The Script, Edition 2 - February 2011

The temperatures may have hit an all time low, but the theatre scene is always hot and high. This month see's the return of many favourite plays including 'Hamlet - The Clown Prince', 'Manto Ismat Hazir Hai' and 'Dayashankar Ki Diary'. Also a lot of new plays to look forward to including Shivani Tibrewala's 'An evening with Sita, Surpankha and Sandra', Dinesh Thakur's 'Rang Bajrang' and Aasakta's hit Prithvi with a week of plays including 'Necropolis'. Also this month is the annual Kala Ghoda Festival which will be happening from the 5th to 13th of February and the all day Theatre Carnival at Prithvi Theatre on the 27th of February.

The QTP front is as busy as ever. Two of our plays, Khatijabai of Karmali Terrace and Project S.T.R.I.P. are playing at the Kala Ghoda Festival as well as the NCPA Experimental. Also 2 years since our last Bombay show, we proudly present a comeback run of our longest running play, The President is Coming. Also this month, Thespo at Prithvi presents 2 plays in 2 days - Jester's 'Equus' and M.M.C.C. Arts Circle Pune's 'My Goad Pune'. Great Text reading will be on the 28th fo February. We hope to see you at these events!!!

Also we continue our quiz section! Every month a new theatre question will be posted - it can be viewed on the right hand side under 'Up Coming QTP shows'. Don't cheat!!!

Last month's question was:A piece of unscripted action, often comic in intention, used to establish a character or fill a pause in dialogue is called what?

A whopping 73% voted for 'Improv' - which is the Wrong answer!
The correct answer is: Business
Congrats to the 21% who got it right. A lot of theatre studying need to be done!!!


An overview of this month's edition of The Script:

Trivia Time: History of Make Up
Great Text: What are we going to read this month?
Khatijabai of Karmali Terrace: NSD, turning 30 and more shows.
The President is Coming: After 2 years....back to the NCPA.
Project S.T.R.I.P.: We're Back!!
Thespo at Prithvi: 2 Days, 2 Plays!!!
Point of View: Sneha Nair reviews 'The Interview'
4 Corners: Isha Talwar shares her experience on the recently concluded NSD Festival 2011.
Dolly Thakore's 'Life in Theatre': Looking back at Zul Vellani.
AK's Various Thoughts: Theatre's Medicinal Value.
Kashin Baba's Babblings: shares his trip to Goa with 'Confessions'.
Q's Countdown: Q counts 10 on - Tour Tales
Up & Coming: Complete Schedule of what to watch in February.
Theatre Training: Children's Workshops and Theatre Professionals Workshop.
Other Theatre News: Satyadev Dubey, Indian play at New York festival and META 2011
Curtain Call: Theatre actor and director Gopal Tewari on the necessity of make up for an actor.

Yours Sincerely,
On Behalf of Q Theatre Productions,

Himanshu.
Editor, The Script

Trivia Time - Theatre Makeup

THE HISTORY OF THEATRE MAKEUP

As long as theatre has existed, actors have used stage makeup.

From ancient Greece to the theatre of the Orient to present-day Broadway, theatrical makeup has been an integral part of any play.

The use and application of makeup for the theatre has evolved over thousands of years.

In ancient Greece, the majority of plays in Greek theatre were performed by masked actors.

The Greek masks acted as a sort of megaphone, as their shape created a natural means of vocal amplification.

More importantly, in Greek theater, an actor might play several parts, so rather than cumbersome makeup changes, an actor could simply change masks to indicate that he was playing a new character.

Thespis, considered to be the first actor, used white lead and wine to paint his face.

Early Greek plays may have featured actors who wore lead-based white makeup with red accents. This toxic makeup would be popular for centuries, both onstage and off.

In Peking Opera Theatre, popular during the Qing Dynasty from 1644 to 1911, actors originally wore masks, but later opted for makeup in order to show facial expression.


Featuring brightly coloured swirling designs of black, red, blue and white, Peking Opera performers studied facial characteristics to develop a standard for creating facial makeup that could instantly tell you everything you needed to know about the character.

The theatrical makeup of Shakespeare's day was made from whatever could be found.

Lead paint was popular, both as makeup of choice for Queen Elizabeth as well as on the stage.

Facial features were accented by chalk powder or soot, corks were burned, and used to apply full dark lines upon the face to highlight facial features or to give the look of a soldier in battle and false beards became popular during this period as well.

Makeup of Restoration/Enlightenment-era was characterized by a polished, feminine look on both men and women. White lead face paint provided the base for both men and women.

Plays were often performed in theatres lit only by candles and gas light, so the makeup had to be larger than life to be seen clearly.

The so-called Modern Theatre pancake makeup we recognize today was developed in 1914 by Max Factor.

Today's makeup is safe and does not include toxic lead.

With the advent of liquid latex, great prosthetics can be created for any role.

Great Text Reading - Come read a play with us!

On the last Monday of every month people meet in Q's drawing room to read a play they may have heard of but not necessarily have read. Writer's come to see how the greats wrote, actors come to play multiple parts and theatre lovers come because it keeps them in touch with the art form. It is open all and everyone takes turns in playing characters from the play. Discussions ensue after over tea and biscuits.

In the month of January, we read, Sarah Ruhl's 'Dead Man's Cell Phone' - 'Gordon is dead, but his cell phone lives on. When Jean, an empathetic museum worker, answers his ringing phone beside her in a café, she is soon playing unwitting comforter and confessor to the man's grieving friends and family. Before she knows it, Jean's ensnarled in the underbelly of the dead man's bizarre life.'

In the month of February, we will be reading Tanika Gupta's adaptation of Harold Brighouse's 'Hobson's Choice' - 'the story revolves around Hari Hobson, his three daughters and his struggle to run his dress making business whilst still maintaining control over his increasingly strong willed girls'.

The title, Hobson's Choice, comes from the popular expression, Hobson's choice — meaning no choice at all.

The first London production was on June 24, 1916 at the Apollo Theatre, before transferring to the Prince of Wales Theatre on 20 November 1916. The story of the play is set in Salford in 1880.

Harold Brighouse (26 July 1882 – 25 July 1958) was an English playwright and author. He was a prominent member of a group known as the Manchester School of dramatists.

Tanika Gupta, MBE, is a British playwright of Bengali origin. Apart from her work for the theatre, she has also written scripts for television. She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours.

We will be reading it on the 28th of February at 7:30pm at 18 Anukool, Sq. Ldr. Harminder Singh Marg, 7 Bungalows. Next to Daljit Gym. All are welcome. If you need directions call Quasar on 26392688 or 9821087261.

