Event Collections

PEN NADAN is a drama based upon both personal and theatrical life of Papputty  Asan, a well known actor who was specialized in transvestite roles in Malayalam Drama during a period when females were reluctant to come on stage. The play puts light on the agony of a similar artist named Ochira Velukutty Asan who was also well versed for his transvestite roles. There were many who took such characters. But these two actors not only raised to the horizon of acting, but inspired both men and women with their elegance and charm.  Read More

‘Akshayambara’ is an experimental Kannada play that uses both modern theatrical tools and the dance drama form of Yakshagana to create a contemporary narrative that raises questions on female representation and male ownership. The play was developed through the INLAKS Scholarship ’14, supported by the India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) and premiered at the Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival ’15. The play won the best original script and best actor (male) at the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META) '16. The play explores the representation of the feminine within the male-dominated practice of Yakshagana. What happens when a woman enters the professional space of a form performed by men for the last 800 years? Drawing from research and personal experience, the performance imagines a reversal of roles in the popular Yakshagana plot of ‘Draupadi Vastrapaharana’. A male artist in streevesha plays the virtuous Draupadi and espouses the cause of a woman, while in a tradition defying move, a woman is cast as the Pradhana Purusha vesha of a Kaurava who is driven by lust and power. What happens to the interpretation of gender when a man plays the streevesha and the purusha vesha is played by a woman? Who is the real woman and who is the real man? When tradition can accept a man as a streevesha can that same tradition accept a woman as a purushavesha?  This project is made possible by a grant from India Foundation for the Arts with part support from Voltas Limited.Read More

ABOUT THE PLAY - I HAD A DREAM Can you handle a play that demands not leaving your brains at home? Following the footsteps of masterminds like Samuel Beckett and Eugene Ionesco, we’ve dared to create a space that can swing you between laughter and sorrow, all at the same time. A magic potion that delves into the inner conflicts of a man in these modern times. This remarkable piece revives the 'Theatre of the Absurd', it is surreal and it is bold in experimenting with conventions of theatre, pushing the boundaries of storytelling. Like music, it is an expression that can only be experienced, rather than explained. It will leave you mesmerized by your own thoughts (and how rare is that!)The play is uncompromised entertainment, a spectacular blend of sounds, lights, emotions and performances. The spectators will transcend, from watching a show on stage to being a part of one in life, and ultimately, I HAD A DREAM will leave them with thoughts they will take back home, neatly wrapped in an existential wisdom. Consider that as our return gift to you! Statutory Warning: Not for the weak minded! BRIEF NOTE ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT & DIRECTOR Shaurya Singh – He has been a writer, poet and director since almost 10 years and worked closely with number of eminent movie and theatre personalities. A trained film maker, enthusiastic director, fine actor, an intelligent writer and co-founder of Saarthak, Shaurya lives a dream of creating a community of people who will passionately build an alternative lifestyle based on emerging new-age principles. Shaurya has a keen eye for detailing and shares is his own set of emotions with theatre and stage and has been writing in English and Hindi languages.  Read More

The play is a comedy about the lead up to a wedding between two families, the Shankars and the Kumars. For the week before the wedding, the Shankars, who are from Bombay, are staying with the Kumars in Bangalore. A death in the extended family of the Shankar' leads them to an outburst of grief that somehow ends in a decision to mourn the passing by putting both families under house arrest. The play addresses the changing morality of India and assesses the state of love and marriage in our everyday lives.Read More

The Vaidya's Oath is a theatre project on anti-microbial resistance. Dr. Ajay has been demoted, a punishment transfer from his hospital in Allahabad to a Primary Health Centre in Katkoot, UP. Uma, his wife, is a Bangalore girl. She can't hack Katkoot. Then she finds out she's pregnant. Meanwhile, Kamala, a local girl, has a baby boy ill with sepsis. Can Dr. Ajay cure him? And then there's Rahul, a seismologist who wants to be a stand-up comedian. Will the marriage survive? Will the baby live? Will Rahul get a laugh? Find out in ‘The Vaidya’s Oath’ by Gautam Raja. ‘You, and a lot of people in India, need to learn that money can no longer buy you protection from infection’. ‘You go about the Real India – you can’t handle two hours of the real India without totally losing it’! ‘Rarely does a health crisis come into your living-room like this’. Director’s Note: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a world problem but is especially an Indian one. In a land with more mobile phones than toilets trying to keep AMR at bay is hard. It may seem like someone else’s problem. Try telling that to Kamala and her new-born baby with sepsis… Read More

Inspired by the French opera "Carmen" by Georges Bizet, the famous French composer, Club Desire is a powerful story of love, passion, and art set in the world of night clubs, dance music, and poetry in Mumbai.  Jayam, a sensitive and erudite poet, encounters Chahat, a feisty, free-spirited singer at Club Desire. Sparks fly, as they are drawn into an unusual and passionate relationship. Cracks begin to appear with the entry of DJ Abeer, a successful producer and performer of electronic dance music. Jayam and Chahat are sucked into a tragic maelstrom of emotions as they struggle to hold on to their relationship, and their art.     Read More

At a routine exit interview on Skype, RAJU CARIAPPA from Bengaluru tells the HR person at corporate head office in California that the Company needs to take care of some stuff, like the incident that involved his colleagues SAMEERA WAGLE and VICTOR JOHNSON. The casual remark results in a full blown investigation into a case of possible sexual harassment at the workplace - with weird and often hilarious twists and turns until we reach an absurd and ironical conclusion.Read More

Agni Mardhana, is a historical play that depicts the present Political Scenario. A play that talks about how nature takes the final call when one side of politics starts to grow more than it's reach.  Read More

The 18 member cast of this play includes differently abled children undergoing therapy at Snehadhara Foundation. Joining them are children from other schools who act as their mentors and friends, the Snehadhara staff and adults from various walks of life. Filled with music, dance and drama, the play promises to entertain, engage and move audiences of all ages.Read More

Finally, a play for children AND adults by children!!! Janne Teller’s NOTHING is a play about a group of teenagers faced with getting their classmate Pierre Anthon out of the plum tree. Pierre Anthon has just walked out of their classroom declaring to them that "Nothing matters. I have known that for a long time. So nothing is worth doing. I just realized that." Flummoxed by this, they decide to make a Heap of Meaning to show Pierre Anthon he is wrong. Read More