BANGALORE: Karnataka’s Ranga Shankara’s creative director Arundhati Nag today unveiled the Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival, 2009. Fest 2009, the sixth such for Ranga Shankara will be held between 5 November and 15 November, and “Laugh all the way home…” will be the theme.
Eight top-notch comedies from all over India have been invited to take part in this festival. Two of Kannada’s well-known directors, Prakash Belawadi and Mandya Ramesh, are directing a play each especially for the occasion.
"Comedy is an evergreen theme for theatre. For time immemorial, theatre has banked on comedy to create masterpieces and pull audiences in droves. At Ranga Shankara too, comedies have had a very special place. I am sure that the carefully chosen plays from across the country give Bangaloreans a flavour of the best of contemporary theatre," said Nag.
S Surendranath (Suri), an alumnus of National School of Drama and a well-known playwright and director, is the festival’s curator.
Explains Suri, "Comedy is clearly the most misunderstood genre in theatre and it is certainly no laughing matter. We have taken very special care in choosing the plays that will perform in our festival. Many comedy genres will be showcased – commercial (“Olakh na Palakh” in Marathi), political (“Aatankavaadiya Akasmika Saavu” in Kannada), musical (“Aao Saathi Sapne Dekhen” in Hindi and a modern regional comedy in Tulu (“Madime”). Two rare “Kavi Sammelanas” and a serious session on non-sense poetry are also woven into the festival. On 9 November, Ajith Saldanha will do a special comedy piece too."
On 9 November, a website on him will be launched. The website will provide his fans with special and authentic insights into his life and work.
For the first time, Ranga Shankara will play host to an Intercollegiate Competition. 10 colleges across the city will participate to win a chance to perform at Ranga Shankara on 9 November.
Eight young directors have been chosen to script and direct short pieces to be showcased just before the main show every day.
Ranga Shankara Festival ‘09 will also have the third edition of the immensely popular Theatre and Arts Appreciation Course. Spearheaded by the renowned culture critic Sadanand Menon, the course will be held over six days from 6-8 November and 13-15 November. The course will examine and discuss theatre, cinema, dance, photography and music through lectures, film screenings, plays, as well as interaction with directors and actors.
