INDIA'S PREMIER YOUTH THEATRE FESTIVAL
IS NOW 11!!
spoke about the rules and regulation for this years festival. Sneha then spoke about the new activities of Thespo this year and how you can be a part of the festival followed by Shanaya Rafaat who spoke on her Thespo experience over the years. Nadir Khan and Quasar Thakore Padamsee rounded off the meeting with their words of wisdom. The floor was then thrown open for budding participants to meet each other, and find pieces of a performance jigsaw.
The Thespo bandwagon then moved on to Pune and will now be headed to Delhi on the 7th of August and Bangalore on the 18th of August.
In 1999, Theatre Group Bombay (TG) approached Q Theatre Productions (QTP) with the idea of merging the oldest theatre group and the younger theatre groups in a festival like atmosphere. Thespo was created to give young performers an opportunity to hone their talents on a simulated professional stage. Through Thespo, TG and QTP hope to encourage and recognize new talent as well as create a new generation of theatregoers. The idea behind the festival is that Thespo takes care of most of the production hassles of the groups. The festival provides free lights, sound, make up, hall space and even gives the participants a percentage of the ticket sales. This enables the teams to prepare for their plays uninhibited and produce the best work they can. The festival also provides guidance in terms of technical and dramatic knowledge to the teams. The festival has grown from the humble beginnings of a one-act play festival to a massive week–long full-length programme with entrants even from Bangalore, Delhi and Calcutta.
The hunt is on for new Thespians. So if you can write, direct, act, produce and are under 25 then Thespo is the platform for you.
This year at Thespo:
FULL LENGTH PLAYS Stage a Play on any topic, any language! Must be at least 1 hour long.
PLATFORM PERFORMANCES Short pieces of around 20mins.
RADIO PLAYS Writing for radio - Workshop Leading into radio play performances.
FILM MAKING Learn how to make a documentary on any aspect of theatre.
POSTER DESIGN Design posters for the most outstanding play staged at Thespo every year!
WORKSHOPS On different disciplines of theatre. Conducted by the best in the field.
LIVE BANDS Bands will be given an opportunity to perform a half hour acoustic set. Performances in any genre - rock, jazz, fusion, Indian classical, etc. are welcome
MAGAZINE Contribute to the festival mouthpiece with an interesting story or feature about the theatre.
TEAM THESPO Get involved in event management, marketing & PR, promotions, graphic design, etc.
For further details, call: 26392688 / 9819024757 Or Email: thespo@gmail.com
Rules & Regulations for full length plays:-
1. All participants must be 25 years of age or under as of January 1, 2009.
2. Plays must have a minimum duration of one hour.
3. The plays may be in any language.
4. The plays need not have an original script.
5. Final date for registration: 1 September 2009. At the time of registration a refundable deposit of Rs.300 will be taken from the group.
6. The screening and selection of plays is in Sep-Oct 2009 and the finalists will be announced by November 1st, 2009.
7. The festival will be held from 8 - 13 December 2009 at the NCPA Experimental Theatre,& Prithvi Theatre, Bombay.
8. It is not mandatory for auditioning plays to present the Screening Committee with their final costumes, sets and props. It is important to provide 'as clear an idea' of them as possible though.
9. Final participants will be given fixed number of tickets at pre-determined rates for their show-day as well as for the other days. The teams will keep and use the proceeds from the ticket sales to cover their production costs.
10. Make-up, lights and sound will be provided to the participants.
11. All participants will be awarded a Thespo Certificate. Winners of the awards will get the ‘Thespo’ and a certificate.
12. Awards will be given in the following categories: Outstanding Actor, Outstanding Actress, Outstanding Supporting Actor, Outstanding Supporting Actress, Outstanding Production Design, Outstanding Director, Outstanding Play, Outstanding Original Script.
- The emphasis is NOT on competition but on coming together as a unit to create an entertaining festival for a paying audience.
- If you have a talent, which you would like to put up at Thespo, please contact the Organizing Committee. (This includes playing an instrument, reading poetry, performing a monologue etc.