Playwright: Rabindranath Tagore
Director: Pradip Bhattacharya
Group: Berhampore Repertory Theatre, Murshidabad
Language: Bengali
Duration: 1 hr 30 mins

The Play
Nandini, the protagonist of the play, is an individual, not an abstraction, but is pursued by abstraction, like one tormented by a ghost. Nandini knows that wealth and power are nothing but ‘maya’ (illusion), and that the highest expression of life is Love, which she manifests in this play in her love for Ranjan. But love-ties are ruthlessly molested by the megalomaniac ambition, while an acquisitive intellect piles its psychological curiosity, probing into the elusive mystery of love through vivisection.

Director’s Note
It is a vision that has come to me in the darkest hour of dismay. I have a stronger faith in the simple personality of man than in the prolific brood of machinery that wants to crowd everything. This personality – the divine essence of the infinite in the vessel of the finite – has its last treasure – the woman’s heart. The joy of this faith has inspired me to pour my heart into painting the portrait of Nandini as the bearer of the message of reality, the saviour through death.

The Director
Pradip Bhattacharya did M.A. (Drama) from Rabindra Bharati University. He received the National Scholarship and Senior Fellowship by CCRT, Department of Culture, Govt. of India. He is the founder, director, and Guru of Berhampore Repertory Theatre. He has written 10 full-length plays, 6 short plays, and 10 plays for children (Published in Bengali Theatre Journal of West Bengal). He has directed 40 Plays in the last 48 Years. 4 of his plays have won the Best Production of the Year 1988, 1990, 1998 & 2006 awarded by Paschimbanga Natya Akademy, Govt. of West Bengal. He has been conducting Theatre Therapy in Prison for the last 12 years at Berhampore Central Correctional Home (Jail) Govt. of West Bengal. He has directed three plays Tasher Desh, Tota Kahini, and Jakshapuri (Rakta Karabi) by Tagore. Pradip has acted in around 45 to 50 Plays. Some of the memorable characters that he has played are Socrates, Arturo Ui, etc. He has been acting in Television serials from 1994 till date, and has acted in 12 telefilms and 58 Feature Films including a foreign film Shadows of Time. He has organised several theatre workshops with Nandikar, National School of Drama (Delhi) and Max Muller Bhavan; children’s theatre workshops with local schools and orphan boys; and has been organising a National Theatre Festival from 1983 onwards. He has also made two documentary films (Diaha and Prisoner’s Dayout).

The Playwright
Rabindranath Tagore (7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath from the Indian subcontinent. He was a poet, musician and artist. He reshaped Bengali literature and music, as well as Indian art with Contextual Modernism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Author of Gitanjali, he was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913.

The Group
Berhampore Repertory Theatre was set up on 1st January 1986. It has held many theatre festivals and almost every theatre group of India has visited Berhampore. N.S.D. Repertory Company of Delhi, Naya Theatre of Habib Tanbir, Nandikar, Bahurupee and many other groups have visited Berharmpore. It has also arranged many workshops, seminars on theatre, and has introduced school students to theatre by conducting workshops for them. In 1991 a month-long N.S.D. workshop was held at Berhampore.

Cast & Credits
Raja: Shyamal Das
Sardar: Nitai Chandra Saha
Bishu Pagol: Buddhadev Meta
Adhyapak: Uttam Das
Fagulal: Nakul Nandi
Gokul: Bidhan Das
Kishor: Nimai Halder / Sariful Sk.
Morol: Subodh Mandal
Paloan: Kashinath Mal / Azad Sk.
Prahari: Subodh Das, Abhai Mandal
Ranjan /Jharudar: Tapas Das
Gosai: Swaminath Roy
Workers: Azad Hossain, Shariful SK, Dilip SK, Firdosh Alam, Rajesh Das, Sabu SK, Tala Hembram, Jatin Mondal
Nandini – 1: Helama Bibi
Nandini – 2: Runa Bibi
Nandini – 3 / Workers Wife: Uma Dey
Chandra: Chandana Mandal
Worker’s Wife: Tultuli Bibi

Light: Srabon Saha
Music Execution: Premankur Bhattacharya
Production Controller: Keka Bhattacharyya
Asst.: Tunin Kanti Dey

Playwright: Rabindra Nath Tagore
Design & Direction: Pradip Bhattacharya

Playwright & Director: Sukracharjya Rabha
Group: Badungduupa, Assam
Language: Rabha
Duration: 1 hr

The Play
To’ Poidam is based on a Rabha folk-tale, and the literal meaning of the term is ‘the bird named Poidam’. The story revolves around a mother and her five sons. One day while collecting vegetables from her kitchen-garden the mother notices the droppings of an unknown bird. When the vegetable is cooked it turns out to be extremely delicious. After hearing about the indications of the presence of a strange bird, the four elder sons decide to hunt it, assuming its meat will be exceptionally tasty and might even make them immortal. Despite the warnings of the wise younger brother and mother, they go to hunt it. The bird, which is an evil presence, takes over their minds completely, consuming their souls and making them dance to her tune. Meanwhile, the mother has a dream and persuades her youngest son to go to the rescue of his brothers. He does so and manages to save their lives. However, one of the brothers strikes him unconscious and they lie to their mother on reaching home, that they never met their brother. When the youngest son regains consciousness he returns home and kills his eldest brother.

