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2009 Award Night Photos

admin — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:00:23 +0000

: Awards Night at the Taj Mahal Hotel

: Awards Night

: Awards Night

: Awards Night

: Master of Ceremonies: Lillete Dubey

: Anuja Sharma, Sanjoy Roy & Ravi Dubey

: Aditi Mangaldas & Preeti Vasudevan (Best Choreographer)

: Les Dickert & Sabina Mehta Jaitly (Best Lighting Design)

: Daulat Vaid & Anuja Sharma (Best Sound Design)

: Vinay Pathak & Puja Sarup (Best Supporting Actor- Female)

: Banwari Taneja & Shovana Narayan (Best Supporting Actor- Male)

: Nadira Babbar & Atul Kumar (Best Actor-Male)

: Sushma Seth & Laxmi Rawat (Best Actor-Female)

: Ram Gopal Bajaj & Pavan K Varma (Best Original Script)

: Romesh Chander, JJ Vallaya & Swanand Kirkire (Best Ensemble)

: MK Raina with the cast of Hamlet-The Clown Prince (Best Play)

: Laila Tyabji, Rajeev Dubey, Pavan K Varma & Ravi Dubey

: Susheela Raman & Sam Mills

: Zohra Segal

: Vir Das

: Rajasthani Musicians: Chugge Khan & Nathu Lal Solanki

(Click to view an audio-visual presentation of the META Festival 2009)

Translations

admin — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 06:19:32 +0000

A CFD Production English 8 February, 7 p.m. IIC Duration: 100 mins (There will be a 15 min interval following Act 2) By special arrangement with Samuel French Ltd. London
CAST IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE:
Playwright Brian Friel Directed by Mallika Prasad Cast list (In the order of appearance) Manus Ajith Hande Sara Thelma Mathew Jimmi Jack Sanath Kumar Maire Mallika Prasad Doalty Siddharth Bagga Bridget Manasvini Rai Hugh Prakash Belawadi Owen Balaji Manohar Captain Lancey Kevin Nixon Lieutenant Yolland Chris Downer Crew List Set design Shashidhar Adapa, Shashank Lighting design Pradeep Belawadi Sound Design J Dinesh Costume design Sankeerthi Aipanjiguly Make-up Uma Maheshwar Stills Kevin Nixon Direction Mallika Prasad Sets Shashank, Karthik Ram Bvr Lights Pradeep Belawadi Sound A G Harish Special Thanks Prakash Belawadi for his valuable contribution in interpretation of the production. Girish Karnad for having suggested the play and all his support. V Shashikanth – A patron of the arts, whose support has made this production possible.

Synopsis
The play is set in a rural, Irish-speaking community in County Donegal in 1833. Into this world arrives a corps of Royal Engineers to conduct a Ordnance Survey which would map Ireland and standardise and anglicise place names. Translations has assumed the mantle of a classic in modern Irish theatre. Brian Friel is one of Ireland’s most prominent playwrights with Translations regarded as his theatrical masterpiece. Brian Friel is one of Ireland’s most prominent playwrights with Translations regarded as his theatrical masterpiece.
Cast and Crew Biographies Ajith Hande has been acting in Theatre, Television and Films for over 10 years in Hindi, English and Kannada. He has hosted shows on television and has been a model for Press ads, Corporate films & TV Commercials. He runs a production company, which produces TV Commercials, Corporate films & Audio Visuals. Thelma Mathew has worked as a writer for a website, as client service executive in advertising, trained in film making at CFD and has recently discovered her passion for theatre. She aspires to write and direct for the stage, she hopes to be a film maker some day and produce her own work. Prakash Belawadi A Mechanical engineer, Prakash is a celebrated theatre personality, a fire brand Journalist, a national award winning Film Director and writer (STUMBLE - Best English Feature Film Award), an Award winning television director, actor, script writer, documentary film maker, Director and founder of a training institute for New Media called Centre for Film & Drama in Bangalore, and is the Editorial Advisor of a news weekly, called Bangalore Bias. Siddharth Bagga has been acting since he was in school. He won the Best Actor Award in the NIE Theatre Festival organized by Times of India, Bangalore . His interest in theatre was fueled further as he went on head the Theatre Organization in college. Siddharth has directed plays, one of which was performed at Thespo Theatre Festival in Mumbai and Bangalore called Dangerous Angles. He now works for Sify as a Network Consultant. Manasvini Rai graduated in Mathematics and has had a brilliant academic record. This young sprite from Jaipur has made Bangalore her new home and intends to make her mark as an actress. This trained dancer and fine artiste has experimented with writing for the newspapers, music and poetry. When in college (Lady Sri Ram – Delhi ), she was actively involved with social work and in building community awareness. Sanath Kumar has over 15 years of experience in print, television & broadcast handling corporate communications and media analysis. A journalist who has successfully been the editor of 2 newspapers (Editor-”Rajupatrike” and Associate editor-”varapatrike”), he took his first tentative steps on stage for Translations . Sanath is a writer and is closely related to the newspaper business. Balaji Manohar is a fine actor who has made his presence felt on the Bangalore stage and television. He has acted in films like Stumble, Hydrabad blues –2 and Iqbal. He made his directorial debut with Girish Karnad’s Nagamandala (English) in September 2003. Chris Downer has been acting in theatre since he was three years old, (productions include: M Butterfly, Amadeus, The Outhouse, Kiss of the Spiderwoman), performing in a number of national tours with Theatre Arts and working in Bangalore with a number of theatre groups. Chris has also acted in various foreign and Indian film productions and co-hosted a travel show for television out of Bangalore . More recently, Chris directed a TV production for the BBC “Bollywood shorts” season in 2005. Kevin Nixon was born in the Missouri , U.S.A. After college, he opened a successful software-consulting firm in Southern California that lasted for twenty years and included several fortune 500 companies. While here, a friend asked if he would read for the part of Captain Lancey in Translations as a favor, and with some trepidation he accepted. Now with two full runs of the play under his belt, he feels confident enough to call himself an actor, albeit a new one. Mallika Prasad , an alumni of National School of Drama, Delhi is a name to be reckoned with among young achievers based in Bangalore and has come a long way to be successful both in Theatre, Film and Television as an Actor, Director and as a script writer. Having assisted on an award winning Tele-series (Garva) and acting in a national award winning film (Kanoora Heggadathi), she has been directing plays for the past 4 years.