Khatijabai of Karmali Terrace - NSD, turning 30 & more shows!

Khatijabai of Karmali Terrace

Thursday, 10th February at 8:30pm at NGMA
&
Friday, 25th February at 8pm at NCPA Experimental

We are now 30!!

Our reception in New Delhi was cold. Not the welcome, but the weather. For us Bombaywallahs, we were wrapped up in so many layers it was hard to know who was who. Poor Jayati, however, soldiered on in her green chiffon saree and eventually got cold while she was performing.

Still the audience response was so warm, it more than made up for the freezing temperatures. It was quite a treat to perform at the NSD Fest and truly it is one of the best festivals in the country.

Meanwhile, back at base, the juggernaut is moving on.

After almost 5 years Khatijabai will be back at the NCPA Experimental. So all those in South Bombay that haven't had a chance to see the play, you now have no excuse.

Khatijabai of Karmali Terrace is the story of an orphan girl who grows to become the matriarch of one of the more powerful families in newly Independent India. The play about love, family, responsibility and the strength of a woman who 'wraps the family in the web of her providing' has been directed by Q.

Here is what the press has had to say:

“The show started and what a show! One actress, Jayati Bhatia, a show stealer of the silver screen, kept the whole hall enraptured with her movements and dialogues. My heart went out to her. I wished so hard that I too could some day act like her. For one hour and fifteen minutes, we were mesmerized by Khatijabai of Karmali Terrace, a Q Theatre Production. And after the show, we all stood there and applauded for a whole 5 minutes, while Jayati just smiled back at us thanking us profusely with folded hands.” – The Assam Tribune

“Portrayed brilliantly…deserves applause” – NGAGE, Mumbai.

“Brilliantly layered…wonderful portrayal”– West Side Plus, Mumbai.

“Vivacious…Skillful…Innovative…Stimulating…Successful” – Time Out Mumbai.

“One of the most memorable acts in recent times…standing ovation…brilliant performance..” – The New Indian Express, Bangalore.

"An overall stunning performance" - Mumbaitheatreguide.com

"The stagecraft was immaculate and beautifully executed." - Mumbaitheatreguide.com

Thursday, 10th February at 7pm at NGMA
&
Friday, 25th February at 8pm at NCPA Experimental

For tickets call NCPA: 22824567 or book online: www.bookmyshow.com

For more information, call 26392688 or email us on qtheatreproductions@gmail.com

The President is Coming...back to NCPA!

Saturday, 26th February at 8pm
at NCPA Experimental

BUSH IS GONE. BUT THE PLAY REMAINS.

2 years after our last local public performance, The President is Coming back to Bombay.

When the play opened in 2007 the cast were relative unknown. Today they make up some of the finest young acting talent the country has to offer: Ratnabali Bhattacharjee, Shivani Tanksale, Namit Das, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Ira Dubey, Anand Tiwari, Satchit Puranik, Choiti Ghosh, and Anup Burte.

Written by Anuvab Pal. Directed by Kunaal Roy Kapur.

'In a dog-eat-dog world of young competitors, reality television and short-lived fame, this comedy explores a day in the life of 8 people will stop at nothing because 'THE PRESIDENT IS COMING'

“Very funny…had the audience rolling in the aisles”
“The cast is terrific…Enjoyable watch”
- Times of India

“One of the top 5 plays of 2007”
- Hindustan Times

“Pal’s satire is refreshingly witty and sharp lends itself well to the stage with an intelligent mix of action, pace and dialogues.”
“Kunaal Roy Kapur’s treatment of the play is bright stylish and slick…..high dose of entertainment…succeeds in making the audience have a great time.”
“The effort is laudable for its subversion and its potential to spark very pertinent debates.”
- Mumbai Mirror

“Playwright Anuvab Pal’s entertaining slapstick comedy draws the guffaws… ”
"One particularly hilarious contender is Bangalore based Ramesh S (brilliantly portrayed by Namit Das).”
"The plays facile humour is also laced with irony and wit – after a first half of jibes at the US, the jokes take on satirical overtones.”
- Hindustan Times

“An entertaining piece of work that was one of the better productions to emerge from January’s Writers’ Bloc festival”
“Pal’s inventiveness allows for buckets of dramatic potential that director Kunaal Roy Kapur exploits successfully.”
- Time Out

Saturday, 26th February at 8pm
at NCPA Experimental

For tickets call NCPA: 22824567 or or book online: www.bookmyshow.com

For other details call 26392688 or email: qtheatreproductions@gmail.com

Project S.T.R.I.P. - We're Back!!!

Project S.T.R.I.P.

Monday, 7th February at 7pm at Cama Hall, Kalaghoda
&
Sunday, 27th February at 8pm at NCPA Experimental

You can't keep a good play down. Harssh Singh, our erstwhile Roy is about to leave for Canada. So in preparation for his departure, Gulshan Devaih steps into the role, with Dhanendra Kawade taking the percussive duties.

Ram Ganesh's comic satire, that perhaps has been 'over directed' by Q comes back to the NCPA Experimental. To play in the round, with the audience on four sides. Truly a unique theatrical experience.

In a small pond, it’s the big corporations that feed on the little fish! A comic satire about deranged corporations, mercenaries-for-hire, and an armed man called Abu and people who just can't seem to get out of the way.

The play tells the story of the discovery of a native island community and their contribution (or lack of it) towards the ‘progress and trade’ of the modern world.

The cast includes Gulshan Deviah, Dilnaz Irani, Tariq Vasudeva, Shruti Sridharan, Neil Bhoopalam and Dhanendra Kawade.

Monday, 7th February at 7pm at Cama Hall, Kalaghoda
&
Sunday, 27th February at 8pmat NCPA Experimental

For tickets call NCPA: 22824567 or or book online: www.bookmyshow.com

For other details call 26392688 or email: qtheatreproductions@gmail.com

Thespo at Prithvi - 2 Days, 2 Plays!!

Thespo at Prithvi was started in 2007 to provide a more regular showcasing of the best youth theatre talent in the country. Thus every first Tuesday and Wednesday each month, the next generation of theatre wallahs stride across the hallowed Prithvi stage.

Thespo at Prithvi is also providing an opportunity for young theatre groups to showcase their short plays, as a pre show appetizer before the main show on each Thespo at Prithvi show day.

If you have a play that you think can work in the outdoor areas of Prithvi Theatre, email us at thespo@gmail.com

Thespo at Prithvi in January presented GRM's 'Tipping Point'. As was the case at Thespo 12, these two shows received very positive reviews even though the audience in number wasn't very high. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who came for the shows.

Thespo at Prithvi in February

This month, Thespo at Prithvi is twice the fun! 2 days, 2 plays!!

