indranil Mukhopadhyay, Prasun Bandyopadhyay, Pankaj Sarkar, Tutul Ghosh, Mouli Roy,
Pubali Bandyopadhyay, Sukanta Saha, Soham Mukhopadhyay, Soumadipta Mondal, Joydeep Acharya, Sanjay Das, Anish Ghosh, Subrata Sadhukhan, Richa Roy, Payel Ghosh, Bhagyasree Roychowdhyry, Ranjana Karmakar

Set Design: Debasish Roy
Set Making: D’moy
Sound Design: Dishari Chakraborty
Sound Operation: Santanu Paul, Soumya Mukherjee
Light: Sudip Sanyal
Make-up: Md. Ali & Sanjoy Paul
Choreography: Sumit Roy
Costume: Madhumita Dham
Logo & Publicity Design: Hiran Mitra
Brochure Design & Still Photography: Abhijit Nath
Production Assistants: Paromita Chakraborty, Bijay Basu, Ranita Das, Indranil Mukhopadhyay, Nairwita Dutta

Playwright: Bratya Basu
Direction: Kanchan Mullick

Watch Meet the Director segment for the play

Playwright: Lyudmila Razumovskaya
Director: Vailisa Teplyakova
Group: Nazarov’s Workshop Institute of Theatre Arts, Russia
Language: Russian
Duration: 1 hr 30 mins

The Play
After the final exams at a regular school, four school children realize that they will not pass the exams and the result would be disastrous to their future career. The teenagers enter the house of their teacher Elena Sergeevna and demand the key to the safe in which the examination papers are stored. At first, they try to persuade the teacher and then they try bribing her, and in the end threaten to blackmail her. But the principled teacher does not agree to the deal and tries to explain to the school children all the meanness and baseness of their actions.

Director’s Note
In Dear Elena, the youth are four students and their hostage is their teacher, Elena Sergeevna. The student leader, Volodya, is a handsome and innocent looking kid, yet his mind is where his heart should be. He is ready to commit even rape to break Elena Sergeevna, and terrorizes her by saying that it would be out of ‘a purely sporting interest’. Complete rejection of morality and social norms has made him a sociopath. Part of the complexity of this play is that Elena Sergeevna herself is in a way compromised. She herself is a moral woman, but her fidelity is towards an indefensibly corrupt system. This story is not just about students and teachers, or kids and adults, it is about the modern Russian society and the conflicts between different type of people in Russia, and the conflict of different ways of upbringing in the modern society.

The Director
Vasilisa Teplyakova finished Gitis (Russian Institute of Theatre Art) as an actress in 2014. She works as an actress and director in different independent theatre projects, and as a teacher in the Institute Of Theatre Art, and is pursuing Ph.D. at Gitis.

The Playwright
Lyudmila Razumovskaya is a Russian playwright. She received an assignment from the Ministry of Culture to write a play about ‘difficult teenagers’. Hence she wrote Dear Elena Sergeevna. Although the ministry rejected it, the play was staged in Tallinn (in Estonian) in 1981 and in Leningrad Lenkom in 1982. The performance was a huge success, the play was accepted by more than 20 theatres of the country, but in 1983, by order of the Ministry of Culture, it was removed from the repertoire. Allowed again with the beginning of Perestroika in 1987, the play was staged a number of times abroad, including more than a hundred theatres in Europe. Since Lyudmila’s plays too openly reflect the state of the society, the Ministry of Culture allowed the performances only after censoring parts of the original text.

The Group
Artem Nazarov’s Workshop is a community of young, talented actors who have just graduated from the Institute of Theatre Art. The artists are experienced in acting on different type of stages, from small rooms to big auditoriums and also street stages. The group has six different plays in its repertoire and is always ready to play for charity. The actors annually take part in the festival of theatre schools of the BRIC countries, in performances by Valentin Teplyakov. These artists are young, ambitious, and most importantly, in love with Theatre.

