Playwrights & Directors: Kevin Duvall & Taylor Brewerton
Group: The Central Scrutinizers, USA
Language: English
Duration: 1 hr

The Play
When two boorish government lackeys working in a nuclear facility accidentally launch a nuclear weapon into the stratosphere, the chase is on! The mismatched duo’s quest to save the world from nuclear annihilation hurls them from a decrepit bunker, down a sketchy roadside, through the clouds, and down to the very depths of Hell itself. Their journey, of course, culminates in a valiant duel against the king of demons. This critically-renowned screwball comedy has toured across America in 2019, and has been hailed as a “master-class in mime and physical comedy”. Live Nukes! is a truly international play, performed without the use of props, set, or real words of any kind!

Director’s Note
We believe that theatre can be a universal art form. When we began working on what would become Live Nukes!, we set a few strict rules for ourselves in the hope of creating a performance which could be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of their native language or national origin. The rules were as follows: no props, no set, and no real words. Chicago is a city of immigrants, and in order to bridge the real gap that exists between the theatre community and Chicago’s very diverse population, we needed to make a comedy which transcended language and culture. In the spirit of silent cinema, tinted with the apocalyptic concerns of our contemporary political climate, we devised a play which, we hope, will poke fun at our increasingly-grim global outlook.

The Directors
Kevin Duvall and Taylor Brewerton are a physical theatre duo who have been collaborating as actors, directors, and writers for over a decade. Together they have developed work in myriad theatrical forms, from a devised farce, to an adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s short story The Prophet’s Hair, the high tragedies of Shakespeare and Euripides, environmentalist game shows, and beyond. They have performed at many venues across the United States and Canada. Kevin and Taylor both hold Masters from the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre. They are honoured to be given the opportunity to present their wordless, absurdist pantomime Live Nukes! at the Bharat Rang Mahotsav.

The Group
The Central Scrutinizers is not a theatre group in the traditional sense, but is an ensemble of a duo, Kevin Duvall and Taylor Brewerton who collaborate on script, performance and direction.

Cast & Credits
Performers & Directors Kevin Duvall & Taylor Brewerton

Contacts
The Central Scrutinizers
1517 W Hollywood Ave, Chicago, IL
United States- 60660
M: +1 8048373327
E: livenukeslivenukes@gmail.com

Playwright: Ravindra Tripathy
Director: Suresh Sharma
Group: NSD Repertory Company, New Delhi
Language: Hindi
Duration: 1 hr 50 mins

The Play
Pehla Satyagrahi is about the life and struggle of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, known as Mahatma Gandhi around the world. This is the story of Mohandas’s journey of truth and non-violence as well as the story of the independence of India. He fought a political war for almost twenty years in South Africa and when he returned to India, he, through his non-violent crusades like Quit India movement, Champaran Satyagraha and Dandi March, made it difficult for the British government to rule India.
Gandhi had said, “My life itself is my message.” What kind of life did the Mahatma lead, what were the challenges he faced, and what were the difficulties he encountered, is what we have attempted to express and showcase through this play. Gandhi’s life is larger than life and his personality quite dramatic. He was a walking and fasting saint-politician. He was spiritual and religious. And his death too was dramatic.

Director’s Notes
While working on a production for the 150th birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, I thought of a play which brought to light incidents from his life about which we have often heard but haven’t seen being presented earlier, and the younger generation of our country doesn’t know about.
Ravindra Tripathy and I discussed this project. What finally emerged was a narration of the story through Sonia Schlesin, Mahadev Desai, Pyare Lal, Colin Bach and Joseph K. Dock. The first three were associated with Gandhiji as his assistants, Joseph wrote Gandhiji’s first biography, and Hermann Kallenbach was a very close friend.
I have to confess that one of the scenes in this play is fictitious (the creative liberty we are allowed to have). It is in the end where Gandhiji is interviewed by Gandhi and answers some unanswered questions to himself; the questions which till date are buried deep somewhere under the rubble of history.
The play is the story of the making of Mahatma from Gandhi. It isn’t just history but also today’s voice and necessity of being ‘Swadeshi’ and ‘human’.

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.

Playwright
Ravindra Tripathy is a senior print and TV journalist, cultural critic, playwright, satirist, documentary film-maker, columnist and editor. Tripathy has directed two documentary films and scripted a popular news-satire show Pol-Khol for Star News and ABP News. He is currently associated with Swaraj TV as consultant. He was awarded Sahityakar Samman by Hindi Akademi, Delhi in 2001.

The Group
Established in 1964 with just four members, the Repertory Company of NSD 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.

Cast & Credits
Gandhi-1 Shanawaz Khan
Gandhi-2 Raju Roy
Mahadev Deep Kumar
Pyare Lal Parag Baruah
Sonia Schlesin Aparna Menon
Meer Alam Rahul Kumar
Attendant/Duda Bhai/ Muslim Sikandra Kumar
Train Officer, Kallenbach Shubham Pareek
Mr. Duke Jitu Rabha
Rajkumar Shukla Ashutosh Banerjee
Aabha Ben/ Dani Ben Suman Purty
Manu Ben Anamika Sagar
Sushila Ben Sakshi Sharma
Kasutrba Gandhi Shruti Mishra
Brij Kishore Vishveshvar M. Gondhali
Multi-Character (Female) Sampa Mandal
Multi-Character (Male) Naveen Singh Thakur
Chorus Sampa Mandal, Sikandra Kumar, Aparna Menon, Rahul Kumar,
Sakshi Sharma, Shubham Pareek, Ashutosh Banerjee, Anamika Sagar,
Virendra Singh, Snehalata S. Tagde, Suman Purty, Manish Dubey,
Vishveshvar M. Gondhali, Jitu Rabha, Palak Jasrotia