On Tuesday, 1st February at 9pm
Jester Productions presents EQUUS



Written by Peter Shaffer.
Directed by Daniel D'Souza

The play tells the story of a psychiatrist, who attempts to treat a young man who has a pathological, religious and sexual fascination with horses. In the process, he is forced to take a look at this own life and his duty to society as a psychiatrist.

With Eamonn Ennis, Daniel Dsouza, Nakul Jayadevan, Rebecca Spurgeon, Vikrant Dhote, Mansi Multani, Jason Menezes, Gautmik and Nishtha Bhargava.

On Wednesday, 2nd February at 9pm
M.M.C.C. Arts Circle, Pune presents My Goad Pune


Written, Directed and Performed by Chinmay Kulkarni and Tejpal Wagh.

Young Vaibhav leaves his small village to follow his dreams and desires in the big city of Pune. He is horrified to find that in order to become a Pune-kar, he has to sit for the PEE (Pune Entrance Exam). What follows is a hilarious journey of how Vaibhav goes from small town simpleton, to powerful Pune-kar. We follow his comic exploits at restaurants, red signals and at the coaching classes. Find out if Vaibhav makes it or not...
Winner of Outstanding Male Actor and Outstanding Play at Thespo 12 in 2010.

Tickets now Available. Call 26149546 or www.bookmyshow.com

Point of View - Sneha Nair reviews 'The Interview'

The Interview

Previously I’ve watched a film and a play called ‘The Interview’. Both involved attempts at injury. I suppose it isn’t so unlikely to have bloody curdling events linked to an interview. Given the brief period of time and the need to make a (good) impression it is inevitable that there is a sense of desperation that automatically follows.

Enter Karan Pandit, who plays the interviewee, as promising as any other. With loans to repay and ill parents he is needy enough to want the job as well. He seems almost perfect for the job at hand but is expectedly nervous. There is something endearing about the side parted hair and his eagerness to say the right things. His efforts at getting this interview in his favour may perhaps lead the audience to be more sympathizing of him than the secretary (played by Amrita Puri) in a tight skirt and painfully high heels. He is willing to endure a lot in order to create a good impression. Even though uncertain about the direction of the interview more than once, he plays along when asked what animal represents him best, is lauded for being the right zodiac sign, or the time when he becomes a hesitant participant in the office drama. There is much that he has to endure through the length of the play. As the interview proceeds towards getting stranger by the minute, Pandit goes from being slightly nervous towards dizzying levels of frenzy. He draws quite a few laughs with his eagerness to cope as the interviewer (played by Kashin Shetty) adds one bizarre round after another to the interview.

The interviewer on the other hand never bats an eye. Shetty plays the possible employer as disinterested, almost impatient. The more Keith, a lower level executive and the interviewee try to please him, the more conscious is Shetty’s effort to seem nonchalant. He successfully reminds the audience in more than one amusing way why the man in control is hated by everyone in the workplace.

Tariq Vasudeva plays Keith with mad energy. At any moment, you expect his eyeballs to fall off. He makes the others in the cast seem disturbingly calm. Too needy, too silly, too stupid, Keith is a caricature of the paranoia that surrounds a job in the private sector. Shamelessly flirting with his boss’s secretary, trying to crush the new guy, Tariq makes it very hard for the audience to sympathize with Keith. In more than one occasion, he helps lighten the narrative when the several rounds of interview begin to get monotonous.

The most impressive part of ‘The Interview’ however, is its script and its pace. The play makes for a highly entertaining dark comedy with its several plot twists. With lie detectors, office affairs, and employees desperately clinging to their jobs the script is riddled with one shocking revelation after another. While one would expect the surprise-every-five minutes to get a bit trying after a while, the pace of the play makes sure that before the audience is bored of one gimmick, another one is presented. That said, not one funny moment went by without it drawing laughs from the audience.

An action packed dark comedy and a hilariously strange turn of events, ‘The Interview’ makes for a really fun watch.

4 Corners - Isha Talwar shares her experience on the recently concluded NSD Festival 2011

ALICE IN THEATRELAND

NSD'S BHARAT RANG MAHAOTSAV 2011

Ahh Delhi, it was going to be a long cold month of December for me. I was invited to partner a friend for a choreography project there. Leaving Bombay in the best month of the year was going to be a tough choice to make. As a consolation I was looking at things-to-do in Delhi in December like a typical firangi tourist. And voila, what have we here, I stumbled upon the National School of Drama Theatre Festival christened as Bharat Rang Mahaotsav. A surge of excitement passed through me.

I didn’t know how big this was going to be till I actually got there. The best word to describe Delhi, especially since I hail from Bombay, is sprawling, and that’s exactly how the festival was. Spread over six auditoriums, a food hub and a lawn for stalls and other festive activities, I was in the middle of a crazy vibe. People scampering from one performance to the other, planning and scheduling shows, catching a glimpse of an open air performance while making their way to other acts; basically art-starved people trying to fit in as much as possible. People from all strata’s of life were among them: musicians, bollywood actors, theatre personalities, students, regular office-goers, toursits and even politicians.

The shows were all packed to the brim with ticket prices set very reasonably at Rs 30, 50 and 100. I checked out about 15 performances over 6 days, all exceptionally well performed. The festival started off with a powerhouse performance of a play called Charandas Chor. The play, directed by Anup Hazarika and written by Habib Tanvir, was in Asamese and sported a screen hanging on the ceiling with subtitles translating the dialogues into English. This was a bit of a distraction in the beginning but eventually I got mesmerised by the fact that the actors were flawlessly conveying every dialogue with only their acting talent. The power of acting effectively melted the barriers of language.

Another amazing thing about the festival was the sheer number of countries represented here. There were theatre groups from Chile, Albania, Korea, Germany, England, Japan and Egypt delivering their best to an audience equally bewitched by their talents. My most memorable performance was by the Chilean Theatre Group of a play called Santa Maria de Iquique : Revenge of the Ramon Ramon. I still get goosebumps when I think about it. This was a non-verbal Physical Theatre performance, with surreal props and make-up. The actors exploited the simple yet powerful emotion of revenge so well that you could feel every fine detail of this abstract feeling. Technically too, this play was very superior not just with the sets but also the surprising entries and exits of the performers.

Outside the atmosphere was always electric, with the food hub playing host to indie bands playing their tunes, activists generating awareness in Garbage disposal and a mural wall where people could leave their own little artistic impressions. Also there was the ‘Exhibit Celebrating The Actor’ which was a collection of cubicles on the sprawling green lawns of the NSD celebrating the life and work of its luminaries like Prithviraj Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah etc. There were some awesome AV’s in there for their die-hard fans.