Cast & Credits
Elena Sergeevna: Evgeniya Rozanova
Vladimir: Ivan Nabiullin
Pavel: Vladimir Rogachevskii
Viktor: Alexander Laptev
Lyalya: Anastasia Nyshpora

Playwright: Lyudmila Razumovskaya
Director: Vasilisa Teplyakova

Story: Dwija Kanai
Director: Goutam Halder
Group: Naye Natua, Kolkata
Language: Bengali
Duration: 2 hrs 20 mins

The Play
The ballads of Moimonsingha Geetika belong to a matriarchal society. Some of the characteristics of the matriarchal society are – choosing a husband, freedom of love, and marrying in old age. Love in this society is like a divine wild flower which the vices of city life cannot destroy. In this society, selecting one’s partner is valued over marriage. This folk literature is like the history of mankind. According to Dinesh Chandra Sen, a schedule caste brahmin Dwija Kanai created these ballads, now known as Moimonsingha Geetika. The ballad starts with a beautiful secular form. Far in the north is Gara Mountain. There lives a Brahmin with his six-month old daughter. The leader of a gypsy group Hoomra steals (kidnaps) the beautiful child one night. When the girl turns sixteen she falls in love with the prince Nader Chand. Hoomra does not like this love affair and ordered Mahua to kill Nader Chand. But Mahua kills herself instead of killing her husband. Afterwards the Gypsy Group killed Nader Chand. In Bengals folk literature Mahua (A ballad of Moimonsingha Geetika) has been representing womanhood of our society.

Director’s Note
While reading Moimonsingha Geetika, the ballad of Mohua and Nader Chand had inspired me. We have performed many serious, political and social plays dealing with complex problems of existence. The ballad of Moimonsingha Geetika explores Love, along with the complexities, that mankind can treasure. This story speaks of ideals, norms and ethics of the society, the status difference and its effects on human relationships.

The Director
President and founder member of theatre troupe Naye Natua, Goutam Halder was awarded State Award of Best Production for Meghnad Badh Kabya, State Award as Best Director for Chile Kothar Sepai, and Aditya Vikram Birla Kala Kiran Award. He has directed and acted in many plays for Nandikar, Naye Natua and other theatre troupes of Kolkata. He is trained in Kathak, Bharat Natyam & Classical Vocal Music, and is an actor – trainer in various institutions in India and abroad.

The Playwright
Dwija Kanai wrote and sang Bengali folk ballads of Moimonsingha around 350 years back. He belonged to the scheduled caste, but his works influenced the people of the society and they upgraded his status to that of a brahmin. There were times when these songs of Mohua were sung by everyone in east Moimonsingha in the undivided Bengal. It was the initiative of Sir Ashutosh Mukhopadhyay and the University of Bengal which officially appointed Chandra Kumar Dey to collect the ballads of Dwija Kanai. Sri Dinesh Chandra Sen collected these songs from Chandra Kumar Dey in 1921 and later published them as a book Moimonsingha Geetika.

The Group
Naye Natua, a theatre troupe of Kolkata, has around 40 young talented actors, dancers and musicians, including casual and regular artists who are working tirelessly throughout the year. The group has performed in USA (New Jersey, Baltimore, Los Angeles, San Diego, Kansas, Nashville, Washington etc.), Canada (Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary – Alberta), Oman (Muscat), Bangladesh (Dhaka), Kuwait, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Assam, Kolkata, West Bengal and many other places.

Cast & Credits
On Stage: Goutam Halder, Dyuti Ghosh Halder, Santanu Ghosh, Parthib Roy,Tamsuk Routh, Pronay Biswas, Tanmoy Maji, Alamin Amin, Mousumi Ghatak, Teesta Mondal, Swati Dasgupta, Sanghita Dutta Chakraborty, Swaralipi Chakraborty, Sujana Sikdar

Music Associates: Satyajit Chowdhury, Nilansuk Datta, Probir Das, Niraj Mondal, Joydeep Biswas
Costume: Dyuti Ghosh Halder
Light Operation: Debashish Chakraborty
Associates: Chandan Mitra, Bhola Chatterjee
Make-up: Samir Ghosh
Backstage & Technical Management (Sound): Soumitra Bhandari

Story: Dwija Kanai (Moimonsingha Geetika)
Dramatization, Music, Choreography, Set, Light & Direction: Goutam Halder

Playwright: Jyotishwar Thakur
Director: Prakash Jha
Group: Mailorang Repertory, Delhi
Language: Maitihli
Duration: 1 hr 20 mins