Peele Scooterwaala Aadmi

admin — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 06:17:52 +0000

An Aranya production

Hindia
9 February, 7 p.m.
IIC

Duration: 1hr 20 mins (no interval)

Cast

Writer & Director	Manav Kaul
Performed by	Kumud Mishra
	Satyajit Sharma
	Manav Kaul
	Gopal Tiwari
	Sadiya Siddique
Credits
Produced by	Tushar Raut
Sound	Seneca Mendonca
Lights	Bijon Mondal
Production	Sanjay Daditch

Synopsis

Simple questions may have simple answers, but some questions have no answers at all. These are questions that begin to stay with you… A young man is trying to write, but unanswered questions keep haunting him. The play explores his inner struggle as a writer and a person, as he tries repeatedly to tell the story he wishes to tell.

Cast and Crew Biographies

Kumud Mishra is a senior theatre personality who has worked with eminent theatre personalities including Pt. Satyadev Dubey, Sunil Shanbaug and Ramu Ramanathan. A graduate of the National school drama she has also worked in various TV serials and Feature films.

Gopal Tiwari graduated from National School Of Drama. A well-known face in the Hindi Theatre Industry, he has featured in TV Serials and Feature films.

Sadiya Siddique Stage & TV actress worked with Makrand Deshpande & Manav Kaul and has acted in various tv serials.

Satyajit Sharma is a Stage & TV actor who has performed in Vikram Kapadia’s Black with Equal apart from having acted in numerous TV serials.

Manav Kaul has worked with theatre personalities like Sunil Shanbaug, Alok Chatterjee etc. He has been closely associated with Pt. Satyadev Dubey’s. He has also featured as the main lead in the children’s film “Jajantram Mamantram” directed by Mr. Saumitra Ranade produced by iDreams, and the Marathi feature film “Saat chya aat gharat”. He has completed shooting for Late Ramanad Sagar’s home production” 1971” directed by Mr. Amrit Sagar. BALI AUR SHAMBHU is Manav’s third original script.

Tushar Raut began his career as an an actor and then became a producer. He has produced three plays which have all won critical acclaim. He has being working as executive producer with “Ravi Udyawar films” which is a well know Adfilm production house. He has also been the production designer for Prithvi Theatre for all their National and International Theatre Festivals since 1994.

Rabi’a

admin — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 06:14:18 +0000

By Seema Agrawal in collaboration with Abhilash Pillai
An Ardha Matra production

English
7 February, 7 p.m.
FICCI Auditorium

Duration: 1 hour (no interval)

Script by: Mahmood Farooqui and Seema Agrawal
Script developed using reference from Rabi’a – a biography
in English written by Margaret Smith
Translation by Prof. Mohammad Illyas from the
original Persian work Tadhkirat al-Awaliya by Farid ud-Din Attar.
Translation of Meehra’s poetry into English by Shama Fatehally.

Narration: Dilip Shanker and Alka Amin
Sound Designer: Sandy
Lighting Designer: Gautam Mazumdar
Stage & Set Designer: Sumatro Sengupta

Recorded at Thurkal Studios
Vocals: Vidya Rao, Chanchal Bharti & group, Sarfaraz Chisti, Nizam Khan
Mridangam: Vaithhreyi
Flute: Rishab Prasana
Collaborative Director: Abhilash Pillai
Concept & Choreography: Seema Agrawal

Special Thanks: Dr Farida, Director Hazrat Inayat Khan Foundation
Mr Warsi, Librarian at the HIKF Library

Synopsis

Based on the life of Rabi’a a – ‘Adawiyya, an Islamic mystic who lived in 8th century Basra. Rabia’s journey is traced sometimes in her own words as written by her biographers, and sometimes, as it echoes in the poetry and songs of Meera bai – a woman saint who lived in the 16th century Marwar.

Rabia’s awesome personality combining a forbidding austerity with an all consuming passion demanded a choreographic structure able to convey the scorching power of the emotion. All the aspects of choreography and the dance seeks to capture the elemental spirit of Rabi’a as performed by Bharatanatyam dancer Seema Agrawal in collaboration with theatre director Abhilash Pillai.

Seema was trained in the Pandanallur style of Bharatanatyam by Guru Nana Kasar. Since 1995 she has been working on her own choreography.