Director’s Note
We the Rabhas, has been listening to this story for generations, though, none seems to look into it from a different perspective. Lately the changing political environment, erosion of human values and globalization has threatened the socio-cultural identities of different ethnic groups. One group of people has totally forgotten the relationship between the nation, the society and an individual. They are concerned only with fulfilling their personal need. Whereas some others are struggling to preserve their socio-culture identity. But the question is –what are the causes of this turmoil? Some are satisfied with accepting ‘external forces’ as the root cause, some blame our inherent weakness. The story summarizes these and many other social conflicts. The play is a theatrical expression of this symbolic story as per my understanding and feelings.

The Director & Playwright
Sukracharjya Rabha (10 April 1977- 8 June 2018) was born in Rampur village of Goalpara District, Assam. In 2001, he founded a theatre group, Badungduppa, a rural based theatre centre in his village. Using Badungduppa as the platform, he directed 26 plays in Rabha, Bodo and Nepali languages during his lifetime. Through his work in theatre, he promoted the cultural heritage of Rabha community as well as other ethnic groups of North East India. He was the brain behind the prestigious “Under the Sal Tree”, a unique research oriented theatre festival. He was the recipient of many a prestigious award and recognition including Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, 2009 for Direction from Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi; Aditya Bikram Birla Kala Kiran Puruskar, 2010 from Sangeet Kala Kendra, Mumbai for his outstanding performance in the field of theatre; and many more. He posthumously received Doctorate in Philosophy in the year 2018 from Guwahati University, a place where he also worked as a Guest Lecturer at Human Resource Development Centre under UGC.

The Group
Badungduppa was established in 1998 in the Goalpara district of Assam by the initiative of theatre lovers within Rabha community. It is the only rural based tribal theatre group actively engaged in making plays with contemporary meaning. Under the artistic leadership of Sukracharjya Rabha, the group has produced 20 plays in last 20 years. The group is regularly organizing workshops for rural artists and a research oriented theatre festival named “Under the Sal Tree”, and Children Theatre Festival annually.

Cast & Credits
Youngest son: Dhananjay Rabha
Second son: Himeswar Rabha
Third son: Uddhab Rabha
Fourth son: Bijay Kr Rabha
Eldest son: Basanta Rabha
To’ Poidam (birds): Bijay Rabha
Narrator: Kamil Rabha
Mother: Nirmali Rabha
Co-actors: Minakhsi Rabha, Bhanima Rabha, Sameli Rabha, Janki Rabha
Chorus: Sameli Rabha, Nirmali Rabha and All Artistes

Settings: Dhananjay Rabha, Dibakar Rabha
Costumes: Madan Rabha, Cheena Rabha
Music: Lakhikanta Rabha, Madan Rabha, Binanda Rabha, Dibakar Rabha
Light: Nilim Chetia

Script, Concept & Direction: Sukracharjya Rabha

Director: Ingrid Bonta
Group: Theatre Coquette, Romania
Language: Romanian
Duration: 1 hr 20 mins

The Play & Director’s Note
We have decided to approach the classical Thousand and One Nights with a contemporary eye and abstract theatrical techniques (dance, physical expressions etc.). It is a delicate, yet intense performance. Scheherazade is the only woman to have become the wife of cruel and feared Shahriar, of her own free will and choice. The main question was ‘why is she sacrificing herself?’, ‘does she run willingly in the arms of Death?’ But there is more to her than the first sight. She is no martyr nor does she want to become one. Just like the mythical Sheherazade takes the cruel tyrant on a journey of fantasy and imagination through unknown worlds – in which the extremes of the human soul entwine like the lights and shadows of the Yin and Yang- we wish to take the audience through 1001 states of mind, 1001 fantasies, 1001 mysteries – only to come to the thought that wisdom and love can conquer it all, even cruelty. Theatrical dance, gracefully mastered by the two actors’ body expressions, gets more intense as the story starts to unravel and makes the invisible seen to the audience: their bond grows stronger. With only two actors, the play focuses on the male and female harmony, emphasizing the empowerment of women through wit. It also aims to bring to light the importance of art and the subtle power of theatre.

The Director
Ingrid Bonta was born in 1984 in Arad, Romania, in a small Saxon community. She decided to take up theatre courses at the age of 16 and pursued a short acting class at The School of Arts, in Arad and later joined the Arad Puppet Theatre as a puppeteer for a year. Ingrid studied Foreign Languages and Literature (German) at the National University of Bucharest and took a Master’s Degree in Theatre Direction. After graduating she staged various plays in theatres across Romania and took part in several theatre festivals in Romania and Europe. In 2015 she joined the initiative of Romanian actress Ruxandra Balasu and together they found Theatre Coquette, in the heart of Bucharest. This was the beginning of a constant directing career. Ingrid staged various successful performances at Theatre Coquette, and other state theatres in Bucharest.