Set Design Rajesh Bahl
Set Execution Ram Pratap, Manoj Kumar, Brijesh Sharma
Light Design & Operation Govind Singh Yadav
Assistance Md. Suleman, Pradeep Aggarwal
Costume Design C.S. Bhatia
Costume Coordinator Sampa Mandal, Anamika Sagar
Sound Operation Mukesh Kumar
Sound Design Rajesh Singh
Properties In-charge Moti Lal Khare
Video Design Sourav Poddar
Music Kajal Ghosh
Tabla Om Prakash
Harmonium Naveen Singh Thakur
Key Board Kishore Kumar Malhotra
Flute Anurag Sharma
Sitar Matluf Husain
Tabla, Percussion Pankaj Banai
Dholak Sanjeev Kumar
Make-up Sikandra Kumar, Shruti Mishra
Assistance All Repertory Artists
Stage Manager Govind Singh Yadav
Production Coordinator Sukumar Tudu
Special Thanks for
Dance Choreography Bharat Sharma
Associate Director Pravin Kumar Gunjan

Playwright Ravindra Tripathy
Design & Direction Suresh Sharma

Contacts
NSD Repertory Company
Bahawalpur House
Bhagwandas Road
New Delhi – 110 001
Ph: 011 23383420
W: www.nsd.gov.in

Playwright: Parthisubba
Director: Keremane Shivanand Hegde
Group: Sri Idagunji Mahaganapati Yakshagana Mandali, Karnataka
Language: Kannada
Duration: 1 hr 30 mins

The Play
The performance starts with the traditional invocation Poorvaranga to lord Ganesha with dance and music. Sri Rama moves to the forest, with wife Seeta and brother Laxmana. The sages of the forest complain about the demons and solicit his protection. Rama assures to help them.
Shoorpanakha, Ravana’s sister, smells the odour of human flesh and approaches Rama’s hermitage. Looking at Rama, she gets attracted by him. Using her magical powers she transforms herself as a beautiful damsel and expresses her desire to marry him. Rama, for the sake of fun, advises her to marry his brother Laxmana who is younger, more handsome and yet to be married. With lust and desire, excited Shoorpanakha runs to Laxmana. Laxmana becomes angry, scolds her for her behaviour and asks her to bring proof from Rama. Rama writes on her back, suggesting Laxmana to chop off her ears and nose. Laxmana sees Rama’s orders, and cuts off her ears and nose. Angry Shoorpanakha takes a vow that she will take revenge.

Director’s Note
This episode is selected from the Aranya Kanda of the Ramayana. Happenings in Panchavati is a crucial part of Ramayana and forms a basis for abduction of Seeta. Traditionally, this play was limited to the conversation based Taalamaddale. I have tried to explore new possibilities, besides already existing traditional theatre elements, music and rhythm, in enhancing the portrayal of the characters and the story. Breaking the barriers of language through simple narration and direction, without losing the framework of impromptu dialogue delivery, dance and narrative motives of Yakshagana, has made this play successful in and abroad India.
The depiction and dance of many rishis being choreographed into a single song, the depiction of intimacy of Seeta and Rama, entry and transformation of Shoorpanakha, the dramatic usage of the tere (traditional curtain), expressions of internal emotions, Rama and Laxmana’s determinations are some of the notable parts of directions and choreography of the play.
One can see a spectrum of moods, other than the popular Veera, Raudra, Hasya in Yakshagana, i.e. Shringara, Bhayanaka, Karuna and Adbhuta as well.

The Director
Sri Keremane Shivanand Hegde is the present director of this Yakshagana Troupe. He is also Guru and director of a Yakshagana Training Center – Srimaya Yakshagana Ranga Shikshana Kendra in a remote village of coastal Karnataka. Sri Hegde is a fifth generation Yakshagana artist in Keremane family. He has studied and practiced many classical and folk-dance forms apart from Yakshagana and has toured all over the globe heading the Yakshagana Mandali. He has been conferred with many awards (Aryabhata International Award, Kuvempu Deepa Award, Ajithashri, Kusumashri, Chittani Awards etc.) and titles (Yakshagana Kalashekhara, Yaksha Sarathi and Nritya Param). Currently, he is a member of the executive board of Sangeeta Nataka Akademi, New Delhi; the chairman of Folk and Tribal Community of SNA, New Delhi; academic council member of Karnataka State Dr. Gangubhai Hangal Music and Performing Arts University, Mysore; and a member of many other renowned organisations.

The Playwright
Yakshagana poet Parthisubba, believed to have lived in about 1600 AD, is a celebrated composer of many Yakshagana Prasangas (or poetic episodes). Subba is believed to be the originator of new regional style, the Tenkutittu, the ‘Southern School’ of Yakshagana. He is also believed to be the author (probably the compiler and editor) of Sabhalakshana, a collection of songs used for the preliminary (Purva Ranga) of Yakshagana.