Cast and Crew Biographies

Seema Agrawal is a Bharatanatyam dancer who received her training from Guru Nana Kasar. She has been performing since 1984. From 1995 she began working on her own choreography using the Bharatanatyam form along with elements from theatre and other art forms. Akshat -Taru- visual reading into the poem Samaragi ka naivedya dan by the pre-eminent hindi poet Ageya. In Varanasi she collaborated with visual artist Sumantro Sengupta where dance was juxtaposed with the video images of the weaving looms and lanes of Benaras. A Bend in the River choreographed in 2000 was an interactive journey the bauls of Bengals and sounds of the saxophone.

Abhilash Pillai is a graduate in theater design from Calicut University, Kerela, he attended the National School of Drama to study design and direction and then joined the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA), London and obtained a diploma in theater production and stage management. He has directed many plays national and international, in regional languages and in English. He has worked as a Associate Director in Orange Tree Theater, Richmond, UK. At present, he a faculty member in the National School of Drama. He received the “Sankriti Award” for achievement in the field of theater in 2002, 2003.

Sumantro Sengupta completed his post graduation in Fine Arts from Kala Bhavana, Shantiniketan. After painting for ten years, he decided to enter the more multi disciplinary field of communication. He worked as a senior designer in New Delhi Television (NDTV) for 6 years. He started his own designing studio – Ray Design which he is involved in inter disciplinary designing activity. His passion for performing art along with his dancer wife enabled him to create the performing group called “Ardha Matra”. He is also deeply involved in set designing for theater.

Crossings

admin — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 06:12:19 +0000

Exploring the Facets of Lady Macbeth with Dance and Theatre A Ranan production 6 February, 7 p.m. FICCI Auditorium

Duration:	1 hour 20 mins (no interval)
First produced:	UMA Gallery, Calcutta, March 2004
Concept and Direction:	Vikram Iyengar
Supported by:	The Sangeet Natak Akademi as part of the director’s National Junior Fellowship Project
Created with:	Anubha Fatehpuria, Archana Ramaswamy, Debashree Bhattacharya, Suman Sarawgi
Original Music:	Nageen Tanvir
Percussion:	Siddhartha Bhattacharyya
Light Design:	Naveen Kishore

Synopsis
With reference to figures from Indian mythology such as Putana and Shakti, Crossings examines what it means to be feminine or de-feminised through the contradictions with this complex character. Four performers represent facets of Lady Macbeth in constant conflict to create a fluid performance woven from four strands – verbal, movement, musical and symbolic texts using forms of Kathak, Bharatnatyam and Manipuri dance forms. “..a riveting interplay of power and passion” The Telegraph, Calcutta
Cast and Crew Biographies Vikram Iyengar trained in Kathak under Smt. Rani Karna. He is a recipient of the Government of India National Scholarship and National Junior Fellowship for Dance and an INLAKS scholar with an MA in Performing Arts from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth (wrong spelling please check). Vikram´s work has spanned choreography for stage and film, dance-theatre, and performance collaborations. Anubha Fatehpuria is an architect and interior designer by profession with a degree in Architectural Engineering. She is trained in fine and commercial art and has several solo and group exhibitions to her credit. Anubha has been associated with a number of performance groups in Calcutta appearing as an actress. Anubha trained in Bharatnatyam under Smt. Thankamani Kuttya and Smt. Sonal Mansingh, and in Manipuri training under Smt. Priti Patel. Archana Ramaswamy was trained in Bharatnatyam by late Guru J. Venkatachalapathy. Archana has toured as part of Shobhana´s presentations in India, USA. Malaysia and the UAE. She has also performed with Smt. Swapnasundari and for Chennai Doordarshan. Her film work includes a Tamil feature film directed by Maniratnam9check spelling). Archana will be appearing as Titania and Hippolyta in the forthcoming British Council co-production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream directed by Tim Supple. Debashree Bhattacharya trained in Kathak with Smt. Rani Karnaa. She holds an MA in Philosophy from Jadavpur University, Calcutta and a Sangeet Prabhakar in Kathak from Prayag Sangit Samiti, Allahabad. While she has assisted Smt. Rani Karnaa in choreography, her major choreographic and performance credits are with Vikram Iyengar and as Co-Artistic Director of Ranan. Suman Sarawgi has been trained in all four aspects of Manipuri dance at the Anjika Centre for Manipuri Dance and Movement Therapy under the guidance of Smt. Priti Patel, Sri N. Rohini Chandra and P. Henry Meitei. Suman is also a core member of the Calcutta Chapter of the World Dance Alliance and has conducted workshops at the WDA Conference in Malaysia last year. Nageen Tanvir received classical vocal training from Gurus such as Kumari Sharbori Mukherjee, Smt. Deepali Nag and Smt. Sulochana Brahaspati. She did her B.Mus. (vocal) from M.S. University, Baroda and holds a Masters degree in vocal music from Punjab University, Chandigarh. Nageen has performed in Habib Tanvir’s Naya Theatre productions. She is at present working on a Government of India Fellowship project exploring the traditional music of Chhattisgarh. Siddhartha Bhattacharyya began his training in Tabla with Sri Biswanath Ganguly, disciple of Ustad Keramat Khan. At present he is under the guidance of Sri Swapan Siva. He holds a 1st class MA in Tabla from Rabindra Bharati University. He has several solo performances to his credit and is an accomplished accompanying artist. Siddhartha has also composed for music albums as well as for dance productions. Naveen Kishore is the founder and Managing Trustee of the Calcutta-based Seagull Foundation for the Arts. A noted lighting designer, he has worked with several performance companies in Calcutta over the last few decades designing both lights and stage. He is also a well known photographer and publisher of niche and academic work. Tathagata Singha has worked with several companies and individuals from the worlds of amateur and professional English theatre in Calcutta. As an actor, he has appeared in plays as diverse as Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Anouilh’s Episode in the Life of an Author and Shakespeare’s Othello where he played the lead. He has designed and operated both stage and lights for a variety of productions.