The Play
Most of the plays in Maithili language are based on the stories derived from the lineage of Lord Krishna and his characteristics. But in Dhurt Samagam a saint and his students are the central characters. Every character in the narrative is one up in cunningness from the other. The saint along with his student, Snatak visits late Thakur’s place for alms, the household people take plea of impurity due to death in family. Vishwanagar and Snatak then visit Suratpriya’s place. Here, the mentor-disciple start fighting amongst themselves for a prostitute named Anangsena. Both of them take the prostitute to Assajaati Mishra to resolve their fight, but Assajaati Mishra and his helper Bandhubanchak both turn out to be more lecherous than them. Finally, Assajaati Mishra proclaims that it is this sly nature that has helped him to con the world and obtain his beloved. It is this essential nature which is the most precious thing for him in the world. However, he says that he always hopes for the peace and happiness of the universe.

Director’s Note
Dhurta Samagam, written in thirteenth century is the first Maithili play. As Jyotishwar Thakur himself belonged to the Mithila region he placed the action of the play in same region. A seven hundred years old play is as relevant today as it was back then. This became a strong reason for us to produce it. The physical postures in our production are inspired from Sanskrit drama tradition and folk form Kiratniya.

The Director
Dr. Prakash Jha, a Phd in theatre, has been associated with theatre since 1994. He is the only director working in Maithili presently. He is the founder director of Mailorang Repertory and a senior research fellow of the Min. of Culture, Govt. of India. He has, to his credit four published works, out of these three are edited works and the fourth one is a translation. He has directed more than 30 plays and acted in more than 40 plays. His plays have been a part of Bharat Rang Mohatsav. Presently, he is working as a co-editor of Rang Prasang, a magazine published by the National School of Drama.

The Playwright
Poet and playwright, Jyotishwar Thakur is assumed to have lived from 1260 to 1340. He was a resident of Pali Village of Madhubani district of the present-day Bihar. He was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. He was given the the title of “Kavi-Shekar” because of his great writings. His Sanskrit text titled Panchsayak is based on ‘Kaamshastra’. His other work, Varnaratnakaar is assumed to be the best work of that time.

The Group
Mailorang Repertory, Delhi was founded in 2005 with the aim to preserve the essence of cultural heritage and diversity of Mithila region amongst the people living in NCR. Since then it had served the objective of promoting the regional art and culture such as Natua-naach, rasanchowki, kirtaniya etc. This group has presented more than 60 plays within the country and also in neighbouring states like Nepal. Several renowned artists have been associated with Mailorang with the sole objective of promoting art and culture. The plays presented by the group have been appreciated worldwide.

Cast & Credits
Nati: Pooja Priyadarshini
Nat: Raman Kumar
Suratpriya: Manisha Jha
Anangsena: Sonia Jha
Baba Vishwanath Jha: Mukesh Jha
Snatak/Bangat Lal: Jitendra Kumar
Thakur ji: Sanjeev Yadav/Mayanand Jha/Santosh
Misar ji: Rituraj
Vidushak/Bandhubanchak: Nitish Kumar Jha/ Manoj Pandey
Moolnashak : Mayanand/ Mannu Jha
Chorus 1: Nitish/Govind
Chorus 2: Deepanand/ Nikhil
Chorus 3: Shivswaroop/ Vivek
Chorus 4: Mnish Raj/ Manishankar
Chorus 5: Mannu Jha/ Roshan/ Harsh

Music: Rajesh Pathak, Anil Mishra and Deepak Thakur
Lead Singers: Rajeev Ranjan/ Sushmita Jha
Co-Singers: Amarjeet, Bhaskar Jha, Jyoti Jha, Shivani Jha, Nitish
Choreography: Bhoomikeshwar Singh
Assistance: Pratibha Singh, Puja Priyadarshani & Raman Kumar
Costumes: Sonia Jha
Assistance: Mannu Jha, Sony Jha and Daalchand (costumes)
Set & Light Design: Shyam Kumar Sahni
Assistance: Sanjeev Kumar Bittu
Make-up: Mukesh Jha and Deepak Thakur
Property: Nitish Kumar, Mannu Jha and Sanjeev Kumar
Communication: Deepak Yatri, Mayanand Jha and Sanjeev Kumar
Brochure and Poster: Sanjeev Kumar
Photography: Deepak Yatri, Swabhimaan, Vikram
Rehearsal Supervision: Neera Jha, Manish Tiwari
Production Controller: Mukesh Jha
Performance Text: Prakash Jha