All in all, it was like Disneyland for a theatre lover. Coupled with that the dilli ki sardi and all awesome things that come with the winter, be it food, chai, fancy winter-wear made this experience something I would treasure for the rest of my life. And more than anything else I have this feeling of immense patriotism to see more than 25 nationalities putting their best foot forward to impress the Indian audience. India is truly making its mark as much in arts as in industry.

Dolly Thakore's Life in the Theatre

GOOD NIGHT, SWEET PRINCE,
AND FLIGHT OF ANGELS TAKE THEE TO THY REST!

Those lines from Hamlet immediately sprang to mind when I read Anmol Vellani’s sms telling me that “Zul Vellani – the Voice had been silenced” on the last day of 2010.

For more than a decade the first poster that caught one’s attention in my flat was the sepia head of Zul Vellani as Hamlet directed by Alyque Padamsee in 1964.

Pearl Padamsee did the Costumes for that Production. She despaired and turned to the Director to say “I can’t put Zul in tights. His legs are too splindly”. Alyque in his usual dismissive dictatorial voice said: “I don’t care. That is your problem. You are the Costume Designer.” Pearl then made him wear four pairs of tights one on top of the other. He looked so good. But nearly died of heat!!!

And that head portrait contained all the sensitivity, handsomeness, poetry that was Zul Vellani…one just has to mention Hamlet, and Gerson daCunha as the King and Usha Katrak as Gertrude go into memory zone immediately.

Many of you may not even have hard of Zul Vellani – but he was a judge at Thespo IV.

Zul’s voice and talent ruled our Films Division documentaries and stage. But to a great extent it is his legacy that we have inherited.

I first heard of Zul in 1965 when Partap Sharma’s play ‘A Touch of Brightness’ directed by Alyque Padamsee was banned from going to the first Commonwealth Arts Festival by order of the State Government of the time. And the troupe’s passports were impounded on the eve of their departure for London. He was playing Banarsi Baba. Eight years later it was restaged with a different cast. I was Suraksha in it.

I then saw him on the Bombay stage in 1969 when he played Henry Lawrence in Gurcharan Das’ play ‘Larins Sahib’ directed by Deryck Jeffreis.

And soon after, when I moved into my present residence adjoining the now defunct Hill Grange High School on Pedder Road, Alyque regaled me with grandiose stories of ‘Othello’ which Zul had directed and staged in 1956 -- on the open-air stage of the school now demolished by a rapacious builder. This was Zul’s most famous production, featuring all the rising stars of the English-language stage – Zul was Iago to Gerson daCunha’s unforgettable Othello. It also had a young Alyque Padamsee in the cast. The huge and magnificent all-white set was constructed by the film producer K. Asif of Mughal-e-Azam fame. It boasted staircases running up to a platform at a giddying height, and an even higher tower leading up to Desdemona’s bedroom. Never before had Bombay seen a production on such a gigantic scale.

Zul belonged to the age of the classics in India. There was not much Indian writing in English at the time. English theatre relied on Britain…So all the plays he participated in were Shakespeare, or Bernard Shaw et al.

He played Henry Higgins in Bernard Shaw’s ‘Pygmalion’ – and continued to be respected and revered by all aspiring actors and documentary film commentators who emulated and modulated voices to his style…but none came even close. He was an original. His soft timbre, his gentle movement, his calm attractiveness slayed them all.

Young Alyque emerged as a Director, and cast Zul as Marchbank in Shaw’s ‘Candida’ opposite Usha Amin now Katrak, another stalwart of the English stage.

His repertoire includes Orpheus in Jean Anouih’s ‘Eurydice’ directed by Ebrahim Alkazi – the theatre giant of the National School of Drama.

In 1974, he played Uncle Eugene in Slawomir Mrozek’s ‘Tango’ directed by his son Anmol Vellani in which he showed exceptional talent for comedy, and in 1977 he played the lead in Vaclav Havel’s ‘The Memorandum’ also directed by his son.

I first met Zul in 1969, on the film set of K. Vasudev’s ‘At Five Past Five’ about the Gandhi trial in which I was an extra in the Court scene, and told him that I was getting married to someone from East Africa, Zul told me he had been born in Mombasa. And was so influenced by the African Movement and Jomo Kenyatta, that years later, he wrote ‘No Other Way – The Flaming Spear’, a play on the Mau Mau Uprising against colonial rule in Kenya between 1952 and 1960. Zul produced, directed and acted in the play in the 1950s.

And later he translated it into Hindustani as ‘Africa Jawan Pareshaan’. It was produced by IPTA in the early 1960s (with Shaukat Azmi in the lead) to mark the freedom that African states had achieved. The text of the play is taught as part of the syllabus in Ugandan schools.

Ever since then, the Kaifi Azmi home had been his Juhu home each time he visited the suburbs.

Handsome, gorgeous, gentle Zul never had a vicious word for anyone, nor any malice in him. He had one riveted with his anecdotes. He was never embarrassed to tell us the story of how he used to stammer as a young boy. He was farmed out to live in Japan with his father’s elder brother. His uncle was a cruel man who used to whip him. This childhood trauma caused him to stammer.

It was only after his return to India - where a sympathetic school teacher advised him to participate in the school’s theatre activities that helped him overcome his stammering – and developed his lifelong passion for the dramatic arts.

In his professional life, he never stammered on stage or on the microphone. Sometimes it asserted itself when he was tired or stressed. He regaled us with a story about his stammering. He was once interviewing the Chief Minister of Kerala, E M S Namboodripad, who was a well-known stammerer. At one point, Zul stammered out his question to the Chief Minister, who stammered back, “Are you trying to imitate me?” In reply, Zul stammered, “No. I suffer from the same problem.”

Zul was somewhat of a Lotharia, and had women falling for him all the time. And we have grown up on stories of retaliation akin to Play Misty for me.

But we forgave him everything. And a play can almost be written on his Return to Belvedere Court where many a soirees were held with hospitality that had the table groaning with food!

Today Zul is best remembered for his work in documentary films. Well-known among them are ‘Khajuraho’ and ‘Man in Search of Man’. A large number of these films won national and international awards.

His voice remains memorable on the HMV record featuring Lata Mangeshkar singing from the Gita and Gyaneshwar. HMV resisted paying his professional fees but the Nightingale was adamant. And Zul won the day.. immortalizing him forever on that album!

He became ‘The Voice’, and was known to be Indira Gandhi’s favourite commentator. On October 31, 1984 - the morning Indira Gandhi was assassinated - two mysterious men turned up at his home and insisted that Zul fly to Delhi immediately. No official announcement about her death had yet been made. But there was a chartered plane standing by for Zul.

The Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had left a message that if and when she dies, she would like Zul to do the voice over for her funeral.

And so he did. And now that voice has been silenced forever.

Ak's Various Thoughts

Theatre's Medicinal Value

On the first day of 2011, at dawn, while normal people were nursing hangovers or sleepwalking back to their homes, I was at Prithvi, setting up for a show. The previous night had been spent supervising pack up, and fighting sleep in a stationary car in the festive traffic. In retrospect, not such a bad way to bring in the year. Especially since it resulted in four almost-full shows.

Halfway through the month we opened a brand new production. One key thing learnt is that if you're opening a potential crowd pleaser, manipulate everyone required to facilitate a zero show at IIT. Seldom does one across such a giving audience. Yes, if the play doesn't work, they remain giving, but not necessarily in a nice way. Fortunately our piece went down well, and the response was immensely encouraging. Subsequently the cast went in for the first public show with renewed vigor, and worked some wonders.

Soon after, I rushed off to Chennai to do a show for kids. As luck would have it, the date fell within the Pongal celebrations, and as such we got to witness the slowest and most reluctant set up ever. Platforms took longer than the pyramids to assemble. Tea probably came from Hyderabad. A few hours in, I even stopped complaining. The show, as it must, did go on. And pretty well, with the exception of a legendary Ghajini-esque moment where a key actress forgot her character's name on stage.

The month will end for me at a theatre festival in Bareilly organized by a benevolent doctor, stories of which I shall include in next month's article. However, before that we made a damn quick trip to Pune for a show in a wonderfully cozy little home-style theatre called Sudarshan, also run by a doctor (!) who stays on the floor above. Perhaps now theatre is the best medicine?

Kashin Baba's Babblings

My Goad Goa

What a way to start the year! me and my team were invited to BITS Goa by their Dramatics Society for a performance of our four year running play 'Confessions'.

Now, for those who 'have' had outstation shows, I'm sure you're accustomed to a proper auditorium with a light and sound console and the comfort of atleast 20 lights for you to create 'some' atmosphere for your play. Sadly though, the BITS Goa auditorium, as gifted as it is (40 feet wide, 2000 seater) has only three giant cricket stadium type lights over the stage. Not good enough if your play is super intimate and clearly needs some division of space. Hence a decision was made to use an alternate space within the campus. The students suggested one of their lecture halls, a 250 seater with an inbuilt sound system and projector facility. A raised marble platform at the front where lecturers usually give speeches and conduct conferences. Sounded fine.
So, show's on 23rd Jan at 9pm. My team arrives in Goa on the 21st. We spend 2 days exploring Goa sightseeing, beer drinking, debauchery, super confident because apparently everything has been sorted out...... ha ha ha ha !!!
We arrive at the BITS campus on the 21st at 3pm to discover the following:-
1) There is a "giant" table (inverted commas cannot stress enough) on our platform. This "giant" table cannot be moved because it has a complex series of wires attached to it which come out of the marble floor (what??) and is attached to the table.
2) The blue cellophane we'd planned to place in front of the PARcans are too thin, so they're melting.

So after 3 minutes of silence and teeth grinding, we went into action. The table HAD to go, so you have 8 engineering students armed with screwdrivers, cutters and bad language, hacking and smashing away at the "giant" table. After an hour of loud discussions and many cut fingers, the villainous wires are severed and the table is lifted off (by 10 people) and placed aside. Problem 1 over ?? Now problem 2. My light girl brainstorms.... a ladder is brought. The tiny tubelight outlets (14 of them) above the stage are covered with blue cellophane. No burning, no smoke, and we got the night effect we needed. Problem solved ?? Well, the way we took care of problem 1 gave rise to problem 3:-

3) Because we hacked all the wires, we couldn't use the inbuilt sound system of the hall anymore. Grrrrrrr!!!!!!
Solution? One of the students was nice enough to lend us his 2.1 music system (with sub woofer). Attached it to a laptop, did a sound test and thank god !!! its loud enough !! God bless acoustics.

All ok now? NO!! As the sun sets we discover:-
4) The blue light isn't enough to light the faces of our actors. We cant use the PARcans to do it because they throw way too much light, turning a night scene to a day at the beach (when in Goa, use beach references). Problem-Problem !!!

A lantern was tried to illuminate the faces of our precious actors, but it wasn't bright enough plus after 5 minutes it began leaking kerosene. What can we use we thought ? Torches? a bonfire? Blue light from the projector ( "oh i can't see. How will i do my method acting" ??). All hope seemed lost. Then, one of the students, an angel with spectacles, suggested emergency lights. Place 4-5 of them in front of the stage, covered in blue cellophane, place 2 guys to turn them on when you need, and maybe it'll work. Hmmmmm, we thought, lets try. Thus, hostel rooms were raided, 5 emergency lights were produced. Cellophane paper was taped onto them, we placed them in front of our stage and VOILA !!! I could see my actors faces !!!

Whew !! Things got comparatively easier from here. Butter paper was placed in front of the PARcans, giving out a glazed white light which we used for the flashback sequence, giving it a dream-like look. A single bulb was hung over the stage which we used for the interrogation sequence, automatically making the space look small and intimidating, just the way we needed it. We had 2 students handling our sound and projector (we've been blessed with 'always' having new people in these departments for every show). 'One' briefing to the projector girl, 'one' briefing to the sound guy (followed by several hurried questions till the show started) and they were set. The 2 green chalkboards on the walls of the platform were covered with white chart paper. My light girl had her own small little army at her disposal, since all our lights were plugged into sockets placed in multiple locations and she couldn't be everywhere at once, she placed herself at a light switch on one side of the hall while her army was placed near all the other switches, ready to make changes at her cue. The light bulb above the stage was operated by the actors since the switch was right next to the stage, which wasn't bad actually because it was an interrogation scene. So the guy being interrogated is in the dark, and the two detectives walk in, turn on the light and say, "good evening Mr. Katurian", super cool !!! Oh, and thats exactly how the show started.

And what a show, what a show !! I guess, the thrill (if you can call it that) of putting all these things together right until 15 minutes before the show started, carried onto stage, and the student audience LOVED it. Apart from the fact that they were just thrilled to see people 'smoking' on stage (plans were made to borrow cigarettes from us in the interval), what really amazed the students was that this was their lecture hall, the one they sit in everyday, but now, they're watching a play which has an interrogation room, a dream sequence, and a prison cell, 3 distinct spaces being properly defined and staged right in front of them. They probably never thought this was possible, and how generously they rewarded us. Roars of laughter, thunderous applause, sometimes with claps but mostly by banging the desks they were sitting at. Trust me, the sound of 250 people banging on wood to applaud you...... It changes your life. How the team and me gleamed that night.