The Group
Theatre Coquette is a young independent company in Bucharest, established in 2015 by a young group of theatre makers, at the initiative of actress & director Ruxandra Balasu. Since then, the group has been selected in various theatre festivals in Romania and abroad, and its productions have quickly entered the Independent Theatre movement in Romania and its performances have been showcased in various festivals and staged around the country. The group was awarded Best Foreign Group at the Nova Drama Festival, Bulgaria in 2016 with the performance The Colonel and The Birds. In 2017 it has been the only Romanian theatre to be selected at the largest theatre festival in Asia, receiving excellent reviews, being endorsed by the Romanian Cultural Institute. Our group is led by Ingrid Bonta, theatre director and puppeteer, and Ruxandra Balasu, actress, director and cultural manager, along with Daniel Divrician, visual artist and stage designer. The production Barbarian Nights had been invited to open the International Independent Theatre Festival in Bucharest in November 2017. Since 2017, Theatre Coquette has been a founding partner for the Association of Independent Theatres in Romania, thus becoming a strong supporter and active member in the indie Romanian arts.

Cast & Credits
Sheherazade: Ruxandra Balasu
King: Shahriar Ovidiu Usvat

Stage design: Daniel Divrician
Choreography: Andreea Novac

Direction: Ingrid Bonta

Group Leader: Sasikumar V
Group: Story Teller’s Grove, Kerala
Language: Malayalam
Duration: 4 hrs 30 mins (with rituals)

The Form
Theyyam is a socio-religious ritual in the north Malabar region of the Kerala state in India. The mythological, divine, ancestral, animal, serpent or heroic characters are represented in it, each with its distinct physical shape, and a story of its origin. It is a subaltern performing art as the performers of Theyyam belong to the lower caste community, and have an important position in Theyyam. People of north Malabar consider Theyyam itself as a God and seek his blessings.

The Play
Kathivannur Veeran has earned an indomitable place in the memory of the local folk, both as an accomplished warrior and an excellent lover. Mandappan was the son of Chakki of Parakkayillam and Kumarachan of Meathali Illam, in Kannur district, born with the blessings of Chuzhali Bhagavathi. While enjoying life as a carefree youth, he happened to quarrel with his father once. In rage, Kumarachan stamped on Mandappan’s bow, and broke it into two. Upset with his father, and convinced that a warrior who was bereft of his weapon was as good as dead, the boy left his house with his friends, to join his uncle. On the way, he was cheated by his friends. Finally, he reached his uncle’s house in Kudagu where he settled down to a life of farming and trading. He happened to see the beautiful Chemmaruthi of Velaarkotta Veettil and married her. The young couple was so much in love that their ardour and possessiveness often led to quarrels. One day, she picked up an argument with him because he had returned late. He was not able to convince her that he got delayed trying to sell sesame oil. As soon as he sat down to eat, he heard the sound of the war bugles announcing the beginning of the war between Muthaarmudi Kudagar and Malayaalees. Mandappan got up and rushed to the battle field, not heeding Chemmmaruthi’s words and curses. During the battle he lost his little finger and the ceremonial ring. He got worried that his wife would pick up an argument about his lost ring. So, he returned to the battlefield, and the Kudagars ambushed and shot him to death. Mandappan’s grieving friends, gathered the strewn pieces of Mandappan’s body and took them to Velaarkotta Veedu, and got the pyre ready to cremate the remains. The grief stricken Chemmaruthi, who divined her husband’s death beforehand, ended her life, jumping into her husband’s burning pyre. The efforts of her brothers proved of no use as she distracted them before immolating herself. It is this hero and his love who are celebrated through Kathivannur Theyyam performance. It is said that the Chemmaruthi Thara, built in the name of Chemmaruthi, famed for her excessive love, is symbolic of Kathivannur Veeran’s enduring affection for his beloved wife. The panthams (lighted torches or flames) on her Thara, are said to commemorate Kathivannur Veeran’s loyal friends, and evoke the atmosphere of the battlefield. Mandappan and Chemmaruthi continue to live in the hearts of the people as the unforgettable lovers of Thayyattam stories. Lengthy thottams, sword fights, acrobatics, martial moves and Urumi fights keep the spectators spell bound during Kathivannur Veeran Theyyam performance. Its ritual practices last for three days. Hence, as far as the viewer is concerned, Kathivannur Veeeran is not an easy Theyyam to enjoy.