Playwright: Jyotishwari Thakur
Co-director: Shyam Kumar Sahni
Director: Prakash Jha

Playwrights: B. Puttaswammayya, P. Vajrappa, Kallor Shreenivas & P Kuvmpu
Director: M. Ganesh
Group:  Satyashodhana Ranga Samudaya, Heggodu
Language: Kannada
Duration: 2 hrs 15 mins

The Play
On the basis of the text of Mahabharatha along with the text of the play Kurukshethra by B. Puttswamaiah and P.Vajrappa, the masters of Karnataka company theatre, this performance has evolved keeping in mind the present times. It has been performed as Kurukshethra/Shri Krishna Sandhana all over Karnataka by P. Vajrappa and Kalluru Shrinivas. Their texts and songs are used in our production along with the poems of Kuvempu.

Director’s Note
In my native place, Thimmappana Halli and in surrounding villages, I enjoyed watching the enactment of Kurukshetra, Ramayana, Danashura Karna, Raja Vikrama etc. that were performed annually. When I came to Bangalore for my higher studies, my ties with company theatre were left behind. When I look back and think about how I felt then, watching company theatre, I feel amused. I wouldn’t miss even the all-night rehearsals of these plays. As I was a kid I wouldn’t get any opportunities to act but no one could withhold my opportunity to watch those plays. Saturdays and Sundays being holidays, it was my turn to look after the cattle. I used to rehearse these stories with my fellow cattle men. The mud from the wells that were being dug was our ‘Aharya’ (Make-up), the bamboo sticks were our bows and arrows, worn out plastic pitcher the weapons (Gada), the surrounding lakes became rivers and seas, the greenery was a dense forest, and we the characters of Ramayana and Mahabharatha. I had never thought that the games, which we played as kids, would become the texts for my future studies. Ninasam has taught me these playful games in our theatre course, but with discipline. In the year 2014-15 Ninasam trained students with different texts of Kurukshethra. Though the group was of young students, their singing and acting was of professional level. The nearby villagers came in crowds to watch this play. I had thought of doing this play much earlier for Janumanadata, but it couldn’t be possible for many reasons. Now, the actors Manju Sirigere, Nagaraja Sirsi, Sharath S Mysore, Uma Y G Kolara, Shrinivasa Murthy Tumkuru, along with the help of other actors and technicians, came together to recreate this play for Janumanadata.

The Director
Dr. M. Ganesh did his Masters in Kannada from Bangalore University. He completed theatre training at Ninasam Ranga Shikshana Kendra, Heggodu and then got appointed as a faculty at Ninasam. He received Doctorate from Kuvempu University for his thesis on Kannada Rangabhoomiya Hosa Sadhyathegalu (New possibilities in Kannada theatre). Being an actor, director and organizer, he has worked in many theatre troupes including Ninasam Tirugata, Charaka, Kinnaramela, Protheo, Spandana, Kagodu Rangamancha, Nanu Mandya and others. Sangeet Natak Academi awarded him with Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar. He was also awarded the best actor award for the movie Dhali in Bellimandala and Ambegalu film festival. Currently he is working as the Director of Shivamogga Rangayana.

The Group
In order to keep up the dreams of liberty, equality and fraternity, and to keep Ninasam training active and creative for two more months after completion of the course, a group Janumanadata was started and has been running for the past thirteen years. It was officially renamed Satyashodhana Ranga Samudaya in 2016. The group works under the leadership of Dr. M. Ganesh, the teacher at Ninasam institute, along with Ninasam pass-outs and other theatre lovers.

Cast & Credits
On Stage: Y Manjunath, Nagaraj Sirsi, Uma Y G, Alebasappa, Manjappa Huligi, Shivaraja, Vani Reddy, Poornima,
Sathish Chauhan, Basavaraj, Dingri Naresh, Peerappa H Doddamani, Naveen Prathap, Rajath, Shruthi V, Mahantesh, Durga

Music: Arun Kumar M
Music operation:  Raghav Kammar, Basavaraj
Lighting: Sathish Chauhan

Playwrights: B. Puttaswammayya, P. Vajrappa, Kallor Shreenivas & P Kuvmpu
Director: M. Ganesh