We'll never forget the students of BITS Goa, their co-operation, their hard work, their kindness, their crazy passion to just help us put up the show successfully. We hope we've opened the minds of the Dramatics Society and helped them to stop being crippled by the limitations of their auditorium, so they can explore all the options that their "giant" campus provides them to put up a show.

Sigh..... Goa, Jan 2011. Perhaps our best vacation cum show ever!!

Q's Countdown: 10 Tour Tales

10 Memorable Tour Moments

This month I wasn't quite sure what to write about, but our very own Supremo, Himanshu Sitlani, who controls The Script via remote control from Canada deemed that since Kash and AK have talked about tours, and since QTP just returned from a tour, and because Rage is always touring, that I countdown 10 tour anecdotes. Now the nature of touring, is that you need to be there first hand, therefore most of these will be QTP shows/references since that's whom I tour with. Apologies in advance. So here goes:

1. Lost in Translation
   When we toured the U.S. with A Midsummer Night's Dream, the last thing I expected was for people to be unable to understand me. We had tonnes of translation issues in the cast, with the actors and musicians all coming from diverse language groups, but I was one of the liaisons with the local crew, and I prided myself on my English speaking. So here I was asking the local crew if the door that divided stage and audience was kept open since actors had entrances from the audience. Now the door is called a PASS DOOR (pronounced PARSS DOOR). But he couldn't understand me. He kept repeating, "parce -door??". Eventually I gesticulated wildly and pointed to what I meant and he went, "Oh, you mean a pass door (pronounced P-ASS Door), why didn't you say so in the first place!". So much for translating English into American!
   
   
2. So...er...where is the stage then?
   Another Midsummer story (sorry I spent 3 years touring with it, you were expecting what stories of Kindertransport?). This time the hell hole of all touring cities...Calcutta. I could actually just do a countdown of Calcutta stories, but this one, to be fair was no ones fault. The Dream was to be performed in the dried up water hazard of the Tollygunge Club Golf Course. Seemed reasonable enough. We arrived a few days before, put up the trussing, the lights, the set, all the necessary things only to have it rain the night before opening. Now since we were performing in the Water Hazard, all the water from across the golf course came to settle there. Leaving our musicians pit completely under water. A lot of our stage wet and even the first two rows of audience seating. A superhuman effort was made to make sure things dried out and as always the show did go on.
   
   
3. Run Forest Run!
   This one didn't happen to me. But I'm going to stick it in anyway because it's so bizarre. AKvarious are en rout to Bangalore. Being prudent about cost, most are traveling by train, as is the theatre way. The train gets re routed and the delays keep piling up. Meanwhile, a performance of Proof is scheduled on the day they arrive in Bangalore. The delays mean time is getting tight. Finally somewhere along the rail tracks the director, actors and technicians jump off, true filmy style and manage to catch a cab all the way. They arrive in Bangalore and at the venue exactly at show time. An announcement is made and the show goes up an hour late. The icing of all of this is the fact that while everyone is trying to get off the train speedily, the director, Kashin is busy filming all the drama.
   
   
4. Bat out of Hell
   Anyone who has performed at Sri Ram Centre in Delhi is aware of the bats. Apparently they live in the walls. You can hear them screech and flap about. However what is more surprising is when they come up onto stage. In 2004 we were on tour with Beyond Therapy. Zafar Karachiwala and Shanaya Rafaat are meant to enjoy a nice romantic evening in the first scene in a deserted restaurant. Suddenly a bat flies out and circles the stage and particularly the table. To their credit, neither actor flinched, and nonchalantly went on with the play. For the audience, the comic deserted restaurant suddenly became something out of a Hitchcock film.
   
   
5. We interrupt this programme for a plane!
   Secundrabad Club in, well, Secundrabad is a lovely location. Sprawling premises, great rooms, wonderfully colonial architecture and furniture and best of all a large outdoor performance space. All idyllic ingredients for a play....except that it is right in the flight path of Hyderabad Airport. So our one actor on stage, Jayati Bhatia, had to pause every time a plane flew over head. All in all 15 planes flew over the 1 hour 15 minute performance. No one has ever dialed a telephone for so long.
   
   
6. Why are white people dancing to Bollywood?
   In 2005, we happened to line produce a stage show called The Merchants of Bollywood. It was probably the most thin story I had ever come across but the dancing was powerful and so was the music. As we went into tech week in Australia, we were all a bit incredulous as to how this would go down. The producers informed us that the Indian community wasn't interested in the show since AR Rahman had performed there the week before. On opening night, as I yelled at the actors from the wings to get behind the line of the curtain for the curtain call, I peeked out into the audience - 1,800 Australians, dressed in Indian clothes were on their feet jumping and dancing. I couldn't believe. The director is a genius I thought. The show is still running all over the world. in places like Germany, Serbia, Barcelona, Romania, etc. Unbelievable.
   
   
7. When Birnum Wood Came to Dunsinane
   Another tour of Beyond Therapy. This time Chennai. The tech rider specified two platfroms on either side up stage of 2 to 2.5 feet high. We were assured this would be done before we got to the hall in the morning. Expecting pre fabricated platforms we walked in to the biggest shock of out lives. The platform legs were actually 2 feet lengths of a thin tree that had just been cut down. And not just four or eight, there must have been at least 20 to 25 legs for each large platform. It was an incredibly painful site.
   
   
8. Is it cold in here or is it just me?
   This is the most recent story on the list as it happened only a few weeks ago at the NSD festival in Delhi. Our wonderful actress Jayati Bhatia has to be on stage fifteen minutes before the play starts and then right trough the 1 hour 15 minutes of performance. No balck outs no breaks. Somewhere through the first show, round about the half way mark, Jayati suddenly got the sniffles. We watched her as she actually got a cold. Now it must be added that the room was pretty cold and while we were all covered up in multiple layers, poor Jayati, playing the ageing matriarch of a Bombay family had to be in a light chiffon saree, affording her no protection against the cold.
   
   
9. Good Evening your Excellency
   We have only performed for the Diplomatic core once. And that too in Muscat. It's a lovely festival at the Indian Embassy, but not without it's hiccups. Our set arrived only a few minutes before the audience was let in. Being Muscat and Diplomats, it was too hot to let them linger outside longer than the requisite period. So in they walked while we were still sawing away and trying to figure out how to keep the flats upright.
   