Cast & Credits
Karmi: Sanil Peruvannan
Theyyam: Shanu Peruvannan
Thottakkaran & Singer: Biju Vengara
Thottakkaran: Sudev Pallikkara

Chenda & Singer: Adarsh
Chenda: Abhiram
Veeku Chenda: Aswanth
Artistic Coordinator: A Sreekanth
Theyyam Attendent: Vignesh

Team Leader: Sasikumar V

Playwright: Peter Brook & Jean-Claude Carrière
Director: Deeya Maskey
Group: Actors’ Studio, Nepal
Language: Nepali
Duration: 1 hr 30 mins

The Play
Birds from all over the world gather together for a great conference. The nation of birds is in crisis, and urged by one of their flock, the Hoopoe, they have to chart a path to find their king Simurgh. For this they need to travel a long way towards the mountain called Kaf. During this journey, some die, some drop out, while others continue their quest of discovery, love, understanding, disappointment, destruction, unity and death. At last the survivors come into the presence of the great one, and discover that they themselves are the embodiment of the divine.

Director’s Note
Seven years ago, I came across Conference of the Birds while attending a physical theatre workshop jointly organized by Actors’ Studio and Embassy of US in Nepal. Description of the seven valleys seemed mythical and ancient on one hand and new and ultra-modern on the other. It was the perspective and relevancy that enabled me to stage the ancient masterpiece in today’s context. Through physical gestures and dialogues, each actor has tried to convey different unexplored meanings of the text. I have left a few things as mystery.

The Director
Deeya Maskey is a renowned actor, dancer and TV personality in Nepal. She initially trained as a professional Indian classical dancer from Allahabad, India and later completed her training in acting at Actors’ Studio, Nepal. Since then she has been practicing contemporary dances to explore a unique style by using the body, spatial relationship, kinesthetic responses and voice. Some of the famous films that she has acted in are Kagbeni, Soongava, and Fitkiri. She has worked as a choreographer for several theatre and film productions. She is also a judge in the Nepali edition of MTV Roadies show, Himalayan Roadies.

The Playwrights
Peter Brook contributed significantly to the development of 20th century’s avant-garde stage. He established the International Centre of Theatre Research in 1970 in Paris. He has won multiple Tony and Emmy Awards, a Laurence Olivier Award, the Praemium Imperiale, and the Prix Italia. He has been called ‘The greatest living theatre director’.

Jean-Claude Carrière is a renowned French novelist, story-writer and actor. He is known for his works as writer and actor in Luis Buñuel’s films Unbearable Lightness of Being, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, and Birth. He has received Best Live Action Short Film Award (1963) as well as Academy Honorary Award (2014) for lifetime achievement. He has also been honoured with the Padma Shree, award in India.

The Group
The Actors’ Studio has been performing in Nepal and abroad for more than one and a half decade. It has carved a niche in Nepali theatre by staging artistic yet committed and socially relevant plays, and establishing the presence of Nepali theatre in the international arena by producing radical and experimental works.

Cast & Credits
The Hoopoe: Suraj Malla
Heron Aayushman: Pyakurel
Partridge/Slave 2: Arjun Neupane
Sparrow: Roshani Tamang
Falcon: Gaurav Bista
King 1/Dervish/Slave 1: Sudam CK
First Exotic Bird: Anup Neupane
Second Exotic Bird: Manoj Thapa Magar
King 2/Walking Bird/ Bat: Anoj Pandey
Old Man/Mahatma: Anup Baral
Duck/ Thief 1: Prakriti Rayamajhi
Nightingale/Cal bird/ Slave: Binita Thapa Magar
Princesses: Sadhana Bhandari
Parrot: Anu Dahal
Peacock: Deeya Maskey
Owl: Keshav Thagunna
Thief 2: Aashish Shrestha
Chamberlain/Executioner: Suryaman Limbu
Double Bird: Shiksha KC
Hermit: Bikas Neupane
Guilty Bird: Ranjana Bhattarai
Dove bird: Hena Nagarkoti

Production Manager: Dev Neupane
Set Construction: Hum BC / Sagar BC
Stage Props: Suryaman Limbu / Anil Subba
Marketing Manager: Aayushman Pyakurel
Costume Design: Sunu Rai / Binita Thapa Magar /Sadhana Bhandari
Finance Manager: Keshav Thagunna
Light Design: Anup Baral
Light Operator: Dev Raj Sunuwar
Sound Craft / Operator: Devendra Neupane
Stage Manager: Anoj Pandey / Roshani Syangbo
Documentation: Sushil Paudel
Translation: Pushpa Raj Acharya

Playwrights: Peter Brook and Jean-Claude Carrière
Direction: Deeya Maskey

Playwright: Anil Saha
Director: Debasish Chakraborty
Group: Tala Dhrupad Natya Sanstha, Hooghly
Language: Bengali
Duration: 2 hr 10 mins

The Play
Arshinagar speaks about love and true emotions. In this era, where love has been commoditized, this story talks about the real definition of love and the magic it can create. Chaya Kumar, son of a rich merchant has to leave his wife on the next day of his marriage for business expansion.The newly wedded bride, Lilabati, lives with her in-laws, but feels a vacuum. But the power of love brings joy in Lilabati’s life and helps her overcome the void.

