24 July,2013 09:43 AM IST | | Devika Desai
There comes a point, where many of us get so caught up in facing the stresses of everyday life that we forget to let ourselves relax. Smile. Get in touch with your silly side with Get Silly, an annual theatre festival, hosted by the NCPA. This festival, to be launched on Thursday, will feature four different comedies, all based on everyday experiences andu00a0encounters.
Past staging of the play four Square
"As shown through its name, the theme of the festival is comedy, to be silly," says Meherzad Patel, the director of all the plays. "We created the festival last year, and hope to expand it into an annual festival. All the plays that we've chosen for the Festival are popular choices that have been performed earlier, in different parts of India. The Class Act, for example is a crowd favourite. Crowds in Kerala are rarely known for encores and they demanded a comeback of the play after seeing it the first time," he adds.
Why comedy, we quiz. "The comedy that we show here is based on experiences that everyone would have gone through at some point. The Class Act revolves around students in an acting class, and speaks aloud the things that the characters want to do or say, but are terrified. I wrote this play based on my experiences in acting classes and conducting workshops. It creates a laughing riot every single time it's performed," explains Patel.
While three plays - The Class Act, Rusty Screws and Four Square - are originals, Fools is a 60% adaptation of the American play, Romantic Fools.
Actors performing The Class Act
This year's festival will feature some of the talented young actors from St Mary School. "They have been intensely rehearsing for six hours a day to ensure perfection, especially their comic timing. It's been excitingly exhausting, and we cannot wait to show off our hard work to the audiences," avers Patel.
From July 25 to July 28, 7 pm onwards
At Experimental Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point. TICKETS Rs 360, Rs 270 and Rs 200 for members and R400, R300 and R200u00a0for others
Call 22824567