   
10. Press Night:
    This one is another Midsummer story. We were in Stratford-Upon-Avon, performing at the Swan Theatre at the RSC. In India, opening night is opening night. But in the west, opening night is the first night of previews. But the real opening night is called Press Night when all the journalists (yes plural) come. Actually the whole 300 seater house was press. Ajay Kumar, who played Puck had a most annoying evening. He complained bitterly that no one seemed to be watching the show, all everyone did was scribble in their notepads. He was tempted to actually go and see what they were writing.

Well that's it for me. If you have a fun tour story/experience, do post it.

Up & Coming - List of plays in February

Tuesday, 1^st February
Prithvi Theatre – 9pm: EQUUS
The play tells the story of a psychiatrist, who attempts to treat a young man who has a pathological religious and sexual fascination with horses. In the process he is forced to take a look at his own life and his duty to society as a psychiatrist.

Written by Peter Shaffer. Directed by Daniel DSouza.
With Eamonn Ennis, Daniel Dsouza, Nakul Jayadevan, Rebecca Spurgeon, Vikrant Dhote, Mansi Multani, Jason Menezes, Gautmik and Nishtha Bhargava.

Wednesday, 2^nd February
Prithvi Theatre – 9pm: MY GOAD PUNE
Young Vaibhav leaves his small village to follow his dreams and desires in the big city of Pune. He is horrified to find that in order to become a Pune-kar, he has to sit for the PEE (Pune Entrance Exam). What follows is a hilarious journey of how Vaibhav goes from small town simpleton, to powerful Pune-kar. We follow his comic exploits at restaurants, red signals and at the coaching classes. Find out if Vaibhav makes it or not...

Written, Directed and Performed by Chinmay Kulkarni and Tejpal Wagh
Winner of Outstanding Male Actor and Outstanding Play at Thespo 12 in 2010.

Thursday, 3^rd February
Prithvi Theatre – 9pm: CHARSHE KOTEE VISARBHOLE
Charshe Koti Visarbhole (Four Billion Forgetfuls) is a fantasy depicting conditions as they might be in the year 3985 AD.

Friday, 4^th February
Prithvi Theatre – 9pm: KASHMIR KASHMIR
The protagonist of the play is a hotel in the middle of nowhere. The multiple story lines are borne along by a shadowy narrator who seems to represent historical influences.

Saturday, 5^th February
Prithvi Theatre – 6 & 9pm: NECROPOLIS
The play beginning as a plain, dry narrative, steadily progresses to unfold a kaleidoscopic memoir of the playwright in an autobiographical manner.

Experimental Theatre – 7pm: REBECCA
A spell-binding blend of mystery, romance and suspense, Rebecca is set in Manderley, an ancient, imposing house.

Sunday, 6^th February
Experimental Theatre – 4 & 7pm: REBECCA
With Hidaayat Sami, Dilshad Edibam, Tahira Nath, Pavitra Sarkar and others.

Prithvi Theatre – 6 & 9pm: TICHEE 17 PRAKARANE
Based On Martin Crimp’s “Attempts On Her Life”. Directed By Alok Rajwade, Nipun Dharmadhikari, Sarang Sathaye, Varun Narvekar.

Monday, 7^th February
Cama Hall, Kalaghoda – 7pm: Project S.T.R.I.P.
Exploring the ‘craziness’ of office politics and how things ‘get done’, the play is a rib tickling roller coaster ride to its startling conclusion.

Written by Ram Ganesh Kamatham. Directed by Q.
With Shruti Sridharan, Dilnaz Irani, Gulshan Devaiah, Tariq Vasudeva, Neil Bhoopalam and Dhanendra Kawade

Tuesday, 8^th February
Prithvi Theatre – 9pm: THE CAINE MUTINY COURT MARTIAL
The play lays bare the tragedy of war, probes deep into the psyche of men who are in the forefront of the battle and in one sweep damns everyone who looks at the war as a stepping stone to self-aggrandisement.

Wednesday, 9^th February
Prithvi Theatre – 6 & 9pm: THE CAINE MUTINY COURT MARTIAL
Directed by Nasseruddin Shah.

Thursday, 10^th February
NGMA – 8:30pm: KHATIJABAI OF KARMALI TERRACE
Khatijabai of Karmali Terrace is not just the story of one woman, but of all of us, trapped in lives that are not our own. An orphan, Khatija marries into the Karmali household. We witness her exploits, her vying for ‘most favoured position’ with her in-laws, the pressurising of her eldest son Aziz and her constant battles with sister-in-law, Shiraz in this play.

Directed by Q. Performed by Jayati Bhatia.

Prithvi Theatre – 9pm: MANTO ISMAT HAZIR HAI
With Heeba Shah, Imran, Rakesh Chaturvedi, Ankur Vikal and Imaad Shah

Friday, 11^th February
Prithvi Theatre – 6 & 9pm: MANTO ISMAT HAZIR HAI
Two short stories Bu (Odour) by Saadat Hasan Manto, and Lihaaf (The Quilt) by Ismat Chughtai, for which the writers were, in the mid 1940's, accused of obscenity and put to trial by the Lahore High Court, will be presented along with Ismat Apa’s account of the trial, called In the name of those married women and another celebrated Manto story The Dog of Titwal.

Experimental Theatre – 7:30pm: AN EVENING WITH SITA, SURPANAKHA AND SANDRA
This is a serio-comic look at feminism, love and relationships through the ages, showing how nothing much has changed since the time of the Ramayana.

Saturday, 12^th February
Prithvi Theatre – 6 & 9pm: RANG BAJRANG
A story of draught-stricken times when the draught is also a metaphor for the loss of trust and hope in life.

NCPA Godrej Dance Theatre – 7pm: GLOOM TO GLORY
A middle class mother nurses a wish to see her young son represent his country in hockey. Despite the odds, with much hard work he represents Indian hockey team, with a promising future.

Experimental Theatre – 7:30pm: HELPDESK
The play represents a world in which everyone is entitled to ask for help – whether you are a mother wanting to sell your son, a radio wanting your antenna amputated, an executive wanting to display your boyfriend in a shop-window, or a newspaper wanting to go tabloid. The only condition, of course, is that the request must be a reasonable one.

Sunday, 13^th February
Prithvi Theatre – 6 & 9pm: RANG BAJRANG
Adaption of Richard Nash’s ‘Rainmaker’. Design & Directed by Dinesh Thakur

NCPA Godrej Dance Theatre – 7pm: GLOOM TO GLORY
Script and Direction by Mitwa Bhatti. Performed by M.R. Negi

Tata Theatre – 7pm: PUNE HIGHWAY
With Rajit Kapur, Ashwin Mushran, Yamini Namjoshi, Shankar Sachdev and Bugs Bhargava Krishna

Experimental Theatre – 7:30pm: WHATEVER YOU SAY
What do two people, who have nothing left to say, say to each other when they are together?

