Return to Theatre at Ranga Shankara
A series of theatre productions
Cutural spaces are the last to open up as the pandemic subsides, making the anticipation even greater and the first weekend of Ranga Shankara's Return to theatre campaign, that we are very happy to support, was completely sold out! Ranga Shankara continues to welcome back audiences with a stellar line-up of plays.
60 min. | English
Ages 9 and above
Akvarious Productions, Mumbai
Sunday February 14, 2021 at 3.30 & 7.30 p.m.
Tickets at bookmyshow.com and Box Office | INR 300
Synopsis
Combining romance and fantasy with a sensitive commentary on learning disabilities, Akvarious Productions presents a slice of life comedy about an adolescent boy coming of age. Homi, our protagonist, can’t seem to focus in school. He is told that he has ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), which affects his concentration in class. With the help of his mother, his father's guitar, his first potential girlfriend, and some great thinkers from history, Homi comes up with creative ways of dealing with his condition.
Based on the work of Pierre Pichot and adapted for the stage by Akarsh Khurana, this play tugs at the emotional strings that tie the bonds between parents and children. Younger audiences and their adults will likely find that this story speaks to people on both ends of this tender relationship, and indeed, everyone in between.
Cast and Credits
Based on the work and findings of Pierre Pichot
Adapted for stage and directed by Akarsh Khurana
Cast: Avantika Ganguly, Kashin Shetty, Muskkaan Jaferi, Muzammil Qureshi, Siddharth Kumar, Zayn Khan
Stage Managers: Lisha Bajaj, Sarthak Kakar
150 min. | Kutiyattam
Ages 8 and above
Kottichetham Kutiyattam Ensemble, Kerala
Friday February 26, 2021 at 7.30 p.m.
Tickets at bookmyshow.com and Box Office | INR 300
Synopsis
Vikramorvasheeyam brings Kalidasa’s timeless Sanksrit play to the Ranga Shankara stage. The story of the powerful love between King Pururavas and the Apsara Urvashi is presented in the oldest performing art form of the country, Kutiyattam. Dating back over two millenia, the Sanskrit theatre form from Kerala is also the oldest extant form of theatre in the world today.
After extensive reading and discussion, the Kottichetham Kutiyattam Ensemble put together Vikramorvasheeyam, an interpretation that has only Sutradhara, Pururavas and Urvasi. Sutradhara enacts the story of Urvasi performing in Kubera’s palace, with other Apsaras, and how, on their return, they are kidnapped by Kesi, a demon. Pururavas rescues Urvasi and on their return in his chariot, he narrates how she was born long ago from the thigh of Narayana Maharshi and how all other celestial women became bashful on seeing her beauty. Urvasi’s important scene is the enactment of the Lakshmi svayamvara referred in the play as being directed by none other than Sage Bharata. There is a lot of acting potential in this, beginning with the gods and demons churning the ocean of milk (palazhi) until the Mahalakshmi emerges from it.
The first three acts of Vikramorvaseeyam were produced using the potential of Prakaranattam to the maximum. What is special about this rendering is that even without Nirvahanam (formal narration of previous story of a character), the story of the main character is strung together.
Cast and Credits
Directed by Guru G Venu
Performed by Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar, Sooraj Nambiar, and Kapila Venu
Mizhavu - Kalamandalam Rajeev, Kalamandalam Hariharan, Kalamandalam Narayanan Nambiar
Edakka - Kalanilayam Unnikrishnan
Thalam - Saritha Krishnakumar
Make-up by Kalanilayam Haridas
150 min. | Kannada
Ages 8 and above
Rangavalli, Mysore
Sunday February 28, 2021 at 3.30 and 7.30 p.m.
Tickets at bookmyshow.com and Box Office | INR 200
Synopsis
Parshva Sangeetha is a write-up by Shrinivasa Vaidya. It narrates the author's association with the timeless classic melodies of Hindi films, from the 1940s till recent times. It presents the way in which the wonderful songs are interwoven into our lives and the way they have made an impact on us. Great singers like Sehgal, Talat Mehmood, Rafi, Lata and others, whose melodies ring in our ears and pull the emotional strings of our heart even today, are revisited in the on-stage adaptation of the write-up. Every generation has their own favorite hero, heroine along with their favorite movies and songs. The narrator in this play reminisces his childhood memories, where the golden era of Hindi cinema was making its mark on the youth of the day. An example of this impact recollects the life of the narrator's uncle, Shyama, who was an embodiment of the spirit of classic movies and songs.
Credits
Adapted by B P Arun based on the short stories of Srinivas Vaidya
Directed by Prashanth Hiremath
Details
Ranga Shankara
No. 36/2, 8th Cross Road
JP Nagar, 2nd Phase
560078 Bangalore
Price: ₹ 200 - 300