English, 60 mins
English, 60 mins
Non-Verbal, 45 mins
English, 90 mins
Kannada, 100 mins
,
Non-Verbal (for children 6 and above), 40 min
This is the story of an epic struggle between an old, seasoned fisherman and the greatest catch of his life. For days together, he has returned home empty-handed. One fine day, he sets out far beyond into the sea and drops his lines. At noon, a big fish, which he calls Mari, takes the bait but the old man cannot pull it in. Instead, the fish begins to pull the boat. For days, the old man struggles with the fish, with sharks and with the sea, to survive and get back home. Will he get home?
Non-Verbal (for children 5 and above), 45 min
From childhood to old age, a human life goes through various stages - physically and emotionally. A child becoming an old man or an old man becoming a child, thus completing the circle of life, is a miracle in life as each stage of life has its own unique gift to give to humanity. Let us remember that at each stage of our life, we are protected and nurtured by nature. We ought to take the same attitude toward nurturing the human life cycle as we do toward saving environment. Be it a child or a boy or an old man, life at every stage is precious, very very precious.
Kannada, 120 min
Kannada, 120 min
,
Kannada, 90 min
'Beediyolagondu Maneya Maadi', written in Marathi by Cham.Pra. Deshapande, translated by Surendranath S., and Sripathi Manjinabail; directed by Mohit Takalkar, in a satirical and a humorous vein comments on the degenerating nature of religious festivals and disproves traditional dogma in a realistic setting. The occasion is the much celebrated Ganesh Chathurti right in the thick of Pune's middle-class, Maharashtrain-Brahmin dominated locality where the protagonist, Shreepad and his wife Sukanya have come to an agreement that every alternate year the razzmatazz of the Ganesh Chathurti will not disturb the sanctity of their home which in simple terms mean, no celebrating the festival and not even allowing its slightest sound or whiff to penetrate their house. Despite Sukanya's minor complaints all seems to go well until Shreepad's old aunt, her son and daughter-in-law unexpectedly turn up with their infant son with the solitary intent of watching the procession. The aunts voracious desire to witness the procession and Shreepad's staunch refusal to allow her to do so sets the tone of this humorous and remarkably pertinent play. As aunt and nephew take turns to explain each other’s situation with the aunt often scheming with the others to sneakily see the procession, the plot thickens. Shreepad's logical, reflective and philosophical rationalizations are balanced by the more immediate necessity of the situation that is both habit and religion driven. The processions approaching tenacity becomes a barometer for the muted tension that the characters begin to reel under and resonate the fallacious arguments of the brigade. The play also successfully evokes the mores of a middle-class, Kannada household as everybody await the final outcome of the battle of ideologies.
Non-verbal, 45 min
No Language, 40 min (for children aged 6 yrs and above)
This is the story of an epic struggle between an old, seasoned fisherman and the greatest catch of his life. For days together he has returned home empty handed. One fine day he sets out far beyond into the sea and drops his lines. At noon, a big fish, which he calls Mari, takes the bait but the old man cannot pull it in. Instead, the fish begins to pull the boat. For a couple of days the old man struggles with the fish, with sharks and with the sea, to survive and get back home.
Non-Verbal (for children 5 and above), 45 min
From childhood to old age, a human life goes through various stages - physically and emotionally. A child becoming an old man or an old man becoming a child, thus completing the circle of life, is a miracle in life as each stage of life has its own unique gift to give to humanity. Let us remember that at each stage of our life, we are protected and nurtured by nature. We ought to take the same attitude toward nurturing the human life cycle as we do toward saving environment. Be it a child or a boy or an old man, life at every stage is precious, very very precious.
Kannada,
11 am to 12:30 pm Aadi Kaavya Kumaaravyaasa Bharata Pampa Bharata With us: Ganesh M, Tamil Selvi, Lakshmeesh Tolpadi 3:30 pm Jaanapada Kaavya Manteswami Prasanga Arjuna Jogi With us: Mysore Gururaj, C.N.R., Hanoor Krishnamurthy 7:30 pm Indina Kaavya With us: Subraaya Chokkadi, Siddalinga Pattanashetty, Jayant Kaikini, S. Diwakar, Jogi, T.N. Seetaram, Pratibha Nandakumar, B. Suresha, Yogaraj Bhat, Hema Pattanashetty, Chidambara Narendra, Dhananjay, Vasishta Simha, Vikar Negiloni, Samyukta Puligal, Vidya Rashmi, Hemalatha Murthy, V.M. Manjunath, Chethana Teerthahalli, Rajashekhar Bande, Moulya Swamy
Non-verbal, 40 min (For children 4 years & above)
One day, Chippi, a baby lizard, while playing, is shooed away. People think it is scary and ugly. In the shock, Chippi loses her tail. And everyone starts teasing her, calling her names, as she is tailless now. She feels very sorry for herself and gets into a dark corner, crying. She knows that she has to go get a tail. So what does she do to get her tail? Will she ever get her tailback? Will she become beautiful again?