Tuesday, 15^th February
Prithvi Theatre – 9pm: HAMLET – THE CLOWN PRINCE
A bunch of Clowns are putting up a show of Hamlet - they sometimes misinterpret the text, sometimes find new meanings in it, sometimes try and understand it, very often make a mess of it.

Wednesday, 16^th February
Tata Theatre – 7:30pm: THE SOUND OF MUSIC
The Sound of Music revisits the von Trapp family: Their lives, their trials and their songs. The final scenes, over the mountains on to Switzerland, provide one of the most thrilling finales presented on stage.

Prithvi Theatre – 9pm: HAMLET – THE CLOWN PRINCE
A Cinematograph Presentation.

Thursday, 17^th February
Experimental Theatre – 7pm: BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE
When a young bachelor is by himself for the first time, the exhilaration of knowing that a pretty actress has moved into the next apartment, is a different feeling altogether

Tata Theatre – 7:30pm: THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Directed by Advait Hazarat.

Prithvi Theatre – 9pm: HAMLET – THE CLOWN PRINCE
With Atul Kumar, Kalki Koechlin, Sujay Saple, Neil Bhoopalam, Namit Das and Puja Sarup.

Friday, 18^th February
Tata Theatre – 7:30pm: THE SOUND OF MUSIC
An Ace Presentation.

Prithvi Theatre – 9pm: HAMLET – THE CLOWN PRINCE
Directed by Rajat Kapoor.

Saturday, 19^th February
Prithvi Theatre – 6 & 9pm: HAMLET – THE CLOWN PRINCE
A play in English and Gibberish.

Experimental Theatre – 7pm: CHAOS THEORY
Chaos Theory is about two professors who experience a lifetime together, without expressing their real emotions. Set in the US and India of the 70s, 80s and 90s, it is an exploration of love which, like the chaos theory, is imperfect physics.

Tata Theatre – 7:30pm: THE SOUND OF MUSIC
With Dalip Tahil, Delna Mody, Lucky Morani , Darius Shroff , Marianne D’Cruz Aiman and children from Raell Padamsee’s Academy for Creative Expression (ACE) and Happy Home and School for the Blind, Central Society for the Education of the Deaf, Society for the Education of the Crippled, Aseema, Salaam Bombay Foundation, Seva Sadan, Muktangan and ADAPT.

Sunday, 20^th February
Prithvi Theatre – 6 & 9pm: HAMLET – THE CLOWN PRINCE
A bunch of Clowns are putting up a show of Hamlet - they sometimes misinterpret the text, sometimes find new meanings in it, sometimes try and understand it, very often make a mess of it.

Experimental Theatre – 7pm: CHAOS THEORY
Written by Anuvab Pal. Directed by Rahul da Cunha

Wednesay, 23^rd February
Prithvi Theatre – 9pm: OPERATION CLOUDBURST
Six tired and wounded soldiers of the Indian army momentarily transform into emotional human beings - relating their thought, confusions and life dilemmas to each other.

Thursday, 24^th February
Experimental Theatre – 7pm: ART
Directed & Produced by Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal & Kaizaad Kotwal

Prithvi Theatre – 9pm: DAYASHANKAR KI DIARY
The dramatized memoir of a man unable to live up to his own dreams, who starts living in a world where fantasy and reality are inseparable

Friday, 25^th February
Experimental Theatre – 8pm: KHATIJABAI OF KARMALI TERRACE
Khatijabai of Karmali Terrace is not just the story of one woman, but of all of us, trapped in lives that are not our own. An orphan, Khatija marries into the Karmali household. We witness her exploits, her vying for ‘most favoured position’ with her in-laws, the pressurising of her eldest son Aziz and her constant battles with sister-in-law, Shiraz in this play.

Directed by Q. Performed by Jayati Bhatia.

Tata Theatre – 7pm: FIVE POINT SOMETHING
What happens when you join your first college? What if the college is called IIT? What if this is where you meet your first love, and her father! How do you make your first friends, your best friends and your first enemies? What happens when you get your grades and wish they wer not yours? What happens when you try to mess with the system and the system messes you up in turn? What happens when you believe this is never going to change, never going to end?

Prithvi Theatre – 9pm: DAUDAA DAUDAA BHAAGA BHAAGA
A satire on today's materialistic and commercial rat-race, and how a simpleton is forced to be a part of it.

Saturday, 26^th February
Experimental Theatre – 8pm: THE PRESIDENT IS COMING
In a dog-eat-dog world of young competitors, reality television and short-lived fame, this comedy explores a day in the life of 9 people will stop at nothing because 'THE PRESIDENT IS COMING'

With Ratnabali Bhattacharjee, Shivani Tanksale, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Anand Tiwari, Ira Dubay, Namit Das, Choiti Ghosh, Satchit Puranik and Anup Burte.

“Very funny…had the audience rolling in the aisles”
“The cast is terrific…Enjoyable watch”
- Times of India

“One of the top 5 plays of 2007”
- Hindustan Times

Tata Theatre – 7pm: FIVE POINT SOMETHING
An Evam Presentation

Prithvi Theatre – 6 & 9pm: DAUDAA DAUDAA BHAAGA BHAAGA
An Ekjute Presentation.

Sunday, 27^th February
Tata Theatre – 7pm: FIVE POINT SOMETHING
With Naveen Richard / Sudharsan Krishnan, Yudhishthir Rana / Bhargav Ramakrishnan, Avinash Rajendran / Naveen Polisetty, Jimmy Xavier / Vaisakh Shankar, Mamta Bisht/ Amruthavarshini, Anand Nagarker, Parthasarathy Devarajan and Ganesh Ramesh

Experimental Theatre – 8pm: PROJECT S.T.R.I.P.
Exploring the ‘craziness’ of office politics and how things ‘get done’, the play is a rib tickling roller coaster ride to its startling conclusion.

Written by Ram Ganesh Kamatham. Directed by Q.
With Shruti Sridharan, Dilnaz Irani, Gulshan Devaiah, Tariq Vasudeva, Neil Bhoopalam and Dhanendra Kawade

Prithvi Theatre – All Day: PRITHVI THEATRE CARNIVAL
Celebrating the spirit of Prithvi Theatre and the vision of Jennifer Kapoor - Actors will perform their favourite pieces and Directors will present short pieces on 'Today'. More details on www.prithvitheatre.org

Monday, 28^th February
18 Anukool – 7:30pm: GREAT TEXT READING
An informal reading of Tanika Gupta’s adaptation of ‘Hobson’s Choice’ by Harold Brighouse.