Witness for the Prosecution

admin — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 06:10:15 +0000

A play by Agatha Christie A Curtain Call production 6 February, 7 p.m. FICCI Auditorium Duration:1 hour 20 mins (no interval) By special arrangement with Samuel French Ltd. London



CAST IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE:
1. Vivek R. Kumar (John Mayhew) 2. Nishant Gaharwar (Leonard Vole) 3. Shahid Siddiqui (Sir Wilfrid Robarts) 4. Nitin Vijayan (Inspector Hearne) 5. Niharika Mandhana (Greta and Dr. Wyatt) 6. Nalini (Romaine Heilger) 7. Nitin Asthana (Judge) 8. Tina Sachdeva (Ms. Myers) 9. Geetha Menon (Susan Clegg) 10. Sharon White (Janet MacKenzie) CREW: 1. Sailesh Vyas (Stage Manager) 2. Sandhya Rao (Props Manager) 3. Bharadwaj (Sound) 4. Vidyadhar Shetty (Crew) 5. Sudhiraj (Crew)
Sets & lighting: M.S. Sathyu Director: Bhaskar

Synopsis
Agatha Christie’s courtroom thriller Witness for the Prosecution, is an exceptional drama about a young man on trial for a wealthy widow’s murder after he suspiciously profits from her will. A shocking testimony from the witness stand disrupting what appears to be a clear-cut case. “A play of twists and turns which keeps you hooked as it explores characters of innumerable shades peppered with deception, infidelity and intelligence.” Deccan Herald Bangalore
Cast and Crew Biographies Shahid Siddiqui is a veteran of Bangalore’s English Theatre for more than two and a half decades. He works as an engineer with a MNC. Nalini is a consultant with the garment industry. She is an active member of Bangalore’s English theatre both on and off stage. Nitin Asthana is an avid theatre enthusiast, both in Hindi and English. He is senior executive with ITC. Nishant Gaharwar. An HR professional with Oracle he has been actively involved with English theatre for the last couple of years. Tina Sachdev has acted in a few English plays in Bangalore and is an advertising professional. Vivek R Kumar is a business consultant with Covansys and he makes his debut in this production in Bangalore. Nitin Vijayan is a software professional, this is his third play with Curtain Call. Geetha Menon is the moving spirit behind this production, she is an extremely dedicated social activist. Niharika Mandhana has just turned 18 and is an undergraduate of law. She made her debut with this play in Bangalore. Sharon White is a homemaker who has been passionately involved with theatre from her childhood. She has acted in over ten plays since 2001. Bhaskar is a renowned photographer. An actor for almost two decades he turned director with BLT’s Arsenic and Old Lace. He launched Curtain Call with the avowed aim of promoting young ad new talent and producing quality theatre at affordable costs. He has in the past produced and directed highly acclaimed plays such as Wait Until Dark, Whose Life Is It Anyway and Duet for One. Shailesh Vyas works as a software professional. Sandhya Rao is a consultant with the garment industry and is an avid theatre enthusiast both in English and Kannada. Bharadwaj is an undergraduate of law whose mission is to serve the underprivileged. M.S. Sathyu. The grand old man of Indian cinema and theatre, Sathyu has produced some of India’s most acclaimed films such as Garam Hawa, Bara and Chitthegu Chinthe among others.

Sammy!

admin — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 06:07:37 +0000

A Primetime Theatre Company production

English
9 February, 7 p.m.
Shri Ram Centre

Duration: 2 hours. The play is in 2 acts with an intermission of 15 minutes

Cast

Act 1
Dada Abdulla	Vikrant Chaturvedi
Mohan	Joy Sen Gupta
Mahatma	Vijay Crishna / Ravi Dubey
Aasvogel	Denzil Smith
Official	Zafar Karachiwala
1st Man/2nd Man	Asif Ali Beg / Zafar Karachiwala
Mrs. Alexander	Anuradha Menon
Kasturba	Neha Dubey
Polak	Asif Ali Beg
Medic	Vikrant Chaturvedi
Smuts	Zafar Karachiwala
ADC	Asif Ali Beg


Act 2
Sarojini	Anuradha Menon
Shukla	Vikrant Chaturvedi
Jawahar	Zafar Karachiwala
Jinnah	Vikrant Chaturvedi
Viceroy	Denzil
Clancy	Asif Ali Beg
Journo 1	Zafar Karachiwala
Journo 2	Anuradha Menon
Journo 3	Vikrant Chaturvedi
Man 1	Asif Ali Beg
Woman 1	Anuradha Menon
Godse	Vikrant
Pahwa	Asif Ali Beg

Credits

Written by	Partap Sharma
Directed by	Lillete Dubey
Assistant Director	Ira Dubey
Lighting Design by	Inaayat Ali Sami
Original Music Score	Mahesh Tinaikar
Sets	Bhola Sharma

Synopsis

The incredible story of Mahatma Gandhi, Sammy is told by an ensemble cast of actors. Led by a lively debate between Mohan and the irrepressible Mahatma in him, the play highlights Gandhi’s relationship and how he changed everyone he touched. It traces the transformation of the young Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi from a naïve, tongue tied lawyer into a shrewd politician and finally a Mahatma.