The Group
Yakshagana is a rare 500 year old operative art form which belongs to our rich Indian heritage originating in Karnataka. It is a combination of dance, drama, music, dialogues and stories taken from Indian epics and mythology. Sri Idagunji Mahaganapati Yakshagana Mandali, Keremane® was established in 1934 by Sri Hegde’s grandfather. This mandali is a non-profit NGO, and the performing unit of the organization has toured extensively in India, USA, England, Spain, Bahrain, France, China etc. Many awards and recognitions have been conferred to the mandali from all over the world; the prestigious ‘Raja Mansingh Tomar Award’ conferred by MP Govt. being the most recent.

Cast & Credits
Shri Rama Keremane Shivanand Hegde
Rushi Muni Timmappa Hegde
Shoorpanakha 1 Ishwar Bhat Hamsalli
Maya Shoorpanakha 2 Sadashiv Bhat Yellapura
Laxmana Vighneshwar Havgodi
Rushi Muni Seetaram Hegde Mudare, Shridhar Hegde Keremane, Ganapati Kunabi
Poorvaranga Chandrashekar N.
Seeta Maruti Naik Bailagadde
Poorvaranga Nakula Gouda

Tere Krishna Marathi
Tere &
Green Room Helper Mahaveer Indra Jain
Bhagawata (Singer) Ananta Hegde Dantalige
Chande Player Krishna Yaji Idagunji
Maddale Player Narasimha Hegde Mururu

Playwright Parthisubba
Director Keremane Shivanand Hegde

Contacts
Sri Idagunji Mahaganapati Yakshagana
Mandali Keremane
At & P.O: Gunavante, Tq: Honnavar
Dist. Uttara Kannada, Karnataka- 581348
M: +91 8387234188, 9480516300
E: idagunjimela@gmail.com

Playwright & Director: Plaban Basu
Group: Moulali Rangashilpi, Kolkata
Language: Hindi
Duration: 2 hrs 10 mins

The Play
It becomes an obsession with young Syed, a painter, to paint the portraits of his lady love, Jamila.
By a strange quirk of fate, Jamila arrives at Syed’s hillside village as a bride of Sadiq, Syed’s elder brother. Everyone takes it for a case of love marriage, which it is not. Defeated by Jamila in a horse-cart race, Sadiq abducts and forcibly marries and brings her to the house. Jamila tries her level best to reconcile with the situation by being dutiful to all the members of her newly acquired family. But her self-respect gets wounded at every step. The responsibility of selling crops falls upon Jamila’s shoulder in a nearly market. There she meets a meek and outwardly weak person, Daniar, and discovers a strong sense of self-dignity in his character. A new chapter of life unfolds itself heralding the dawn of a new journey for Jamila.

Director’s Note
To me Jamila is not just a play, it is a journey of self-search, not just Jamila’s but of all the oppressed women out there. As a director I faced several challenges from this novel. The story is written in such a way that it has a lot of cinematic elements. So to build a play was a big challenge. Jamila, for me, is a story of redemption, liberation of love from social bondage. It is a play about a woman’s struggle to earn the freedom to express her love. Therefore to be able to work as the director of this play was truly a rewarding experience and an accomplishment.

The Director & Playwright
Plaban Basu is an actor and theatre director who is active in media as well. He is a science graduate and practices martial art. In 2004, he formed a theatre group Rangashilpi. Plaban has worked with eminent directors like Usha Ganguly, Tim Supple, Habib Tanvir, Abanti Chakraborty, Kanhaiya Lal, Biplob Bandyopadhyay, Maloy Roy and many others. Plaban has also been working with children at railway stations and streets and with people with disabilities. He has written and directed plays focused on the rights of disabled children and on various other human rights. He has also acted in several Bengali and Hindi serials and films.

The Group
Rangashilpi was established in August 2004. In the past 15 years the group has experienced a journey of Bengali & Hindi productions of theatre, either on the streets or on stage, and concerning various subject matters ranging from social issues, factual facts of history, to the fragrance of folk culture.
The group has restlessly engaged in theatre workshops with disabled women, railway workers, schools, street children and village youth. Rangashilpi has been working with various non-government organisations, to improve their mental and social condition through theatre. Rangashilpi organizes regular events like Mukho Mukhi, Musafirana and Salam Safder to sustain the cultural practice. Rangashilpi productions have been staged successfully at various prestigious festivals.

Cast & Credits
On Stage                     Sushil Kanti, Ashok Chakroborty, Bimal Chandra Dey, Partha Sarathi Basu, Shakti Chakroborty, Tarun Kumar Nath, Subanti Banerjee, Dalia Pramanick, Shraboni Bonik, Ruposree Majumdar, Kathanjali Pramanick, Suchandra Bhattacharyay, Sabaree Sen, Bishwabandhu Choudhury, Saibal Sarkhel, Writtick Basak, Madhusudan Dhar, Saikat Roy, Shanta Swarup Mukherjee, Ritabrato Naskar

Light Operator               Sashankha Mondal
Music Operator             Biswajit Biswas
Light Assistant              Brindaban Das
Make-up                        Pijush Ghosh Choudhury

Story                             Chingiz Aitmatov
Playwright
& Director                      Plaban Basu

Contacts
Director,
Moulali Rangashilpi
90B, K. G. Bose Sarani,
Kolkata- 700085
M: +91 9836368767, 9062159118, 9770642782

Playwright: Vasant Deo
Director: Jagdish Sharma
Group: Anveshan Theatre Group, Sagar (M. P.)
Language: Hindi & Bundeli
Duration: 1 hr 10 mins

The Play
Lord Krishna’s friend Sudama Sharma and his wife Savitri are living a difficult life of poverty. Sudama’s wife urges him to go to Dwarka and seek Krishna’s help. Sudama goes to Dwarka. On hearing of Sudama’s arrival, Krishna leaves his throne and runs towards his friend and embraces him. Sudama receives great hospitality in Dwarka and after a while Krishna bids him farewell but without offering any help. Angry Sudama gets back home to find that his hut is transformed into a palace now and his house is filled with riches. On asking his wife as to how this happened, she tells him that Lord Krishna appeared himself and gave them this prosperity. Sudama has many doubts and expresses his distrust. What next…?
The purpose of this play is to convey a contemporary version of the legendary tale, and not to undermine the pleasure that it is supposed to bring you.

