An act of faith: On World Theatre Day, audiences can look forward to two festivals

Glimpses from play Zindagi Kabhi Retire Nahi Hoti. Express photo

THE stage is set for some dramatic action, as theatre lovers can look forward to spending the next few days watching plays by directors from both the city and outside. ‘Rangbhor’, by Alankar Theatre, headed by actor and director Chakresh Kumar, brings six productions, with four of Alankar’s best plays being staged as part of the six-day vibrant festival (till March 31st).

“We are also honouring seven theatre personalities from the city and each day, we are going to create an artistic entrance to the festival, based on the theme of the play, with our design team working hard to create a festive ambience,” explains Kumar, who adds he could invite only one group from outside, because of paucity of funds.

The Festival opens with CEVA Drama Repertory Company’s ‘Zindagi Kabhi Retire Nahi Hoti’, directed by G S Chani, a play about relationships between the elderly, the young and the not so ‘elderly’. On the second day of the Festival, watch ‘Poster’, written by Dr Shankar Shesh and directed by Chakresh. The play tells the story of poor labourers of a backward village whose landowner has been exploiting them. The director strives to correlate the situation of the labourers of the old, backward village with the current situation of labourers in our country.

Delhi-based Antimentals brings ‘Holy Cow ka Gobar Urf Court Marshal Nah’ on March 28, written and directed by Vivek Asri. The play tells the story of an Army officer killed in an encounter in Kashmir. His friend and fellow officer realises that something is wrong with the details given about the encounter. Alankar Theatre’s ‘Ek ladki paanch deewanae’ (March 29) is a playful tale of growing up years, where five boys of a locality happen to be in love with the same girl. The group’s new production, ‘Jhopadpatti’ takes a closer look at people living in the slums, their hardships. “The aim of the group has always been to work towards welfare by showcasing plays which are meaningful,” adds Kumar. The Festival will be on at Punjab Kala Bhawan, Sector 16, at 6.30 pm.

CU to hold fest

In an effort to involve students in theatre, Chandigarh University (CU) in association with Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi (CSNA) is organizing a four-day CU Theatre Festival (March 28 to 31) at Tagore Theatre, Chandigarh. The festival will showcase award-winning plays and will see a large participation of students of CU, with the festival opening with the play ‘Retro’, directed by Ravi Taneja.