“Sammy succeeds as both a lively and entertaining spectacle….but it also makes you understand a man who inspired Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King and is forever etched in our minds as the Mahatma.” The Week

Cast and Crew Biographies

Lillete Dubey . An actress on stage, as well as in films and television, Lillete Dubey is Producer and Artistic Director of her theatre company The Primetime Theatre Co. Over a span of 30 years, she has played the lead in a range of theatrical work. She formed her own company in 1991, with the intention of promoting original Indian writing and has subsequently directed 21 productions. Her film performances include Zubeida, Monsoon Wedding, Gaddar, Baghban, Pinjar, Kal Ho Na Ho, Chalte Chalt, etc. She received wide acclaim, with Mira Nair’s international film Monsoon Wedding that won the Golden Lion for Best Picture in Venice in 2000. She is currently working in three films and is soon going to direct her first film.

Partap Sharma is a playwright, novelist, actor, documentary film-maker, commentator and author of four children’s books. He has written ten full-length plays including A Touch of Brightness, Begum Sumroo and Zen Katha. As an actor Partap Sharma has played the lead roles in five feature films and won the National Award in 1971 for his performance in the Hindi film Phir Bhi. In April 2004, he was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award as ‘The Voice of India’.

Ira Dubey Presently majoring in theatre at Yale University , has been actively involved in performances since the age of six. At Yale, she has trained in speech and movement development, Shakespeare, and the Michael Chekhov acting technique. She is currently working on two productions; Womanly Voices with the Primetime Theatre Company and The Maids with the Industrial Theatre Company in Mumbai.

Joy Sengupta has done his diploma in Drama, with a specialization in acting from the Living Theatre Academy under the directorship of Professor Ebrahim Alkazi. His theatre work includes Moteram ka Satyagraha, Three Sisters, Royal Hunt of the Sun & Virasat, Mother, Hathyare, Aurat, Indian Ink, Dance like a Man, On a Muggy Night in Mumbai, Thirty days in September, Womanly Voices, Class of 84, If Wishes Were Horses. His film credits include Hazaar Chaurasi ki Ma & Deham, Amrita, Sab Kuch, Patalghar, Bhalo Theko, Sau Jhooth Ek Sach.

Vijay Crishna is an acclaimed actor whose film roles include Devdas & Gandhi and who has been a veteran of the stage for over 35 years. He has performed the lead in over 100 productions and worked with nearly every well know director in the country. He leads a double life as a corporate Titan, having been Managing Director of Godrej GE Appliances and is currently Managing Director of Lawkim India .

Neha Dubey started her career with lead roles in children’s productions. On the professional stage she has acted in Siren City , 30 days in September, Breathe in…Breathe out, Womanly Voices. In 2004, she played Olivia in Twelfth Night at the Albery Theatre at the West End in London . She has anchored and acted on television, including the IIFA awards 2005 for Star Plus. Her film credits include Monsoon Wedding, The Perfect Husband, Mansarovar, Sau Jhoot Ek Sach, Bow Barracks and My Bollywood Bride.

Zafar Karachiwala’s theatre credits include Going Solo 2, Class of 84, Acid, The Typists, Romeo & Juliet, SOS, Hamlet, And Then Divali, Acts Of Faith, La Cantatrice Chauve, Art, The Man of La Mancha and Womanly Voices. His film performances include Chai Pani Etc., Detour, Zakhm, Bye Bye Miss Goodnight, Mansarovar.

Vikrant Chaturvedi made his debut on the Mumbai stage in 1997 with Begum Sumroo and has been acting in TV, theatre and films ever since. His theatrical work includes Romeo and Juliet, Jaya, Zen Katha, Jesus Christ Superstar, Class of 84 and Oliver. He has also acted in the television serials Shikwa, Thief of Baghdad, Aurat, Intezaar aur Sahi and Aashiana. His film credits include Netaji and Taj Mahal.

Denzil Smith has been a professional actor for over 20 years and has performed in popular television serials like:- Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi, C I D, Just Mohabbat, The Sword of Tipu Sultan, Chote Mu Bade Baat, Life Nahi Hai Ladoo, Time Bomb 9/11. On stage he has acted in Waiting for Godot, On a Muggy night in Mumbai, Once on a Friday, Letter to a daughter from prison, The Owl and the Pussycat, Blood Brothers, and Sambhog Se Sanyas Tak. Films to be released soon are One night with the king, The Memsahib and Ek Ajnabee.

Anu Menon’s theatre credits include Insomnia, The Verdict, Next, Bum, Nagamandala, The Lizard Waltz, The Sunshine Boys, Slow Dissolve, Trolley Rage, The Importance of Being Earnest, Macbeth and Zen Katha. She has also done a television serial called Murder and radio plays like Alice in Wonderland and Company of Wolves. She currently hosts her own show on Channel V.

Asif Ali Beg began his career in 1982 as a professional singer. Having played key roles in the stage productions Tara , Jaya & Jesus Christ Superstar among others, he was awarded the Charles Wallace Scholarship by the British Council in 2001 to study acting in UK . Asif is currently dubbing for the voice of Winnie the Pooh and several other Disney characters for an upcoming TV channel for Kids.

