EditorBangalore: The proverbial show will go on with the Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival 2020 between 27th October and 1st November. Making allowances for the current situation, the well-known annual theatre festival will be a combination of events, some scheduled to be held at the foyer at the Ranga Shankara, while other screenings will happen online.
“We’re calling this year’s Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival a hybrid, born out of extraordinary circumstances but equally extraordinary solidarity. We’ve worked hard to ensure that the festival replicates the resilience of the human spirit and will be a celebration in every sense”, says Arundati Nag, managing trustee and artistic advisor of the nonprofit Sanket Trust, which runs Ranga Shankara.
“The festival is also a celebration of talent in theatre that creates an impact in the community. Six such theatre makers who have won the Shankar Nag Theatre Awards will showcase their work to art-loving audiences. I am very excited for them, as well as Ranga Shankara, and hope we are able to reach out to a much bigger audience because of the digital necessity this year.”
Instituted on 9 Nov ’14 to commemorate Shankar Nag’s 60th birthday, each year, the Shankar Nag Award is presented to a young theatre-maker who embodies service to the art and craft of theatre. The award is given away on the last day of the annual Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival. The work of the winners who have been awarded so far will be presented during the festival this year, including works of Abhishek Majumdar (2014), Mohit Takalkar (2015), Quasar Thakore Padamsee (2016), Anurupa Roy (2017), Toral Shah (2018) and Sankar Venkateswaran (2019).
The festival is going digital for the first time and all shows can be watched on insider.in. As each show goes live, they will be available for six days. Tickets for the festival can be only purchased online. No physical tickets will be available.
Screenings of the shows will also take place for limited audiences at the Ranga Shankara foyer, with all adequate measures taken for safety. The physical space will offer a multi-sensory experience with webcasts, installations, films, podcasts, food, and interactive events at the venue, some also available online.
With her signature enthusiasm, Arundhati is as welcoming as ever and says, “We celebrate the collective spirit of theatre and we hope you’ll celebrate with us – physically or digitally! See you at the Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival.”
Ranga Shankara is the definitive space for quality theatre in Bangalore. Since its inception in October 2004, Ranga Shankara has developed into one of the nerve centers of theatre in India, with the firm belief in ‘a play a day’, resulting in over 6000 performances by local, national, and international troupes in a range of languages in Ranga Shankara’s 15 years. One of the most affordable and accessible theatres in the country (making it a favorite among amateur theatre troupes), Ranga Shankara is also known for its many festivals such as the annual Theatre Festival, AHA! Festival of Theatre for Children, and Equal, all contributing to the richness of the cultural fabric of not just Bangalore, but India, too.
Date: October 27th – November 1st, 2020
Tickets are priced at Rs. 200/- onwards and available on www.insider.in
Editor
Meghana Harikumar
Ranjani Govind
