Launched in Chennai in 2005, The Hindu Theatre Fest has grown to become one of the most celebrated theatre festivals in the country. Over the years, the Fest has showcased theatre from various parts of India and abroad, bringing together renowned actors and groups.
This year marks the 13th edition of the festival. The Hindu Theatre Fest presently engages an audience of nearly 10,000 each year across major south Indian cities.
The Hindu’s annual theatre festival, The Hindu Theatre Fest will travel to Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad this August. All shows begin at 7:30 pm. Title sponsor of the event is YES Bank and Associate sponsor is Airtel. The Park (Chennai), Taj (Bengaluru) and Taj Krishna (Hyderabad) are the Hospitality partners.
The following are the details of shows that will be conducted in various towns:
1. ‘12 Angry Jurors’ (English) directed by Nadir Khan and performed by Rage Productions, is a story that revolves around an 18-year-old boy who is on trial for murdering his abusive father. A jury of 12 people has been appointed to deliberate on the matter, and the evidence is against the boy. The jury is about to come to a decision but is stopped by a lone dissenting juror who presents the case in a new light. For the verdict to be accepted, all jurors have to come to a unanimous decision. After this episode, each and every juror re-opens the case, and looks at it from a fresh pair of eyes while examining their own attitudes.
[12 Angry Jurors: Sir Mutha Concert Hall, Chennai – August 11]
2.‘Khwaab-Sa’ (Hindi & English), an adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is directed by Atul Kumar. In this version, the story depicts the three worlds within this play in three different forms: The Lovers do not talk at all. They explore their journeys through contemporary dance, movement and gesture. The actors talk, but they talk in Gibberish that has a semblance to Hindi. The fairies who communicate operatically through song. All of this is set to original musical score using both western and Indian compositions. [Khwaab-Sa: Sir Mutha Concert Hall, Chennai – August 12, Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Bengaluru – August 19 and RavindraBharathi, Hyderabad – August 26]
3. ‘Loretta’ (Hindi & English), directed by Sunil Shanbag and performed by Arpana, is set in the ‘70s on a river island in Goa. Antonio Moraes, a bhatkar (landlord), who lives a rather comfortable life in his resplendent home, surrounded by bakers, gardeners, a Man Friday and motley village folk. Antonio, a great votary of the Konkani language, is rather protective of his island. Antonio’s son Rafael returns from Mumbai with his Anglo Indian girlfriend, Loretta, after completing his education. Rafael is dismissive of his father’s love for Goa and the Konkani culture. On the other hand, Loretta is looking for roots, and falls in love with the island. But Antonio tells her that the only way she can continue living onthe island is if she learns Konkani. This leads to a series of events that transform the life on the island and its people.
[Loretta: Sir Mutha Concert Hall, Chennai – August 13]
4. ‘Barff’ (Hindi & English), directed by SaurabhShukla and performed by AGP World, set in picturesque Kashmir during winter, is a thriller which spans over one night. Desperate parents of an ailing child, and an unsuspecting doctor, are the three lives caught in the whirlwind of conflicting questions of truth, reality and belief.
[Barff: Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Bengaluru – August 18 and RavindraBharathi, Hyderabad – August 25]
5. ‘Black with Equal’ (Hindi & English), directed by VickramKapadia, is a satirical black comedy that takes an unsentimental look at contemporary society, ultimately becoming a scathing comment on the human condition.
[Black With Equal: Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Bengaluru – August 20 and RavindraBharathi, Hyderabad – August 24]
6. ‘A Friend’s Story’ (English), written by Vijay Tendulkar, revolves around three students – the diffident Bapu, the carefree Mitra, and the deceptive Nama. Essentially a love triangle, A Friend’s Story is Vijay Tendulkar’s understated ‘Greek tragedy’ about obsession, jealousy, betrayal and a search for redemption.
[A Friend’s Story: Museum Theatre, Chennai – August 18]
7. ‘No Rest in the Kingdom’ (English), written and directed by DeepikaArwind is a devised theatre work that deals with the daily hilariousness and annoyances of being a woman in this country, and almost anywhere. Cats crawl, urban men and women baffled with ‘the gender thing’ and a general unsettlement everywhere.
[No Rest in the Kingdom: Museum Theatre, Chennai – August 19]
8. ‘Snapshots of a Fervid Sunrise’ (English), written by Mahesh Dattani, directed by DushyanthGunashekar and performed by Crea-Shakthi, is a story of two teenagers in love. Not the kind of love usually associated with teenagers. Khudiram Bose and ThillayaadiVelliamai have never met, but are connected by a common passion – a love for their motherland.
[Snapshots of a Fervid Sunrise: Museum Theatre, Chennai – August 20]
Tickets can be purchased on at thehindu.com/tickets2017
