Ranglok Theatre Festival: Putting Agra On The Indian Theatre Map
Monsoon perhaps inspires more art than any other season; especially performance art. So, what could be better than a festival of theatre to be held right in the midst of this season. Ranglok Sanskritik Sansthan, one of the most prominent theatre groups in the city of Agra, is bringing a four-day theatre festival to the iconic Sursadan auditorium in Agra this month. To be held from 22nd of July till 25th of July, Ranglok Theatre Festival will feature four plays.
Piano: Adapted, Directed and Designed by Raghuvir Yadav
Group: Ryra Repertoire, Mumbai
Date: 22nd July, 2017
The veteran theatre, film and television artist, Raghuvir Yadav will be putting on display his acting and directorial talents for the audiences. The play, set in the seventies, features a diverse emotional interplay between two characters, depicting the theme of loneliness in urban milieu, all on the pretext of an advertisement for an old piano.
Natsamrat: Written by Vishnu Waman Shikhadkar; Directed and Designed by Jayant Deshmukh
Group: Ekrang, Bhopal
Date: 23rd July, 2017
Natsamrat, as the name suggests, is about the world of theatre itself. Starring another veteran theatre personality, Prof Alok Chatterjee, the play depicts trials and tribulations of a theatre actor but speaks on a higher level of human existence and its crises.
Tum Sam Purush Na Mo Sam Naari: Written by Dr. Urmil Kumar Thapliyal; Directed and Designed by Dimpy Mishra
Group: Ranglok Sanskritik Sansthan, Agra
Date: 24th July, 2017
A play based on Nautanki style of theatre, a folk theatre form from Uttar Pradesh, this performance is based on story of a couple of extremely opposite personalities. Like a traditional Nautanki, it will feature a central plot interspersed with individual songs, dances and skits.
Paansa: Written by Gulzar, Directed and Designed by Salim Arif
Group: Essay Communications, Mumbai
Date: 25th July, 2017
This play is a dramatization of Pavan K Verma’s long poem ‘Yudhishtar and Draupadi’. It sheds a light on the complex relationship shared by Yudhishtar, Draupadi and Arjun. It features themes of passion, austerity and yearning but at the same time reflects upon the concept of love between men and women.
As is obvious, the four-day festival will feature a diverse cornucopia of theatrical styles, themes, plots and stories ranging from mythological allegory to modern urban alienation to a meta narrative of theatre-life itself and interpersonal human relationships. A first of its kind theatre festival in the region, this, looks extremely promising.
Some of the most prominent and shining theatrical talents will grace the Sursadan auditorium such as Rahugvir Yadav, Prof Alok Chaterjee, Lubna Salim, Bakul Thakkar, Amit Behl and Yashpal Sharma amongst other accomplished artists. But what is most significant is, as Dimpy Mishra, the president of Ranglok Sanskritik Sansthan, suggests “this festival will help put Agra on the theatre map of India”.
The festival comes not only as an opportunity for Agra’s budding and established thespians to showcase their talents, but also for the art aficionados of the city and its neighbouring areas to enjoy some of the best theatrical performances right in their backyard.
Dheeraj Mishra from the Ranglok group informs that entries will be based on passes which shall be available in select places in the city in the coming days. For more information visit the Ranglok Sanskritik Sansthan’s facebook page or its website.