Director’s Note
Sudama Ke Chawal is a narrative of the contemporary human situation and is a satire on today’s man, his double standards and polluted mind. The age old tale and its characters have been used only as reference. The protagonist of the play is Krishna who cries at the sight of poor Sudama, his childhood friend. Krishna is an epitome of friendship and his love for Sudama is exemplary. Krishna does not appear on stage but he pervades the play throughout. Sudama of this play is used as a medium to convey the hypocritical human of today. The language of the play is Hindi, blended with Bundeli, and the performance is made richer with the blend of Bundeli folk songs and Dhimaryai, a traditional folk dance.

The Director
Born on 20 Jun 1965, Jagdish Sharma has been active in theatre for more than 25 years. He formed Anveshan Theatre Group in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh in 1992. He has been an actor and director of this group. Some of his popular productions are Andha Yug, Sudama Ke Chawal, Bhagam-Bhag, Aadhe-Adhure etc. Jagdish has worked with the famous film director Shyam Benegal. He has acted in many TV serials and written scripts for a few street plays and the film Acharya.

The Playwright
Prof. Vasant Deo was a teacher by profession and had taught for many years at Bundelkhand University, Jhansi. During this period he wrote scripts in Hindi blended with Bundeli. Sudama Ke Chawal was written sometime in the 90s. Strangely enough, even after a lot of search, his whereabouts today are not known.

The Group
Anveshan Theatre Group was established in Sagar (M.P.) in 1992. In the past 26 years Anveshan has not only produced plays but has also organised many theatre festivals, workshops, seminars and conferences. It has organised production based workshops with renowned thespians like B.V. Karanth, Habib Tanvir, Govind Namdeo, Sunil Sinha, Mukesh Tiwari and Ishtiaq Arif Khan. The group has performed in numerous theatre festivals at Bhopal, Jabalpur, Balaghat, Indore, Ujjain, Khajuraho, Delhi, Chandigarh etc. The artists of Anveshan are now serving in prestigious institutions in different parts of the country. Many of them have established themselves in films, journalism, theatre and other fields.

Cast & Credits
Sudama                            Jagdish Sharma
Savitri                                Deepganga Sahu
Dwarpal 1                         Atul Shrivastava
Dwarpal 2                         Manoj Soni
Dwarpal 3                         Kapil Nahar

Shadow Play                     Nitin Dubey, Rishabh Saini
Folk Songs
& Dance                             Liladhar Raikvaar
Instrumentalists                  Amar Raikvaar, Khemchand Sen, Ranjeet Raikvaar
Scenography                      Rajeev Jat, Satish Sahu
Lights                                 Santosh Dangi, Akash Vishwakarma
Sound                                Praveen Kaimya
Make-up                            Karishma Gupta

Playwright                          Vasant Deo
Direction                            Jagdish Sharma

Contacts:
Anveshan Theatre Group
Sagar (M.P.)
M: +91 9818324311
E: mayamaze@gmail.com

Please Watch Prof. Manohar Khushalani’s video review of the play and interview with the director –

Director: Saras Kumar
Text: Deeksha, Salim, Sneha, Suman, Saras, Yashaswini
Group: NSD Students’ Diploma Production, New Delhi
Language: Hindi
Duration: 45 mins

The Play
The play begins with the evolution of human beings, their emotions and their relationship with the five elements, and later the mechanization overpowering the human beings. It focuses on the life of mine-workers, their miserable living conditions, and their fight for basic rights. It is the story of Dana, his wife Aamti, and their friends. The mine-workers are working in the mine without any safety equipment, masks, or any support of an ambulance; in short at the cost of their lives. The play also highlights the power game of the elite over the working class, the continuous pressure from those with power over the stagnant social and economic life of the working-class, and finally a small volcanic step generated from this pressure.

Director’s Note
As a student of Direction, my intent to do this play was to find out the relationship between the logic and the emotions in humans. I inferred that the two are parallel banks of the same river. Working with the actors was the interesting part of this production for me as a student of Direction, and as a human being. It was very hard to take the directorial decisions.
The production is in three parts. Coal mining began with the purpose and need of energy generation, but the same coal verily became a cause of death. Illegal mining took the life of many people and created medical conditions in the workers. An ambulance can save a life, and a casualty can turn one into a rebel.
The dead body of an exploited worker shows the brutal nature of this society. Data on the internet can arouse either sympathy or anger. But a meaningful data transfer done on time can save a life. Technology works on logic and human emotion today is dependent on the logic being applied at the right place and at the right time.