Chekov in My Life

admin — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 06:02:18 +0000

Chekov in My Life An Autobiography by Lydia Avilov A SRC Repertory production Hindi 8 February, 7 p.m. Shri Ram Centre Duration: 1 hour 40 mins (no interval)

Cast
Old Avilov Diksha Thakur Young Avilov Rakhi Mansha Sergei, Waiter & Trigorin Sanjay Kumar Singh Nadya, Mrs Leikin, Ena & Nina Sapna Khatana Chekov Aashish Kumar Gadiwaan, Doctor & Audience-1 Shrikant Verma Mikhail Shubhro Bhattacharya Mr. Leikin, Nemirovich & Lugonavich Ambrish K Saxena Guest, Suvorin & Elyokhin Santosh Ojha Tolstoy Abhishek Kumar Mr Peter Nishant Mishra Mrs Vera & Masha Geeta Kumhe Alexei Bhupesh Joshi Audience-3 Sonu Ronjhiya Credits Novelist Lydia A. Avilova Translation in Hindi Ranjana Srivastva Playwrights Ambrish K. Saxena & Ifra Mushtaq Director Mushtaq Kak Music Director Rajesh Singh Stage Manager Shrikant Verma Set Incharge Anurag Arora Assistant Ambrish K. Saxena Set Props. Incharge Sanjay Kumar Singh, Shubhro Bhattacharya Costume Incharge Bhupesh Joshi Assistant Santosh Ojha, Geeta Kumhe & Babita Kurdiya Property Incharge Shrikant Verma, Diksha Thakur Make up Incharge Shrikant Verma Assistant Sapna Khatana & Nishant Mishra Lights Incharge Ravinder Mishra, Naresh Kumar Assistant Sattiram & Tribhuvan Music Design Rajesh Singh Sound Record S. Manoharan Music Operation Anurag Arora Translation in English David Magarshack Assistant Director Anurag Arora

Synopsis
Based on Lydia Avilova’s memoirs, Chekov in my Life reveals the very personal life of Anton Chekov the renowned Russian writer. Depicting Lydia’s 10-year relationship with the 29-year-old Chekov, from 1889 to 1899 when he emerges as a literary figure, her memoirs contain references in particularly to Chekov’s most famous play The Seagull. Lydia A. Avilova was born in Moscow in 1864. She was only twenty-five, already married and mother of a nine month old boy when she first met Chekov. In the account of her relations with Chekov, published several years after her death in 1942 at the age of 78, under the title of Chekov in my Life, she describes only eight meetings with Chekov between 1889 and 1899, but it is clear from the text that they must have met much more often.
Cast and Crew Biographies Ambrish K. Saxena Graduated in arts and trained in theatre and acting from Sri Ram Centre (1998). Worked with Repertory-Himanchal Sanskritik Shodh Sansthan, Mandi as an actor, and received a 2 years scholarship from the Ministry of Cultural. He has worked with several institutions and has written and directed 10 short plays and stories. He is currently working with Sri Ram Centre Repertory as an actor. Ifra Mushtaq started her career as a child artist with Doordarshan Kendra, Jammu . She has participated in various national theatre festivals ad is associated with Duggar Manch and Amateur Theatre Group. She has a keen interest in writing and has written a few scripts and screen plays. Rajesh Singh Graduated in vocal music from Gandhrav Mahavidyalya, Delhi . He trained in acting and theatre from Sri Ram Centre. He has performed in over 35 productions for the Sahitya Kala Parishad and Sri Ram Center Repertory companies. He is currently studying theatre as a student with N.S.D. Mushtaq Kak Exhibits multi-faceted talent by being an actor, director, designer, writer and painter. He is also the founding member of Amateur Theatre Group, Jammu . He has designed and directed over 73 plays in different languages. Presently Kak is the Artistic Director of Sri Ram Centre for Performing Arts and has directed over 23 plays with repertory ad acting course of SRC over the last five years. He was awarded a fellowship from the Ministry of Culture, on In Search of Visual Poetry in Indian Contemporary Theatre and is one of the faculty members of Sangeet Natak Academy .

Sarhad Paar Manto

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A Rangakarmee production

Hindi
7 February, 7 p.m.
Sri Ram Center

Duration: 1 hour 30 Minutes (no interval)

Story: Saadat Hasan Manto
Set Design: Khaled Choudhury
Lighting Design: Tapas Sen
Script, Music, Design and Direction: Usha Ganguli
Make-up & Stage Management: Parthasarathi Sarkar
Production Manager: Vijay Roy

Synopsis & Credits

Sarhad Paar Manto is a double bill of stories – Khol Do and Toba Tek Singh – centering on Partition by Saadat Hasan Manto.

“Sarhad Par Manto has taken up two stories of human agony. Their powerful content can scar our sensibilities even after so many years.”
The Statesman

Khol Do
Sirajuddin gets separated from his daughter Sakina in the turmoil of the eight hours journey by train from Amritsar to Mughalpura. It is only when the maze of images – looting, fire, running for life, station, gunshots, night and Sakina….settles down to a still focus that Sirajuddin becomes aware of the loss, and in his desperate bid to recover Sakina, he only manages to place her in the hands of a band of young razakars [volunteers], who seduce her, rape her and leave her to die.