Director’s Note
Presented in a folk form, the flight of imagination in the play soars without any bondage of religion, cast or culture. To express the language of love and fathom its power, music is a vital character in this play. Various folk songs in the traditions of Jhumur, Bhadu, Tusu, Sari, Jari and Sufi are wonderfully tuned in the atmosphere through which the story runs smoothly. Various workshops and endless brainstorming sessions on choreography, costumes, light, set and editing resulted in this brilliant play.

The Director
Debasish Chakraborty, a theatre student of Sri Bivas Chakraborty since 1998, is a promising director of this generation. He joined Annya, a theatre group, under the direction of Sri Bivas Chakraborty and acted in numerous plays. He started his own theatre group Dhrupad in 2002 at Serampore. He has acted in many tele-serials. He has also acted in the feature film One, directed by Birsa Dasgupta, and performs in other theatre groups of Kolkata as well.

The Playwright
Anil Saha was born in Bagbazar, Kolkata. He is a retired employee of State Bank of India. He joined a theatre workshop and is now a full-time theatre worker. He has acted in many plays and has been writing plays for 30 years.

The Group
Tala Dhrupad Natya Sanstha started its theatre journey in 2002. The group has produced Simantika written by the eminent dramatist Chandan Sen, Hastabud dramatized by Pradip Moulik and based on the story of Sahajad Firdous, The Numbers based on Nikolai Gogol’s story, Ranger Haat by Manoj Mitra, Bodli by Anil Saha, Bhan by Amiya Chattaraj, Uro Megh by Mohit Chattopadhyay, Punajjanma by Dwijendralal Roy and many more.

Cast & Credits
Chaya Kumar: Dhrubo Adhikari
Lilabati: Shreya Biswas
DebokiNandan: Arup Manna
Surobhi Devi: Mita Roy
Sarkar Mosai: Jayanta Chattopadhyay
Bhnaru: Biswanath Saha
Kanai: Parikshit Chattopadhyay
Maya Kumar: Jayanta Chakraborty
Raja & Sutrodhar: Debasish Chakraborty
Paharadar Gautam: Bikash Chandra
Panchir Maa: Mausumi Goswami/Sanchita Singha Roy
Sokhi Dol Poulobi: Sarkar Gupta, Moumita Chakraborty Basu, Priyanka Dey, Sukla Pal, Sanchari Singha Roy
Grambasi: Abhijit Chatterjee, Tanay Banerjee, Wasim Ali, Suman Chakraborty, Utsab Chattopadhyay, Iman Das, Jayanta Dhar
Baul: Sourabh Dutta

Backstage: Suman Mukhopadhyay, Subhankar Mukherjee, Tapan Mallick
Lyrics & Music: Bhaskar Choudhury
Choreography: Abhijit Mahato
Light: Debabrata Sarkar
Set: Moni Shankar
Make-up: Pratap Roy
Title: Utpal Ghosh
Harmonium: Subir Sanyal
Rhythm: Tanmoy Sashmal
Sound: Control Bivas Gupta
Photograph: Sumanta Bora

Playwright: Anil Saha
Director: Debasish Chakraborty

Playwright: Ota Shogo
Director: Apoorva Anagalli
Group: NSD Diploma Production, New Delhi
Language: Hindi
Duration: 1 hr

The Play
Sarachi relates to Ota’s many preoccupations; dispossession; wandering; a search for connectedness; questioning, comforting and reaffirmation of reality. Likewise, Sarachi contains virtually no socio-political themes as reference points, as Ota searches for a philosophical understanding of life and human relationships on what he evidently perceives a universal level. The ideological vacuum in which the play seems to operate might strike some western readers as swimming against the tide of times. No matter how one judges Ota’s recent work in this regard, it is overtly apolitical. As such, it is in step with much contemporary Japanese drama. Sarachi involves much hauling, pulling and crawling. It is a work that offers both a preliminary look at Ota the playwright and a more rounded picture of Ota the theatre artist. The play reveals a middle aged couple forced to come to grips with a sense of ennui that has fallen over their lives, a fact represented literally by the sudden disappearance of their house. Wife and husband push, pull, drag and crawl their way through the theatre-space and their lives embark upon a search for the meaning of reality.

Director’s Note
To go from place to place is a species-specific instinct among humans. What is at the back of it? This is the object of exploration in this play. People’s search for a dwelling place and its directly opposite impulse to abandon it is ordained in the pages of the Vacant Lot. In this course of a to and fro ticking in a pendulum – like fashion there is a movement of universal phenomenon. Reciting a human desire for- sex & marriage, children & home, job & income. Residing within the bowels of ‘location’ is a lingering boundless and endless wandering lust that shies away and beyond! Inspired by a simile of a constantly ticking pendulum from left to right in search of? Like a hapless kinetic energy propelling towards actions that behove in the horizon perhaps. Or mostly like spiralling into depth from heights! An abstract – turn and twirl – like art.