The Director
Saras Kumar graduated from the National school of Drama with specialisation in Direction (2016-2019). He has directed a few plays viz. Accidental Death of Anarchist, Trishanku, Mann Laga Kar, and Infinite Walk, and written some short stories like Ghaas, Kal and Guinea Pig. He has also directed two short films Five Rupees and Gumshuda, and assisted in two feature films Chausar Firangi and Meri Nimmo. Saras has worked under renowned directors like Anuradha Kapur, Neelam Mansingh, M.K. Raina, Ranjit Kapoor, Deepan Sivaraman Etc.

The Playwrights
The text of the play has been prepared by Deeksha, Salim, Sneha, Suman, Saras, Yashaswini. All are students National School of Drama’s batch of 2019.

The Group
This play is a part of National School of Drama’s graduate showcase of class 2019. It aims to provide a platform to encourage emerging theatre practitioners to share their work with a wider audience.

Cast & Credits
Aamti                      Ashwini Joshi
Aabid                      Jitu Rabha
Woman 1                Sejuti Bagchi
Ghisu                     Salim Mulla
Manager                 Sayan Sarkar
Daughter                Snehlata Tagde
Activist                   Suman Purty/ Yashaswini R

Costume                Sejuti Bagchi
Lyrics                     Salim Mulla
Song Composition  Sayan Sarkar
Sound                     M Sunil Singh
Video Operation      Balasubramanian G
Set Execution /
Lights Design & Operation  Sarthak Narula
Special Thanks to              Asgar Chacha, Rizwaan, Murjim, Aas Mohammad, Taqmir

Guidance                            Anuradha Kapur, Abhilash Pillai, Neelam Mansingh, Shantanu Bose, Vishala R Mahale

Text                                 Deeksha, Salim, Sneha, Suman, Saras, Yashaswini
Concept & Direction      Saras Kumar Namdeo

Contacts
Saras Kumar Namdeo
M: +91 7898279889
E: shadowfntg@gmail.com

Prof. Manohar Khushalani’s video review of the play and interview with the director –

Playwrights: Nikhildas Puranattukara & Sagar Sathyan
Director: Nikhildas Puranattukara
Group: Punchami Theatres, Thrissur
Language: Malayalam
Duration: 1 hr 15 mins

The Play
Mali is based on the folk culture of Kerala, as told through the songs and tale of the hero and the imaginary god Ayyappan. It begins with the description of a girl named Mali, and Chappan, a fighter who grew up in the jungle to defeat the hiding forces called Maravippada. Chappan learns the tactics and expertise from Vithari Mooppan and fights against Maravippada. He goes to meet his beloved Mali, but Mali asks him to come later since she is menstruating and therefore prohibited to meet anyone. Chappan is upset about this discrimination and tells her that now he will return for her only when the society gives up all such beliefs. Mali awaits his arrival, and when he doesn’t return, breaks away from all social taboos and restrictions and leaves home to enter the forest to find her love.

Director’s Note
The play begins with the resistance of people towards outside forces. A number of contemporary questions have been dealt with in this play, especially the ones dealing with discrimination. Why can’t a warrior have a spiritual quest? Is the reason to create superstitions and customs a deliberate attempt to keep them subdued and at a distance? The play is based on folk tales and folk songs heard from the dalits of Sabarimala Sasthav, popular in Kerala. Live music related to Ayyappan is incorporated into the play.

The Director & Playwright
Nikhildas Puranattukara has received the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy Award for Best Director and Writer in 2019 for the play Mali. His children’s plays have won accolades at the Kerala state youth festival during the last three years. Nikhildas has staged plays at national and international platforms like National School of Drama Theatre Festival, International Theatre Festival of Kerala, Bharat Rang Mahotsav, Rangayan Festival, Cuttack National Theatre Festival etc. He has adapted renowned writer Uroob’s celebrated work Neelakuyil into a play. He was the director of Lavettam theatre camp in Perth, Australia; and Kalithattu theatre camp in Bombay. He is associated with Thrissur based theatre group Rangachetana and his own theatre group Punchami theatres. Some of his popular productions are Marathalayan, Manabave, Kunnukalkkumappuram, Palaharapanthayam, Markkadapuranam etc.

The Co-Playwright
Sagar Sathyan has been active in cinema and theatre for the past few years and has made remarkable contributions to both. He has been a part of Rangachetana, a well-known theatre group in Thrissur, and has written four plays directed by Nikhildas Puranattukara. Sagar has also written the script of a Malayalam feature film Ladoo which was released last year.

The Group
Punchami Theatres is a group of young people who have been studying drama and are engaged in theatre activities. Everyone in the group finds time for theatrical work while practicing his/her routine work. Mali is the first theatre project of Panchami Theatres. It won the Best Play award at the Kerala Sangeet Natak Academy’s amateur drama competition, and also the Best Actress, Best Director and Best Writing awards. A number of colleges of Kerala participate in theatre activities under the banner of Panchami Theatres. The centre of the group is in Adat, a village in Thrissur district of Kerala.