Sutradhar Usha Ganguli
Sirajuddin Chhabilal Ram Sonkar
Sakina Sanhita Dutta
Harbhajan Kaur Ratna Roy Choudhury
Hameeda Aruna Mukherjee
Sabeena Srabani Guhu Roy
Refugees
Manju Brahmachari
Kumkum Roy
Gouri Ghosh
Roma Mitra
Smita Chakraborty
Maitreyee Sarkar
Rani Mitra
Archana Parihar
Manjari Mishara
Volunteers
Parthasarathi Sarkar
Manoj Choudhury
Anil Tiwari
Om Pareek (o.v.)

Refugee / Volunteers
Harishankar Das
Dipesh Rajak
Aparajita Mitra
Swadesh Mondal
Refugee / Nurse Rupasree Majumdar Refugee / Doctor Bablu Acharya
Volunteer / Police / Refugee Vijay Roy
Volunteer / Doctor Udai Bhagat
Refugee
Suryakant Tiwari
Vinod Rajak
Deepak Mishra
Arindam Bhattacharya

Toba Tek Singh
Caught in the utter confusion of an exchange of lunatics between India and Pakistan, Bishan Singh, a Sikh lunatic in a camp in Pakistan, is obsessed with Toba Tek Singh, ‘the small village in the Punjab which was his home’. When he cannot really understand where the village has gone, the loss leaves him shattered. He refuses to be pushed into India, declares himself ‘Toba Tek Singh’. In the end in no mans land which lies between the barbed wires of Pakistan and India lay Toba Tek Singh on a patch of earth with no name.

Master Tara Singh Suryakant Tiwari
Raunak Singh/BSF` Vijay Roy
Jassi (Jaswinder) Manoj Choudhury
Premi (Harkisan) Harishankar Das
Guard / Pakistani Ranger
Parthasarathi Sarkar
Fazaldeeen / Guard Udai Bhagat
Maulavi Bablu Acharya
Balwinder Suman Chanda

Harbhajan Dipesh Rajak
Sukhwinder Sanjeeb Banerjee
Khuda / BSF Aparajita Mitra
Santosh Rana Anil Tiwari
Raunak brother Deepak Mishra
Lunatic Swadesh Mondal
Pakistani Ranger Ajay Yadav
Raunak’s mother Rani Mitra
Tara Singh’s wife Rupasree Majumdar

Cast and Crew Biographies

Usha Ganguli, who has established herself as one of India’s major directors, leading the theatre group Rangakarmee for 29 years now, still essentially remains an activist who loves to take on challenging subjects and seeks to grow in the process. Professionally, a lecturer in Hindi language and literature at Kolkata, and a 1998 SANGEET NATAK AKADEMI AWARDEE, recognition for her work has come in the form of various awards. As a critic and commentator on theatre, she has contributed both within and outside India in Bangladesh, Pakistan and USA. Plays written or adapted by her include Prastav Rudali, Khoj, Inspector Matadin Chand Par, Antaryatra Kashinama, Badnam Manto and Sarhad Paar Manto.

Om Pareek Joined Rangakarmee in 1976. Founder Member & Senior Actor of Rangakarmee. Participated in many Plays produced by Rangakarmee directed by Usha Ganguli & others.

Dilip Bharti Joined Rangakarmee in 1989. Senior Actor and Executive Member of Rangakarmee. Participated in many Plays of Rangakarmee directed by Usha Ganguli.

Dipak Mishra Actor, associated with Rangakarmee for 2 years.

Swadesh Mondal Repertory Member, Actor, associated with Rangakarmee for 3 years.

Anil Tiwari Actor, associated with Rangakarmee for 2 years.

Pradip Dutta Sound Operator

Rabi Gayen Setman

Biplab Das Setman

Narendra Roy Joined Rangakarmee in 1991. Executive Member and Senior Actor. Participated in many Plays of Rangakarmee directed by Usha Ganguli.

Sumit Srivastav Actor, associated with Rangakarmee for 5 years.

Shrabani Guha Roy Actress, associated with Rangakarmee for 3 years.

Rupashree Majumdar Actress, associated with Rangakarmee for 1 year.

Dipesh Rajak Joined Rangakarmee in 1991. Repertory Member & Actor.

Ratina Roy Choudhury Senior Actress, associated with Rangakarmee for 15 years.

Roma Mitra Senior Actress, associated with Rangakarmee for 1 year.

Sunipa Samaddar Actress, associated with Rangakarmee for 1 year.

Sanhita Dutta Actress, associated with Rangakarmee for 1 year.

Archana Parihar Actress, associated with Rangakarmee for 2 years.

Khama Nag Actress, associated with Rangakarmee for 2 years.

Vijoy Roy Joined Rangakarmee in 1991. Executive Member & Actor. Participated in many Plays of Rangakarmee directed by Usha Ganguli.

Parth Sarathi Sarkar Joined Rangakarmee in 1998. Participated in many Plays produced by Rangakarmee directed by Usha Ganguli & others.

Gouri Ghosh Actress, associated with Rangakarmee for 1 year.

Rani Mitra Senior Actress, associated with Rangakarmee.

Suryakant Tiwari Joined Rangakarmee in 1989. Senior Actor participated in many plays of Rangakarmee directed by Usha Ganguli.
Chhabilal Ram Sonkar Joined Rangakarmee in 1982. Senior Actor participated in many plays of Rangakarmee directed by Usha Ganguli & others.

Kum Kum Roy Senior Actress with Rangakarmee for 10 years.

Amitabh Mukherjee Light Operator

Hirakendu Ganguli Actor associated with Rangakarmee.