The Director
Apoorva Anagali started her theatre carrier as a child actor from Koshika cultural organization and Benakamakkalanataka Kendra (headed by B. V. Karanth and Prema Karanth). She trained in Carnatic classical music and Bharatnatyam in both Kalashetram and Valavur styles. Has trained in make-up and mime workshop, NSD. She debuted as a director with B V Karanth’s Heddayana. She has acted in almost 25 plays and directed eight. She pursued a – year long diploma course in Neenasam theatre institute. Has experience of participating in international theatre festival of India like Jashne Bachpan, Bharat Rang Mahotsav, Multilinguistic Theatre Festival – Kerala, Tamilnadu, Pondicherry, Mumbai and Goa.

The Playwright
Ota Shogo (b.1939) is one of the notable artists to emerge from the new Japanese theatre of the 1960s. His work received recognition in Japan in the 1970s and he gained an international reputation in the 1980s. To a great extent attention outside Japan has been received for his wordless theatre pieces, such as Water Station which consists of extremely slow, mostly silent movement. From the beginning of his carrier, Ota has relied heavily on works structured on dialogue. First published in the theatre magazine Teatoro in February 1992, Sarachi (Vacant Lot) is his latest example of work. Ota has ever since been associated with Tenkei Gekijo (Transformation Theatre), he found in 1968 also marks a new phase of his involvement in theatre.
Currently he functions as an independent artist and an artistic director of the new Civic Theatre, a municipal theatre in the Tokyo suburb of Fujisawa.

The Group
This play is a part of National School of Drama’s graduate showcase of class 2018. It aims to provide a platform to encourage emerging theatre practitioners to share their work with wider audience.

Cast & Credits

On Stage: Debarati Sikder, Indira Tiwari, Punsilemba, Ravi Chahar

Music Direction: Bhushan Bhatt
Music Assistance: Ravishankar Sharma
Poster & Brochure Design: Indira Tiwari, Saras
Costume Assistant: Debarati Sikder
Light Design & Operation: Sarthak Narula
Stage Manager: Paramanad
Literary Guide: Asif Ali

Translation Vishal Mahale
Playwright Ota Shogo
Director Apoorva Anagalli

Playwright: Anton Chekhov
Director: Rose Schwietz
Group: One World Theatre, Nepal
Language: English
Duration: 2 hrs 15 mins

The Play
The story takes place in a modern, provincial town that is in the Russian countryside and simultaneously far away from it. The three Prozorov sisters, Olga, Masha, and Irina, are celebrating the 20th birthday of Irina, the youngest. Moods are light and festive, despite this also being the first death anniversary of their father. The play is a window opening into four moments across four years of their lives, showing the emotions that humans experience in a lifetime. The sisters spend their days longing for their youth in Moscow and staving off malaise with the officers from the nearby artillery post. As the years pass, the sisters fall in and out of love, attempting and failing to create the beautiful life they dream of. Unfulfilled in work and in love, they face despair as Moscow becomes a continually more distant dream.

Director’s Note
Though set in a traditional 1900s provincial Russian town, this production is reimagined into a modern, less classically Russian setting to make it relevant for South Asian audiences. One thing I adore about the play is that the Prozorovs’ world is as real and full as the one we know in our daily lives, and that is the lasting beauty, and heartache, of this show. We cannot help but see ourselves in each character. We cannot help but feel what they feel. Whether Russian or Nepali or somebody else, this play speaks to what it means to work, to suffer, to love… to be human.

The Director
Rose Schwietz is a director, actor, musician, and teacher currently based in New York City. She has directed five shows—most recently Chekhov’s Three Sisters and Stoppard’s Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead—with high school and professional actors. Acting credits include notable stage roles (Mrs. Edith Frank, Lieutenant Colonel Vershinina) as well as leads in ads, short films, and one feature length film. She is an accomplished musician, with years of training in voice, saxophone and piano, and performs regularly in Kathmandu and New York City. She teaches in theatre workshops for students and professional theatre-makers in the US, Nepal, and India. She also works with the Wooster Group and SITI Company. Her interests include discovering new cultures and places, literature, crossword puzzles, and taekwondo.

The Playwright
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860-1904) was a Russian medical doctor, short-story writer, and playwright. He is considered one of the originators of early modernism in the theatre. He worked closely with Stanislavsky and Moscow Art Theatre later in his career. He is most famous for his four classics: The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and The Cherry Orchard.

The Translator
Paul Schmidt (1934-1999) was an American translator, poet, playwright, and essayist. His work as a translator led him to serve in the US Army Intelligence; his work in mime and acting with Marceau and Charon led him back to the theatre. He taught at a Texas university and at Yale. He wrote several plays, and is best known for his translations of Euripides, Chekhov, Brecht, Genet, Gogol, and others.

The Group

One World Theatre (OWT) is a non-profit English and Nepali language theatre company in Kathmandu, Nepal, dedicated to presenting intercultural, social justice productions, especially plays from South Asia, the Western canon, and contemporary American plays that are affordable, professional, experimental, and relevant.