Cast & Credits
Mali                                       Athira
Karuthi                                  Anusha Bahuleyan
Mahishi                                 Mekha Manoj
Chappan                               Anand
Vithari Mooppan                   Sathyajith
Kandan                                 Ramkumar
Kormi                                     Akhilesh Paliyan
Rajavu                                  Ramadas
Vendoran                              Sajith Alukkal
Villan                                    Appu K.G
Kadutha                                Athul
Mallan                                   Kiran
Karuppan                               Abhishek
Moothoru                               Henson
Kappatharu                            Josprakash
Vaidhyar                                Vishnu
Padayali                               Ramesh Ramakrishnan

Light                                     Dhaneshkumar
Art                                        Shinoj Asokan
Co-ordinator                         Mejo
Music                                    Midhun Malayalam
Instruments                           Manikandan
Make-up                                 Francis Chirayath
Costumes                             Anjali Raman, Leela Sathyan
Light                                     Assistant Gokul
Art Assistant                        Mornima Dhanesh
Assistant Director                  Nijildas

Playwrights                       Nikhildas Puranattukara, Sagar Sathyan
Director                           Nikhildas Puranattukara

Contacts
Punchami Theatres
Adat, P.O Thrissur, Kerala 680551
M: +91 9745260825, 9946302016
E: punchamitheaters@gmail.com

Prof. Khushalani’s review of the play and interview with director –

https://youtu.be/QqWpPEQ1_KA?t=128

Playwright: Mannu Bhandari
Translator: Viplob Pratik
Director: Anup Baral
Group: Mandala Theatre, Nepal
Language: Nepali
Duration: 2 hrs 20 mins

The Play
Mannu Bhandari tells a story of how politics, press and police are connected with each other, and how the vulnerable voiceless people are caged in a ‘chakravyuha’. She has scripted this play from her popular novel Mahabhoj. The news of a death in the village and violent activities happening around, spread to the city, influencing the media and setting fire in the centre of politics and police force. Will that fire calm down or become a burning coal of questions?

Director’s Note
The picture of social and political conflicts experienced by the society should be reflected on the canvas of theatre in a lively way. This is my trust, and that trust has stimulated me to choose Mahabhoj. Politics is one of the finest practices in governance. But, if it is guided by corrupt thoughts, its nexus leads the society towards a weak state. Mahabhoj is the mirror of that corrupt nexus.
This is my ensemble with three generations of artists which I believe has created a new dynamics. I have tried to explore the painting techniques of renaissance period in this play. Chiaroscuro and Sfumato have been used in light design. I wanted to retell the story of Mahabhoj as if we are seeing contemporary events in a historical time frame. Almost monochromatic costumes, sets and props used in the play are a conscious choice.

The Director
Anup Baral is a renowned theatre director, actor and concept artist from Nepal. He has a master’s degree in acting from the National School of Drama, New Delhi, India. During his two decade long journey, he has directed and conceptualized more than three dozen plays and performed as an actor too. His strong presence in Nepali theatre has been a source of inspiration for theatre lovers, theatre activists and practitioners.

The Playwright
Mannu Bhandari is an Indian author, known for her Hindi novels, Aapka Bunty and Mahabhoj. Bhandari’s works reflect the changing moods of the society, as they shape her writing and subject matter. Modernism, prevailing social issues and transformations, contemporary social situations, daily struggles of an individual have all played a part in impacting and influencing Bhandari’s works.

The Group
Mandala Theatre, Nepal is a group committed to develop and practice a creative style that is strongly based on Nepali theatre and culture, as well as deeply rooted in its desire to be a strong and aesthetic voice for social justice, political awareness and human rights. It owns a theatre centre in Anamnagar, Kathmandu where regular theatre shows are staged.

Cast & Credit
Atal Singh                                 Dayahang Rai / Buddhi Tamang
Ramesh Bikram                        Ramesh Budhathoki
Bisu                                           Rajan Khatiwada
Rita Chamling                            Sirjana Subba
Rishikesh                                   Viplob Pratik
Sijapati                                       Bijay Baral
Bhawani Giri                              Som Nath Khanal
Juddhabir                                  Pradip Kumar Chaudhary
ASI D K Singh                           Bikash Joshi
Sonam                                       Umesh Tamang
Dinesh Babu Panta                   Shekhar Chapagain
Katuwal                                     Ghanashyam Joshi
Sapana/Villager                        Sapana Chaudhary
Jamuna                                     Sushma Niraula
Gauri/DIG’s Wife                       Pramila Khanal
Rushma                                    Ranjana Oli
Head Constable/Villager          Sagar Dahal
Tirthe Kailo/Villager                   Arjesh Regmi
Jogeshwar/Villager                   Sabin Ghalan
Binod                                         Milan Karki
DIG                                           Raj Neupane
Shambhu/Villager                      C K Bista
Hira/Villager                               Devin Chaudhary
Mohan Singh/Villager                Kabiraj Rai
Mahesh                                      Sandeep Shrestha
Narayan/Villager                         Rijan Pariyar

Music Director                            Utsav Budhathoki
Sound Craft                                Dev Neupane
Sound Operator                          Chhejing Bhotia
Light Designer                            Umesh Tamang
Light Operator                            Vijaya Karki
Multimedia Operator                   Sachin Lama
Choreography                            Deeya Maskey
Set Designer                               Bimal Subedi
Set Constructers                         Hum B C/Johnen Kshetri
Set Painting                                Bikash Tamakhu/Sanisa Makaju
Costume Designer                     Arpana Nagarkoti/Sunu Rai
Poster Sketch                             Anamika Gautam
Graphic Designer                       Siddhanta Pudasaini
Photographer                             Nabin Babu Gurung
Videography                              Foto Crystal
Social Media                             Sagar Prasain
Box Office                                  Nabina Aryal
Finance                                      Govind Parajuli/Santosh Ghimire
Backstage Volunteers               Abhishek Sharma/Deenju Karki/Sanjay Gupta
Stage Manager                         Bijay Baral/Rijan Pariyar
Production Designer                 Dev Neupane
Assistant Director                     Som Nath Khanal
Script Translator/Lyrics                Viplob Pratik