Shasanka Mondal Light Operator

Bablu Acharyya Actor associated with Rangakarmee for 4 years.

Sanjib Banerjee Repertory Member & Actor, associated with Rangakarmee for 3 years.

Harishankar Das Joined Rangakarmee in 1987. Senior Actor participated in many plays of Rangakarmee directed by Usha Ganguli & others.

Manoj Choudhary Joined Rangakarmee in 1991. Executive Member & Actor participated in many plays of Rangakarmee directed by Usha Ganguli.

2009 Nominees

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Category: BEST PRODUCTION

• AAO SAATHI SAPNA DEKHEIN (Mumbai)
• AFSANEH – BAI SE BIOSCOPE TAK (Mumbai)
• ALL ABOUT WOMEN (Mumbai)
• AYUSSINTE PUSTHAKAM – THE BOOK OF LIFE (Kerala)
• HAMLET – THE CLOWN PRINCE (Mumbai)
• KALIVESHAM (Kerala)
• LAYLA MAJNUN (Delhi)
• MADHYABARTINI (Assam)
• SHAKKAR KE PAANCH DAANE (Mumbai)
• THE ABSENT LOVER (Chennai)

Category: BEST DIRECTOR

• SWANAND KIRKIRE from the play Aao Saathi Sapna Dekhein
• AKARSH KHURANA from the play Afsaneh – Bai Se Bioscope Tak
• HIDAAYAT SAMI from the play All About Women
• SUVEERAN from the play Ayussinte Pusthakam – The Book Of Life
• RAJAT KAPOOR from the play Hamlet – The Clown Prince
• KAVALAM NARAYANA PANIKKAR from the play Kalivesham
• RAM GOPAL BAJAJ from the play Layla Majnun
• BAHARUL ISLAM from the play Madhyabartini
• MANAV KAUL from the play Shakkar Ke Paanch Daane
• PREETI VASUDEVAN from the play The Absent Lover

Category: BEST STAGE DESIGN

• AYAZ BASRAI & PAYAL WADHWA from the play All About Women
• SUNIL.C.K. from the play Ayussinte Pusthakam- The Book Of Life
• ADITEE BISWAS from the play Layla Majnun
• DELPHINE CIAVALDINI from the play The Absent Lover

Category: BEST LIGHTING

• SUVEERAN from the play Ayussinte Pusthakam- The Book Of Life
• HARIKRISHNAN from the play Kalivesham
• DAULAT VAID from the play Layla Majnun
• BHAGIRATHI from the play Madhyabartini
• LES DICKERT from the play The Absent Lover

Category: BEST SOUND DESIGN

• SNEHA KHANWALKAR from the play Aao Saathi Sapna Dekhein
• MEGHA SRIRAM from the play Afsaneh- Bai Se Bioscope Tak
• HARIKRISHNAN from the play Kalivesham
• RAJESH SINGH from the play Layla Majnun
• BEN FOSKETT from the play The Absent Lover

Category: BEST COSTUME DESIGN

• PRIYA from the play Ayussinte Pusthakam- The Book Of Life
• TANYA GHAVRI from the play Hamlet- The Clown Prince
• AMBA SANYAL from the play Layla Majnun
• ARUNDHATHI KALITA from the play Madhyabartini

Category: BEST ACTOR – MALE

• ATUL KUMAR from the play Hamlet- The Clown Prince
• EJLAL ALI KHAN from the play Layla Majnun
• KUMUD MISHRA from the play Shakkar Ke Paanch Daane

Category: BEST ACTOR – FEMALE

• TAHIRA NATH from the play Afsaneh- Bai Se Bioscope Tak
• TRISHLA PATEL from the play Afsaneh- Bai Se Bioscope Tak
• NIMRAT KAUR from the play All About Women
• PRERNA CHAWLA from the play All About Women
• RATNABALI BHATTACHARJEE from the play All About Women
• SHIVANI TANKSALE from the play All About Women
LAXMI RAWAT from the play Layla Majnun

Category: BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – MALE

• HUSSAIN DALAL from the play Afsaneh- Bai Se Bioscope Tak
• NEIL BHOOPALAM from the play Hamlet- The Clown Prince
• BANWARI TANEJA from the play Layla Majnun

Category: BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – FEMALE

• PUJA SARUP from the play Hamlet- The Clown Prince
• RACHEL D’SOUZA from the play Hamlet- The Clown Prince
• KAVITA VERMA KUNDRA from the play Layla Majnun

Category: BEST SCRIPT

• PURVA NARESH from the play Afsaneh- Bai Se Bioscope Tak
• C.V.BALAKRISHNAN from the play Ayussinte Pusthakam- The Book Of Life
• ISMAIL CHOONARA & SABIR IRSHAD USMANI from the play Layla Majnun
• MANAV KAUL from the play Shakkar Ke Paanch Daane

Category: BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

• PURVA NARESH from the play Afsaneh- Bai Se Bioscope Tak
• KAVALAM NARAYANA PANIKKAR from the play Kalivesham
• GUNAKAR DEV GOSWAMI & BHAGIRATHI from the play Madhyabartini
• PREETI VASUDEVAN from the play The Absent Lover

Category: BEST ENSEMBLE

• AAO SAATHI SAPNA DEKHEIN – Actor’s Cult Production
• AYUSSINTE PUSTHAKAM – Ravivarma Kalanilayam
• KALIVESHAM – Sopanam
• MADHYBHARTINI – Seagull Theatre