Week-long laugh riot

The most-awaited cultural event of the season is on and tickets to the hot plays are flying off the counters. Here's what you can expect at the comedy theatre week, which tells you to 'Laugh all the way home'

With the onset of the slight Bangalore chill, there is one reason to smile and shed the gloomy mood. Ranga Shankara, the theatre space brings for the Theatre Fest 09, a bouquet of comedy plays, giving the play lovers a chance to indulge in some jaw-aching laughter.

Creators: Arundhati Nag, Founder and Creative Director, Ranga Shankara, with S Surendranath, Festival Director

Ranga Shankara has, over the years, become a cultural hub of sorts. It's not just the plays that attract crowds to the quaint open-air auditorium, but the feel about the place with its literary gems and their random ramblings. The same versatility is on display if you take a look at the schedule of the fest, with the best plays, all of which are being staged for the first time in the country.

"We take this opportunity to invite plays from all parts of the country. Comedy is an evergreen theme for theatre. Theatre has always banked on comedy to create masterpieces and pull audiences in droves," says Arundhati Nag, founder and creative Director, Ranga Shankara. "In fact this year we chose comedy as a theme probably to beat the recession blues," she adds.

Directors like Mandiya Ramesh, Swananad Kirkire, Prakash Belawadi are directing these plays comprising seasoned actors.

The festival, which is already underway, will be on till November 15, staging two shows of each play, with a Matinee show at 2:30 pm and an evening show at 7:30 pm.

Birthday bash
Girish Karnad will launch the website, https://www.shankarnag.in/, to celebrate Shankar Nag's birthday and his contribution to theatre. Karnad will also be awarding the winners of the intercollegiate theatre competition that was held on the eve of this festival.
On November 9

Haasya Kavi Sammelan
Haasya Kavi Sammelan will have poets like Dr Vishnu Saxena from Aligarh, Arun Jaimini from Delhi, Sarvesh Asthana from Lucknow and Dinesh Bawara from Mumbai to give you a dose of harmless mirth. The session on nonsense poetry would be held in Hindi on November 10 and in Kannada on November 11.
On November 10 and 11

All Thieves
Based on short stories by Calvinho, Murakami, Mohan Rakesh and Kamtanath, the play All Thieves is directed by Motley. The viewership is however, only allowed to children over 14 years.
On November 12

Project S.T.R.I.P
A satire, it humorously brings out the effects and consequences of development and civilization on the human race. Set in a native land, the play goes on to describe how the community is wiped out following the path of 'progress and trade'. Moreover, it brings questions mankind's notion of primitive versus civilized, savage versus evolved and spiritual versus empirical.
On November 13

Aatankavaadiya Aakasmika Saavu
The Kannada play is based on Nobel Prize-winner Dario Fo's Accidental Death of an Anarchist (1970 regarding a bomb attack on a bank in Italy in the late 1960s. A satire on official corruption it discusses the brutal methods of police interrogation leading to death in custody. But the entire issue is dealt in a hilarious way often involving the unselfconscious participation of the suspect policeman.
On November 14

Ao Saathi Sapne
A musical drama, the play is a set in Chandni Chowk area of Old Delhi. It is a love story of a boy (Baiju Khan), and girl (Gauraiya. Their respective fathers Miya Khan and Chironji Lal Gupta fix the marriage. But things take a turn when a choice has to be made between ambition and love. Depicting the joy of love in the first half, the play also shows how the dreams are threatened by reality.u00a0 The play goes back in time revealing situations and emotions, which all-human hearts in love have felt.
On November 15

What's more
There are also the peripherals that make the festival go beyond the confines of a stage. So, this time around, staying away because you didn't make it to the box office in time is hardly an excuse.

Theatre and Arts Appreciation
On the occasion of the festival, Ranga Shankara also presents the third edition of the Theatre and Arts Appreciation Course, which began last weekend and continues till November 15. The course would discuss theatre, cinema, dance, photography and music through lectures, film screenings and plays. Moreover, participants will also get a chance to interact with directors and actors. Also watch out for the Laughter and Cartoon Corners.

At: Ranga Shankara 36/2, 8th cross, (Next to J P Nagar Post Office) 2nd phase, J P Nagar.
Call: 2659 2777 / 2649 3982