Playwright                                    Mannu Bhandari
Director                                         Anup Baral

Contacts
Director, Mandala Theatre
Anamnagar-32, Kathmandu
Nepal- 044600
M: +977 15705761, 9849296461
E: program@mandalatheatre.com

Playwright: Bratya Basu
Director: Sujan Mukhopadhyay
Group: Chetana, Kolkata
Language: Bengali
Duration: 2 hrs 10 mins

The Play
The childless couple of ancient Athens, Greece, King Xuthus and his gorgeous wife Queen Creusa, seeks the blessing of God Boreas and then visits God Apollo’s temple in Delphi. Priestess Daphnis informs Creusa, daughter of King Erectheus, about the oracle of God Apollo that the royal couple will soon bear a male child, Doris. But till the prophecy comes true, they will have to adopt the attractive and handsome young man, Ion, who has grown up in the temple and crown him the prince of Athens. While King Xuthus happily agrees to obey the divine command, the Queen does not. As the King goes ahead with the plan of the adoption ceremony Creusa loses her cool and conspires with her servant Danius to kill Ion by poisoning his drink. Danius fails to carry out her order and gets caught red handed. Aghast, Ion returns to the temple of Delphi. Creusa admits her role in this conspiracy publicly. King Xuthus has no option but to initiate the trial for justice in a democracy. The arguments and counter arguments in the trial come to an abrupt end after the sudden appearance of Delphi’s chambermaid, Pythia. The truth about Ion’s birth leaves the royal couple stunned and overwhelmed…

Director’s Note
There lies an innate resemblance in almost all the stories of tragedy of human conflicts and political conspiracies; and of the great wars waged by men. The most significant resemblance lies in their staying relevant throughout the years. Therefore, to rediscover the age-old mythical tale of ‘Ion and Creusa’, Bratya Basu penned Queen Creusa, a tragic-satire. In the play, where the people demand retribution for a sacrilegious crime committed by the Queen herself, the hypocrisies of the elite are elucidated and illuminated as the fallacies hidden in the constitutional structure.

The Director
Sujan Mukhopadhyay has acted in about 30 plays and written several scripts for theatre, television and cinema. He was awarded the Stagecraft Award for Ghasiram Kotwal and Popular Viewer’s Choice Award for Don..Take Bhalo Lage. He has performed in Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Chennai and all the major cities of India, as well as USA. He has also directed a Bengali feature film Chocolate (available on Netflix).

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 eminent directors and a compilation of his plays has been published in three volumes.

The Group
Chetana was founded in 1972. It has produced 33 full-length Plays and 13 short Plays in its journey of 46 years. Chetana received numerous awards and citation from various cultural institutions. It has organised a number of Theatre Festivals, Seminars and Workshops etc., and performed in all the districts of West Bengal and in almost all the major cities of India. Chetana has staged different plays in the Theatre Festivals organised by the National School of Drama and Sangeet Natak Akademi. It has toured USA and Canada with its productions in 1980 and 1990. Chetana performed Mareech Sangbad in Bourdeaux (France) in 1999. Sponsored by the ICCR it took part in the Ibsen International Theatre Festival held in Oslo (Norway) in 2004 and performed in London (UK) the same year.

Cast & Credits
Rani Creusa                         Nivedita Mukhopadhyay
Glaucas                                Supriya Dutta
Raja Xuthus                         Shaheb Chattopadhyay
Ion                                       Subhra Sourav Das
Eziptus                                Tarun Bhattacharyya
Senior Priest                        Amitabha Ghosh
Danaus                                Sushovan Guha
Orion                                    Rahul Sen Roy
Petroclus                              Rajat Narayan Bhattacharya
Clotho                                  Somrashmi Ghosh
Lachesis                               Monalisa Das
Atropos                                Ashmita Ghosh
Pythia                                  Ruma Bakhuli
Daphnis                               Santwana Banerjee
Singer                                  Daayaad Mukherjee
Chorus                                Parikshit Ghosh, Debashis Naskar, Biswajit Nayak,  Prateek Banerjee, Parag Roy, Sayan Maji

Music                                    Prabuddha Banerjee
Light                                     Soumen Chakraborty
Sound                                  Anindyo Nandy
Costume                             Prabal Mondal
Make-up                              Ayon Ghosh
Set                                       Partha Majumdar
Vocalists                              Dipanwita Chowdhury, Dibyendu Mukherjee, Sujan Mukhopadhyay, Shaheb Chattopadhyay, Prabuddha Banerjee, Bodhisattwa Banerjee
Assistant Director                Snehansu Biswas

Playwright                              Bratya Basu
Director                                  Sujan Mukhopadhyay

Contacts
Chetana
131, N.S.C. Bose Road, Govt. Housing Est.
Block-7, Flat 2 Kolkata – 700040, West Bengal
M: +91 9433075751, 9830253530
E: chetanakolkata.1972@gmail.com
sujanmukhopadhyay@gmail.com

Watch Prof. Khushalani’s review of the play and interview with the director –

https://youtu.be/9x4IIdxNTPU?t=3724

Playwright: Mahakavi Bhasa
Director: Hafiz Khan
Group: Ankur Rangmandal Samiti, Madhya Pradesh
Language: Malwi & Rajasthani
Duration: 1 hr 10 mins

