Friday, December 27, 2013

Capital wakes up to another Celebration of Drama with International Drama Festival at 16thBharat Rang Mahotsav 2014

The cold winds are whistling between the window panes, and the sun is not tiring from its mischievous game of hide and seeks, the city is under a mystic spell of the famous Delhi winters and the fog has completely turned the citizens into a bit more Eskimo looking attires. It is that time of the year when Delhi’s weathers have seemingly frozen the human souls and their lively spirits. The city is under a wintry spell and after welcoming the New Year with zest and zeal it’s time Delhi looks up to celebrate the warmth of life and human emotions. It’s time again to warm up Delhiites souls with the drama of human emotions. It’s time for Bharat Rang Mahotsav.

The National School of Drama rings in 2014 with its annual drama extravaganza in the form of International Festival of Drama - the 16th Bharat Rang Mahotsav. Commencing from the 4th of January and culminating on 19th January, 2014, this year’s International Drama Festival highlights the various faces of Indian theatre and brings to the capital 71 performances by renowned theater groups from different parts of India and the world on same platform so that theater aficionados as well as common men can watch and be entertained and enriched by their performances.

This year, theatre groups from 17 states, representing all the four regions of the nation – East, West, North South will stage their performances on this international platform. Even countries like Srilanka, Japan, Israel, China, Poland and Germany which are steeped in theatre culture, brings in seven performances in this year’s international festival. The festival will feature a complete kaleidoscope of various theatre styles starting from Classical, including Modern, Western and finishing in Folk Theatre; thus showing all the different faces of Indian Theatre to the audience. If this was not all, Bharat Rang Mahotsav this time highlights traditional folk theatre from about every part of the country bringing 11 performances from folk & traditional theatre, making it the ultimate platform of interaction and education of theatre.

Prof. Waman Kendre, NSD Director, says, “Bharat Rang Mahotsav is not only about urban theatre but it also focuses on the rural and traditional theatre. Hence, NSD being the apex theatre institution of the country is reaching out to every nook and corner of the country where drama and theatre exists and survives. With such exchange of knowledge and culture NSD aims to be the ultimate platform of theatre and cultural exchanges in theatre not only in India but with other countries as well where theatre is alive.”

As a parallel festival, Bharat Rang Mahotsav this year goes out to the exotic North East with 6 plays this year.NSD this year touches the hearts of Imphal and Guwahati with 3 international plays (from Israel, Japan and Sri Lanka) and 3 Indian plays which includes a Tamasha. This parallel festival will be on from 9th January, 2014 to the 16th January, 2014.

Shri Ratan Thiyam, Chairperson, National School Of Drama Society says, “Integrating theatre from all parts of the nation and also taking it to varied audience has been an integral part of the vision of NSD for Bharat Rang Mahotsav. North East has a culturally rich and potentially strong theatre movement. Missing Bharat Rang Mahotsav’s presence in the region will be a loss to the art and culture lovers of North East. Hence, the parallel festival is targeted in the North East this year.”

Apart from the theatre shows, Bharat Rang Mahotsav this year will also be bringing the national theatre luminaries and their international counterparts together on one platform. With this aim NSD has planned two seminars this year where ideas will be exchanged freely and thoughts on topics like ‘Global Exchanges, Local Encounters’ and on ‘Use & Abuse of Tradition in Today’s Theatre’ will be discussed at length. Meet the directors an open forum for the audience to interact with the director’s and Dr Kamlesh Datt Tripathi interacts with K.N. Panicker will also be some of the major interactive session in BRM 2014.


As part of Interactions on New Writings in Theatre, this year BRM 2014, will see the launch of a book by Mahesh Dattani ‘Me & My Plays’ published by Penguin India along with book reading session by various eminent authors like Surendra Verma, Pratap Sehgal, Mannu Bhandari and Asghar Wajahat are part of the festival. NSD this year has also planned a poster and photographic exhibition on in house Shakespeare production throughout the festival period.  Film screening of films based on theatre experiences and theatre process by Sanjay Maharshi will also be one of the major attractions during the festival. Short films on mobile theatre of Assam, Nautanki, Grotowski workshop and The Making of King Lear adapted in Hindustani are catered for the audience.

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