Cast & Credits
Olga: Loonibha Tuladhar
Masha: Akanchha Karki
Irina: Samapika Gautam
Chebutykin: Rajkumar Pudasaini
Tuzenbach: Utpal Jha
Solyony: Sandeep Shrestha
Anfisa: Surabhi Sapkota
Ferapont: Saroj Aryal
Vershinina: Rose Schwietz
Andrei: Bijay Tamrakar
Kulygin: Hemanta Chalise
Natasha: Pooja Lama
Fedoti:k Razen Thapa
Rohde: Amrit Dahal

Stage Manager: Saraswati Adhikari
Sound: Ragendra Shrestha
Lights: Diljung Gurung

Producer: Deborah Merola
Playwright: Anton Chekhov
Translator: Paul Schmidt
Director: Rose Schwietz

Playwright: Ajay Shukla
Direction: Chittaranjan Tripathy
Group: NSD Repertory Company, Delhi
Language: Hindi
Duration: 2 hrs

The Play
Emperor Shah Jahan invites the chief engineer of CPWD, Guptaji and shares his dream of building a monument in the memory of his late, wife, Mumtaz. After much deliberation he comes to the conclusion that a mausoleum be built in her memory and he wants it to be named Taj Mahal.
Guptaji, a shrewd, corrupt, official, entraps the Emperor in the snares of bureaucracy and red- tapism leading to many hilarious situations. The ridiculous bureaucratic procedure takes 25 years only to float the tender notice of Taj Mahal.
TajMahal Ka Tender is one of the successful satires of contemporary times.

Director’s note
The state is the best creation of man as it is not an imitation of anything that existed before. With the emergence of the State, a primitive society is transformed into a civil society, leading to the germination of division of labour, division of time, rank, file, red-tape etc., thereby giving birth to official dom. TajMahal ka Tender is a satire on rank –file, red tapism and the sad state of officialdom. It focuses on the organizational diseases that India is suffering due to – corruption, idleness, favoritism, arrogance and insensitivity to public needs.

The Director
Chittaranjan Tripathy graduated from National School of Drama in 1996 with specialization in acting. He was also enrolled in the musical theatre department in the Guildford School of Acting (GSA), Guilkdford, UK, under the Charles Wallace fellowship.
Shri Tripathy has directed plays for many leading theatre groups and repertory companies including the National School of Drama Repertory Company, the Shri Ram Centre Repertory and the Sahitya Kala Parishad Rang Mandal. Some of his most popular plays include TajMahal Ka Tender with NSD Repertory Company, Capitol Express, Arre Mayavi Sarovar with SRC Repertory; Ladi Nazaria and Humare Sheher Ke Romeo Juliet with Sahitya Kala Parishad Rang Mandal.

The Playwright
Born in 1955, at Agra Ajay Shukla is a post–graduate in history from Lucknow University and then joined Indian Railway Traffic Service. His play, Doosra Adhyaay was directed by Ram Gopal Bajaj in 1998, and was broadcast from All India Radio later the same year. In 1993 he received the Delhi Sahitya Kala Parishad’s Playwright – Award for Doosra Adhyaya and Mohan Rakesh Samman for his play Tajmahal Ka Tender. In 2000 he received the National Award by All India Radio (Akashvani) for his play Hum Honge Kaamyab.

The Group
Established in 1964 with a membership of only four persons, 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. Over the years it has produced a variety of plays ranging from stylized musicals to realistic contemporary Indian drama to translations and adaptations of foreign plays. In addition, several eminent persons of national and international repute have worked with the Company, and it has performed over one hundred and eighty one plays by ninety-eight playwrights and has worked with ninety directors. Quite a few of its actors have emerged as celebrities in theatre, cinema and television. The Company has toured extensively in India and abroad. It is celebrating fifty years of its existence this year.

Cast & Credit
Shahajahan: Shahnawaz Khan
Gupta: Suresh Sharma
Sudhir: Siddeshwar Kashinath Thorat
Bhaiyaji: Deep Kumar
Mohila: Neta Sampa Mandal/Shruti Mishra
Kanhaiyalal: Sikander Kumar
Murarilal Sharma: Naveen Singh Thakur
Shethi: Shubham Pareek
Ladka: Ashutosh Banerjee/Rahul Kumar
Ladki: Sakshi Sharma
Aurangzeb: Parag Baruah
Mummo/Mumtaz: Bornali Borah
Darbari: Ashutosh, Punshi, Rahul, Naresh, Virender
Jahanara: Anamika Sagar
Shaktiman: Raju Roy
Four Friends: Naresh, Virender, Ashutosh, Rahul
Dancer: Aparna
News Paper Hawker: Sampa, Shruti, Bornali,Aparna