The Forms
Maach is a folk theatre form of Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh, started in Ujjain by Guru Gopalji of Bhagsipura.
Turra Kalangi form of poetic and musical dialogues was jointly initiated by two saints Tukhangir and Shah Ali. Tukhangir was a Gusaain saint who wore saffron clothes and worshipped Shiva. Shah Ali was a Muslim Faqir who wore green and worshipped Shakti. Yet, both these forms have some common features.
The Play
A Brahmin family is passing through the forest where the exiled Pandavas are dwelling. The family encounters Ghatotkacha who is in search of a human for his mother Hidimba’s meal. He holds the family captive and asks them to decide who should accompany him. The eldest son of the family being dear to the father, and the youngest to the mother, the middle son is the only choice left to be handed over to Ghatotkacha. Being the middle one he is called ‘Madhyama’. Madhyama is thirsty and requests Gatotkacha to be allowed to go to a nearby pond for water. Ghatotkacha agrees and asks him to return quickly. But Madhyama gets delayed and Gatotkacha starts calling out to him, “Madhyama…Madhyama…” Bhima, who was passing by, and he too being the middle son (Madhyama), thinking that someone is calling out to him, reaches where the family is being held captive. On hearing the story of the family, he offers himself as Hidimba’s meal, on the condition that Gatotkacha defeats him in a duel. Gatotkacha defeats Bhima in a wrestling bout and takes him to his mother only to discover that Bhima is his father.

The Director
Hafiz Khan graduated from National School of Drama in 1981. He has been actively working in theatre, especially in the field of Children’s theatre. He has been the founder member of the TIE Company of NSD. He has also been a part of many theatre workshops organized by NSD all over the country. As he was born and brought up at Ujjain, the local folk forms have always attracted him. The present production is the result of one such workshop.

The Co-Director
Born on 11th of October 1963 in village Nayakhe of district Ujjain, Babulal Deora, at the age of 15,
joined Lokarg and Tejati Maharaj Katha Group and started his association with the folk theatre ‘Maach’. His initial inspirations were Guru Shri Siddheshwarji Sen and his elder brother Ratan Maharaj Lokesh Sen. He started as a chorus singer in the group. He continued the tradition after his guru died.

Director’s Note
I had conducted a workshop on Turrakalangi in December 2014 at Ghosunda, Chittor village. The workshop began with Kalangi Ustad Mirza Akbar Baig Kaghzi and Turra Ustad Narayanji Joshi, and around 20 artists of Turralalangi. I felt as if I was transported to Indra’s Darbar 300 years ago where Turrakalangi was Khayal, and Khayal was Maach. If one was to forget the intricacies of music and Rag-Raginis, then one finds that the form of rhythm, melody, abhinaya, singing and storytelling are all common in both. Thus, we selected Madhyam Vyayog of the great Sanskrit playwright Mahakavi Bhasa to be presented as a bouquet of Turrakalangi Khayal and Maach by the artists of Ujjain.

The Playwright
Mahakavi Bhasa (5th Century B.C.) was an Indian playwright who wrote in Sanskrit. His plays were lost to the world until 20th century A.D. when his manuscripts were rediscovered. Some of his available plays are Swapnavasavdutta, Pratibha-Natak, Panch-Ratra, Madhyam Vyayog, Doot Gatotkach, Urubhangham, Karnabharam, Hari Vansh, Abhishek Natak etc.

The Group
In the past four decades Ankur Rangmanch Samiti Ujjain has organised numerous theatre festivals, theatre camps, workshops and theatre productions. The primary objective of the group is education, literacy, health, social sciences and social justice. It uses regular theatre, children’s theatre, educative theatre, folk theatre, literature and art as its medium. The group has participated and organised events in collaboration with the Ministry of culture (Govt. of India), Sangeet Natak Akademi, National School of Drama (New Delhi), Madhya Pradesh Kala Parishad, Madhya Pradesh Museum, Kalidas Akademi Ujjain and many local organisations. Malwa Maach organised in 1999, 2005, 2007, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 have been known for a wider promotion of this folk tradition.

Cast & Credits
Sutradhaar1                                 Babulal Deora
Sutradhaar2                                 Rajesh Bhati
Hidimba                                       Vishnu Chandel
Ghatotkach                                  Narendra Bhanvariya
Brahmin                                       Tikaram Bhati
Brahmani                                     Seema Kushwah
Son 1                                           Dilip Chauhan
Madhyam (Son 2)                        Sonu Bodana
Son 3                                           Chirag Chandel
Bhima                                          Sudhir Sankhla

Harmonium                                 Ramesh Aswaar
Dholak                                        Pappu Chauhan
Tek                                              Raju Bhati
Synthesizer                                 Nilesh Manohar
Costume & Make-up                   Vishal Mehta
Stage Management                    Irshad Khan
Set                                              Ivan Khan
Light Operation                           Amit Bhandari
Production Design                      Kailash Chauhan
Stage Manager                           Prakash Bhatia
Co-ordinator                               Shailendra Vikal

Playwright                                  Mahakavi Bhas
Co-Director                                Babulal Deora
Director                                       Hafiz Khan

Contacts
Ankur Rangmanch Samiti
C/o Vishal Steel, 64 Fawara Chawk
Ujjain- 456001
M: +91 9868511508
E: hafeeznsd@gmail.com

Prof. Khushalani’s review of the play and interview with the director –

https://youtu.be/9x4IIdxNTPU?t=1956