Narratives & Narratives: Ranga Shankara’s twin festival for theatre lovers

Every theatre lover waits for October when Ranga Shankara’s Theatre Festival commences. One of the country’s most awaited theatre festivals, Bengaluru’s Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival 2023 – Narratives & Narratives, will take place from October 27 to November 1 this year, at Ranga Shankara, JP Nagar.

For the first time since its inception, Ranga Shankara is taking part of its festival this year at the Jagriti Theatre in Whitefield. A selection of four out of six plays will be showcased there from October 29 to November 1. 

The six plays lined up for the festival this year are Slices of the Moon Swept by the Wind by Ranga Shankara, Jo Dooba So Paar by aRANYA Theatre Group, Urmila by Adishakti, Patigalum by Thinainilavaasigal, Ghanta Ghanta Ghanta Ghanta Ghanta by Asakta Kalamanch and Mahilabharatha by Drushya Rangatanda.  

Speaking to The Hindu, Arundhati Nag, founder and managing trustee of Ranga Shankara, says this year’s theme of Narratives & Narratives invites theatre artistes to reflect on their art form and the different ways in which narratives can be crafted and presented on stage. “The Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival is a way of bringing to Bengaluru different theatre groups from across the country and we have been doing this for the last 19 years.“

“The endeavor has been to bring audiences a rich variety of plays that they would otherwise probably not get to see. In order to keep the focus on the plays that are invited, the festival usually has a theme. For example, love, classical Indian theatre, Shakespeare, and so on. This year’s theme Narratives & Narratives encourages creativity and experimentation, making for an exciting and dynamic festival,“ says Arundhati.

With six different ways of presenting the theme of Narratives & Narratives, each play in this year’s line up celebrates the works of some of India’s finest theatre directors — S Surendranath, Ajithesh Gupta and Mohit Agarwal, Mohit Takalkar, Nimmy Raphel, Bagrudeen and Shripad Bhat. The festival explores how narratives can be straight, linear, layered, subversive, political and so on. 

Rangashankara Theatre Festival 2023 Special Arrangement
| Photo Credit:
MANOJ KUMAR LALL

The plays bring to the audience a reading that evokes images as seen from the eyes of a young boy; a musical that traces the history of Sufism and Amir Khusrau through Qawwali; a take on mythology that reflects on Urmila’s sacrifice in the Ramayana; a kind of patchwork quilt of the sheer power of proverbs when used in day-to-day life; a piece that underlines the political and personal and a narrative swinging between memories of the past and the realities of the present. 

“This year we have six wonderful theatrical presentations that have explored distinct ways of showcasing the narrative. These are also created and directed by some of the brightest theatre-makers. Every play has a very distinct style and character, especially the plays from outside the city,” says Arundhati.

Ranga Shankara has developed its theatre-loving audience and nurtured them with love over the years, says Arundhati. “Of late, audiences have found it a challenge to travel or take part in cultural activities in the city, and so, for the first time, we are twinning the festival at Jagriti Theatre in Whitefield. It is a huge leap of faith for us and we hope that audiences will make the best of this opportunity.”

Rangashankara Theatre Festival 2023 Special Arrangement
| Photo Credit:
Vishal Magar

Audiences can also look forward to all the platform performances and talks planned as part of a host of ancillary programs that will unravel the many facets of the literary and imbued, simple and complex meanings of the theme. All the main shows will be performed at 7.30pm.

Tickets available on BookMyShow and at the Ranga Shankara and Jagriti Theatre box-offices.    

Rangashankara Theatre Festival 2023 Special Arrangement
| Photo Credit:
DATTU