Kannada, 90 min
The play opens as Ahalya and her academic husband, Dr Aravind Mulgund, return from honeymoon and immediately it is clear that Ahalya is neither happy nor satisfied in her new role as Aravind’s wife. Soon after their return, Ahalya is reacquainted with an old school friend, Malati and the brilliant wayward writer Jayaprakash. It becomes clear that Hedda has personal history with Jayaprakash and she was deeply in love with Malati. Ahalya comes to know about the happy and changed life Jayaprakash is leading and sharing with Malati. She persuades the conflicted writer to take his own life. However, she finds herself under the control of their imposing friend, Nagabhushana, a highly pompous and corrupt police officer, who makes it clear that he knows she gave the gun with which Jayaprakash has killed himself. He has the power to socially destroy her if he so desired. Trapped under his control, Ahalya retreats in to the her shell and shoots herself.
No Language, 45 min
Tsuuiinnn Tapak, that’s the name of the new AHA! performance for children (4-6yrs). The performance, like a rocket, will transport you into a universe of sound, rhythm, and bursts of magic where language is truly no barrier, as there is none. The performance is non-verbal and yet filled with physical expression and unbound imagination. Through play, the audience will be invited to participate in a series of experiences - ranging from the manic to the calm, from din to silence, from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Minimalist in its form, the performance relies on the body of the performer to create an engagement that is both, joyful and thoughtful.
No Language (For children 5 years and above), 45 min
One day, Chippi, a baby lizard, while playing, is shooed away. People think it is scary and ugly. In the shock, Chippi loses her tail. And everyone starts teasing her, calling her names, as she is tailless now. She feels very sorry for herself and gets into a dark corner, crying. She knows that she has go get a tail. So what does she do to get her tail? Will she ever get her tail back? Will she become beautiful again?
English/Kannada/Tamil, 60 min
This production is inspired by Indian and Korean Folk tales and folk painting traditions such as Madhubani. "An odd group of creatures, an old fish, a spirited girl, an eager boy, an ascetic and a bare tree, make a long journey to the top of mount Kailash so they can have their wishes granted. But here, on the top of this mountain, the universe has other plans for them. What do they find and how do they find it? Fish Tree Moon is as much about magic and destiny as it is about the heart of pursuit. Masks, puppets, shadow puppets, live music in a smattering of Kannada, Hindi and English bring this motley crew to life as they take on a voyage of friendship, fear, fascination and revelations."
No Language, 50 min (for children 5 years and above)
From childhood to old age, a human life goes through various stages - physically and emotionally. A child becoming an old man or an old man becoming a child, thus completing the circle of life, is a miracle in life as each stage of life has its own unique gift to give to humanity. Let us remember that at each stage of our life, we are protected and nurtured by nature. We ought to take the same attitude toward nurturing the human life cycle as we do toward saving environment. Be it a child or a boy or an old man, life at every stage is precious, very very precious.
English, 50 min
Ranga Shankara'a AHA! Theatre for Children programme is presenting a new play, "Mullah Nusruddin 2.0". The play brings to life several tales by the Central Asian medieval philosopher and wise man, Mullah Nusruddin, who is famous for his witty stories. This brand new production of the play is directed by the young and talented Vivek Madan. The first version of a play with Mullah's stories was directed by Pushan Kriplani, and was a super hit among children and grownups alike. Mullah Nusruddin's stories are told the world over, to children and grownups. Even in his lifetime (13th Century), Mullah was well-known over a large area and cultures -- from Turkey to Arabia, Persia to Afghanistan, and Russia to China. In this new AHA! production, a team of young actors come together to create a tapestry of story, songs and dance, sprinkled with wit all along.