Production Coordinator: Md. Abdul Kadir Shah
Set Designer: Pankaj Jha
Set execution: Ram Pratap, Dharam Singh, Manoj Kumar
Light Design: Govind Singh Yadav
Light Execution: Md. Suleman, Pradeep Aggarwal
Costume Design: Sunita Chand Rajwar
Costume Helping: Shurit Mishra, Akhil Pratap Gautam
Costume In –Charge: Bharat Singh Negi, C.S. Bhatia
Assistant: Budhram
Dance Choreography: Meghna Malik
Dance Execution: Annapurna Soni
Singers: Mohan Lal, Yetendra Bahuguna, Akhil Pratap, Gautam, Siddheswar Kashinath Throat, Sampa Mandal, Annapuran Soni, Anamika Sagar, Ankita Gusain,Shurti Mishra & Chittranjan Tripathy

Playback Singers: Sneha Mishra & Chittranjan Tripathy
Music rearrangement: Santosh Kumar (Sandy)
Property In-charge: Moti Lal Khare
Sound recording & Editing: S. Manoharan, Subhanjan
Sound Operation: Mukesh Kumar
Make Up In- Charge: Raju Roy, Reena Saini
Photography: S. Thyagrajan, Deepak Kumar
Poster & Brochure Design: Rajesh Bahl
Brochure: Materials Govind, Satyender, Tikaram Bhatt
Exhibition: Prithvi Singh Negi
Stage Manager: Govind Singh Yadav
Assistant Director: Md. Abdul Kadir Shah

Playwright: Ajay Shukla
Lyrics, Music, Design & Direction: Chittaranjan Tripathy

Playwright & Director: Nalini Nihar Nayak
Group: New Quest Repertory, Rourkela
Language: Odia
Duration: 1 hr 40 mins

The Play
The Bhakti Movement flourished in Eastern India, and the temples provided shelter to the destitute, abandoned children, widows and community dancers. The play talks of a modern day situation where, as time passes, darkness spreads on those glorious days. The priest, failing to receive patronage of the modern generation, is accused of inheriting temple property. The successor, a differently abled and abandoned child once picked up by the temple priest, shoulders the responsibility of the spiritual world. The spiritual world of women and the devadasi tradition are accused of prostitution. The last hope of the destitute suffers major losses in the claws of modernity. The prayers are often interrupted by DJ’s music that profoundly challenges the existence of traditional bhajans and dances. Threatened, abandoned and unprotected, the temple shrine suffers much on all fronts. It becomes a meeting places for junkies who steal temple ornaments for drugs and accuse the priest for the theft. A vicious plan to smuggle a two thousand year old Krishna idol is about to be executed by robbers when the differently abled priest self immolates himself along with the idol, destroying the attempt of plunderers, thereby offering the last ‘rite’ to the lord. The plot is centred on changes and transgressions of human attitude towards religious devotion, and how the new generation responds to devotion and spirituality.

Director’s Note
This widely acclaimed story by Mohapatra Nilamani Sahoo was considered for production for its emotional and spiritual values, devotion to God, and of the laudable concept that in modern times too there exists spiritualism and devotion. The play blends folk dance, classical music, culture, rituals and customs of Odisha.

The Director & Playwright
Nalini Nihar Nayak is not only a well-known theatre director of Odia plays but also an actor, designer, and music composer. He earned his Masters and M.Phil in Drama (Direction) from Utkal University of Art and Culture. He is now pursuing Ph.D. in Analytical Practice with Classical Indian Theatre. He has also learnt Chhau dance in Mayurbhanj style. He has received prestigious awards like Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, Rajiv Gandhi Professional Award, National Youth Award, Konark Samman, Master of Odisha Award, Baisakhi National Excellency Award, Shrestha Natua Samman and more than 120 Government and Non-Government awards. He has acted in about 80 play and directed about 35 plays staged in India, Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh etc. Nalini is serving as a student activity officer at National Institute of Technology, Rourkela and is striving hard to encourage the students towards art and culture.

The Group
New Quest Repertory made its debut in the year 2003 under the visionary leadership of Nalini Nihar Nayak, with the objective to train young artists in theatre and resurrect the dying art forms of Odisha. It has participated in the theatre festival organised by Odisha Sangeet Natak Academi, Yuva Pratibha Mahostav by Sangeet Natak Academi, New Delhi; Experimental theatre festivals by EZCC, Kolkata; National Youth Festival; Bharat Rang Mahotsav by NSD, National Theatre Festival by Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal; Konark festival and many more across the country, besides theatre festivals organised by government and non-government organisations.

Cast & Credits
On Stage: Niranjan Acharya, Pragyan Ranjan Khatua, Bhisma N arayan Swain, Dinesh Mohanty, Kishore Chandra Moharana, Manash Barik, Sagar Rout, Ashutosh Pati, Chinmaya Panda, Samir Patri, Sapan Routray, Abhijit Mishra,
Swagatika Mohanty, Sunayana Mishra, N. Sweeta, Monalisa Sahoo, Subrata Nayak, Debasmita Nayak, Rashmita Lakra
Music: Kailash Chandra Moharana
Sound: Jasobanta Narayan Ray
Make-up & Costume: Ashok Pattnayak
Set: Amit Meher
Team Manager: Swayam Sampurna

Story: Mohapatra Nilamani Sahoo
Playwright, Design & Direction: Nalini Nihar Nayak