Lalit Gupta
After the Pandemic hiatus which almost decimated the creative expressions of dedicated amateur artists across the spectrum, the theatre communities are picking up the threads, and play festivals are back as platforms to provide a comprehensive theatre experience for its viewers.
The 2nd Theatre carnival held from 16-22 January 2023, offered the theater practitioners and a ficionados of the winter capital a window to today’s world of performances and also an opportunity for participating theatre groups to hold reruns of their productions.
Organized by the Jammu-based theatre group Natraj Natya Kunj, the Theatre carnival was supported by the Ministry of Culture, New Delhi, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Jammu & Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture, and Languages, Punjab Sangeet Natak Academy, and Haryana Kala Parishad, Chandigarh.
Staged at the recently refurbished Abhinav Theatre, here, (thanks to the Lieutenant Governor’s inauguration of Amrit Yuva Kalotsav in the first week of the New Year), the Theater Carnival featured plays by six groups one each from Amritsar and Hisar and four from Jammu.
An eclectic mix of new scripts/adaptations/translations in Dogri, Punjabi, Hindustani, and Urdu was staged during the festival. The well-known as well as young emerging writers/playwrights whose works were staged included the trio of Shaheed Nadeem, Prof Mohan Singh and Davinder Pal, Ranjit Kapoor and Shailesh Dhave—all from outside the Union Territory, while the local talents included Ajra Choudhary and Pankaj Sharma, Ravinder Sharma, and Roheet Verma.
The plays were directed by acclaimed outside directors like Kewal Dhaliwal and Rajan Kapoor, and local directors Pankaj Sharma, Ravinder Sharma, Rahul Singh, and Abhishek Bharti. Themes of the staged plays drew attention to variegated issues faced by society such as the mindless degradation of the environment (Dushman by Kewal Dhaliwal, Amritsar), myriad human emotions (Chekhov ki Duniya by Ras Kala Manch, Hisar), ups and downs of married life, (Yeh Meri Wife Hai under the banner of Natraj Natya Kunj, Jammu), commercialization of education system (Chita Singh by Samooh Theatre, Jammu) revenge of a wrongly convicted person (Kasak by Natrang, Jammu), and an ode to Ghalib’s life and works (Ghalib in Quarantine by Natraj Natya Kunj, Jammu).
The design and presentation of plays with a variety of genres ranged from dialogue-heavy productions in Punjabi such as ‘Dushman’, to the scintillating enactment of human emotions and side-splitting comedy by competent young actors in Chekhov ki Duniya. Pankaj Sharma with his solo show carried the mantle of single-actor performances which have been enacted in past by well-known actors on the Jammu stage like Susham Sharma, Santosh Sangra, Lucky Gupta, and many others. ‘Chiita’ Singh, the only Dogri entry was conspicuous for its script laced with colloquial expressions, phrases, and one-liners that alluded to local and topical issues. ‘Kasak’ by Natrang, for the sheer pace, the tempo of skillful dialogue delivery, and synchronized body movements of the actors did raise the bar for local groups. ‘Ghalib in quarantine’ by Natraj Natya Kunj, a part of musical play, offered an entertaining mix of live recitation of Ghalib’s selected poems and couplets and by the lead actor who made a mark by the impressive dramatization of episodes from the celebrated poet’s life.
What emerged as the strong aspect of the Theatre carnival was how groups across the region after the Covid-19 pandemic gap are back with aplomb. The comment by director Rajan Kapoor that he was the only one from Haryana whereas the entire cast was from different parts of Delhi NCR, came as a reflection of how difficult is for the groups to find talented actors who as an amateur community are not earning its livelihood from it.
Notwithstanding the challenges faced by theatre groups in terms of funding and audiences, the Theatre carnival was a testimony to the persistence and resilience of the theatre artists. In a scenario dominated by cinema, web series, and OTT, theatre is the only art that comes to life on stage. The magic of live theatre will be always relevant and uniquely attractive to the viewers.
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