Hindi, 70 min
Manjula Nayak is not a very successful Kannada short-story writer. She attains sudden wealth and international fame after writing a best-seller in English. The question that haunts Manjula is whether by opting for a global audience, she has betrayed her own language and identity. She now faces issues of loyalty and betrayal. And, without warning, it is her own image that decides to play confessor, psychologist and inquisitor The play explores the dilemma that is faced by Indian writers who choose to write in English, and is a scathing look at the Indian literary establishment as well as a moving story of conflict and the desire for fame. It is also one of the first plays that straddled the world of theatre and technology in Indian theatre. ‘Bikhre Bimb’ in Hindi, ‘Odakalu Bimba’ in Kannada, ‘A Heap of Broken Images’ in English, is Ranga Shankara’s first production (2005), the play opened in two different languages at the same time. Directed by Girish Karnad and K M Chaitanya and featuring Arundhati Nag, it was hailed as one of the best productions in the country in 2005. The English version ‘A Heap of Broken Images’ is performed in English by actor Arundhati Raja.
Kannada, 90 min
'Beediyolagondu Maneya Maadi', written in Marathi by Cham.Pra. Deshapande, translated by Surendranath S., and Sripathi Manjinabail; directed by Mohit Takalkar, in a satirical and a humorous vein comments on the degenerating nature of religious festivals and disproves traditional dogma in a realistic setting. The occasion is the much celebrated Ganesh Chathurti right in the thick of Pune's middle-class, Maharashtrain-Brahmin dominated locality where the protagonist, Shreepad and his wife Sukanya have come to an agreement that every alternate year the razzmatazz of the Ganesh Chathurti will not disturb the sanctity of their home which in simple terms mean, no celebrating the festival and not even allowing its slightest sound or whiff to penetrate their house. Despite Sukanya's minor complaints all seems to go well until Shreepad's old aunt, her son and daughter-in-law unexpectedly turn up with their infant son with the solitary intent of watching the procession. The aunts voracious desire to witness the procession and Shreepad's staunch refusal to allow her to do so sets the tone of this humorous and remarkably pertinent play. As aunt and nephew take turns to explain each other’s situation with the aunt often scheming with the others to sneakily see the procession, the plot thickens. Shreepad's logical, reflective and philosophical rationalizations are balanced by the more immediate necessity of the situation that is both habit and religion driven. The processions approaching tenacity becomes a barometer for the muted tension that the characters begin to reel under and resonate the fallacious arguments of the brigade. The play also successfully evokes the mores of a middle-class, Kannada household as everybody await the final outcome of the battle of ideologies.
English, 75 min
Boy with A Suitcase is the story of the 12 year old Naz, who undertakes a long and dangerous journey to be with his sister in London. He carries with him only a small suitcase and a treasure of stories from his childhood. Like his hero, Sinbad the Sailor, who went on many dangerous voyages in search of his fortune, Naz must travel half-way around the world to reach his sister in London. On the road, Naz meets Krysia, a young girl in similar circumstances, who helps him find safe passage over mountains, across seas and through the dangers of a city slum. With the help of Krysia and his stories, Naz finds his way to London and his sister. But is it the ‘heaven on earth’ that he expects?
Kannada, 90 min
‘Raja Tantra Choo Mantra’ directed by Vinod Ravindran is about facing the tough realities of life while simultaneously conquering the internal turmoil of one’s existence. An evil king, a girl with special powers and a country’s last hope for peace, all come together to show us that only some wars are fought on the battleground, while most others, inside of us. The storytellers tell and enact the play using objects and puppets. The music for the play is created using toy musical instruments. The play attempts to deal with some weighty issues in a lighter vein.
English, 60 min
The First Leaf is a play originally written in Marathi by Srirang Godbole bearing an environmental theme to be presented in the grips tradition of German theatre. This is the story of the joys and challenges of a middle class family residing in the Gurukripa society. Putti, her brother Dodu & Chinna, all between the 6-8 years of age live in a time that is approaching an environmentally endangered future that is as real as today and looms as close as tomorrow. Through fantasy and fun the kids explore the past and present with the new tenant UNCLE SAB KUCH JAANE who breathes new meaning into all he touches and encounters. The eco- unfriendly factory where the children's father works, and the way of life of Mr. Gurumurthy the landlord, impacts the lives of the children directly and indirectly. The children and the new tenant bring Mr. Gurumurthy to lead a greener way of life through their fun, games and pranks. While the factory adopts an eco friendly policy, an apparently dead tree stump in the Gurukripa society sprouts the first leaf in the midst of a hilarious turn of events. “The First Leaf” presents in a light vein, the idea that the world is not just ours, it belongs to our children too. Progress comes at a price. However we can choose what price we must pay (and even design the price tag!) as individuals, citizens, communities and privileged inhabitants of an ever giving planet.
English, 60 min
In this play, the Tenali Raman of Arabia, Mullah Nasruddin, ironically termed as the ‘Wisest Fool’ comes to India to search for intelligent people for the Caliph, who is battling extreme boredom. The play, devised and directed by Pushan Kriplani, is a collection of his witty tales, and is performed by 5 impressive young actors in an improvised and poor theatre format. The highlight of the play is the use of extremely simple properties and incorporation of sand art.
Kannada, 60 min
NOTE - Entry free. Screening at 3 30 PM. Ranga Shankara’s 'Theatre for Children', under the banner AHA!, the universal expression for wonder, staged the Kannada production ‘Gumma Banda Gumma’ as its first in 2006. Clearly a favourite from the first show, the play has been passed down from one generation of actors and directors to the next. The latest version is directed by the well-known theatre and TV actor and director, Sundar, and later revived by Surendranath S. 'Gumma Banda Gumma' is an adaptation of the original German play, 'Max Und Milli', and focuses on the ability of a child to communicate and bond with another regardless of all the barriers adults create. It is about unconditional friendship, sibling love and rivalry, parent-child relationships and how all of these can be quite full of fun and happiness.
English, 60 min
Adapted from Andher Nagri by Bhartendu and The Emperor’s New Clothes by Hans Christian Anderson, the play is about two sisters who leave their city undable to bear the despotic nature of their ruler and chance upon a city where everything sells for one rupee and where, if you buy one you get one free, and a series of incidents lead one of the sisters to fool the King of that land, by promising to make him clothes only the worthy can see. How sister are taken in by the market forces and how they prevail make up this comedy.
Kannada, 60 min
“Life is never as beautiful as on the first day” The play, directed by Aditi Biswas, is not just a story of friendship between three very different creations of nature – a pig, a fox and a mayfly – and the fun they have on the day meet. It is also a tale that describes the importance and significance of ‘time’. It tells us that the span of our life does not matter, what matters is how much we can live in every moment and make every moment count. It reinstates the fact that if used well, a full life can be lived in a single day. A fox and a wild boar watch the hatching of a mayfly. Aware that it lives for only a day, they are faced with a dilemma. Who cares about a mayfly anyway? But when they meet a beautiful flying insect, who has spent years preparing to hatch into the world, they begin to think again. So starts an adventure because of which, which nothing will be the same again for them. Join these wonderful creatures on a crazy, poignant and surprising journey through life and its rich mysteries! Mayfly is just a name. These flies don’t necessarily live in May alone. They are also known as the dayfly. There is a reason for this. They live in water, as larvae, for three years and when they hatch, , they live for just one day. By night, they hatch eggs in the water and die. A whole life is lived in the one day out of water. Hence the name “Dayfly”
Kannada, 90 min
4 young people, one jolly road trip and a tragic end! Originally written by German playwright, Lutz Hubner, who has won accolades for his work in youth theatre, the plays delves into reality theatre by traversing through the lives 4 young, distinct individuals, each from a different socio-cultural background. Through the course of the play, the characters become entangled in a complex web of love, betrayal, rage and ego. The play questions society’s stereotypes and other delicate nuances like issues of gender-politics and money-power. It is a Kannada production
English, 50 min
Starring Rajit Kapur and directed by Roysten Abel, the play is a dramatic monologue that questions duty and its complex relationship with human desire. The plot centres on a pious priest who violates both his ‘dharma’ and his ‘bhakti’ because of his love for a courtesan. Torn between his love for his god and his love for Chandravati, between his duty to the king and his duty to his wife, the priest tells the story of his life after matters have come to a head and all his loves and his duties collide on a single night. Written by Girsh Karnad, the play is a retelling of folk tale about the human condition and refreshes it with a contemporary sensibility that embraces love, loyalty and honour.
Kannada, 90 min
The play is about two people who are blown away in a storm to an island, and have to recreate their entire life on this abandoned piece of land, in the middle of the Arabian Sea. The two characters, other than being displaced, have lost their memory and have to find out what they remember, what they have completely forgotten and what they need to remember to remember here on. Only trouble is that every now and then the storm comes again, and they have to start again. This play is based on Felix Guattari's ecological proposition of 3 ecologies, Ramachandra Guha and Madhav Gadgil's work on Ecology and Equity , is a tribute to Girish Kasarvalli's film by the same name and to Susmit Sen's composition, "Depths of the Ocean". Supported by the Boell Foundation for its research, the play was researched over two years, and is a dramatic proposition on ecology and our place in it as humans.
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