For the theatre lovers in the Capital, the New Year couldn't be heralded in a better way: The National School of Drama (NSD) is staging a plethora of plays to celebrate its 50th anniversary this January.
The New Year bonanza, beginning on January 3, will be full of scintillating performances by NSD alumni such as Naseeruddin Shah and the like.
A total of 76 productions, including several foreign plays, will be staged during the 17-day festival titled the "10th Bharat Rang Mahotsav."
"In all, there will be 76 plays put up for the festival by NSD's alumni and others at seven venues. Also, 19 foreign groups will participate in the festival," an NSD official told IANS.
"The festival will kickstart with Ratan Thiyam's "Prologue" at the Kamani auditorium. Thiyam is an NSD alumnus and is from Manipur," the official said. He added that veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah will also take part in the festival.
Adaptations of renowned Russian playwright Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, dramatised versions of short stories by Hari Prakash, and new interpretations of Dharamvir Bharati will be some of the highlights of the festival.
Also, festival directors from countries like Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Pakistan and Croatia have been invited and will interact with the Indian theatre directors.
In the international category, "Delirium", a Swiss play and Pina Bausch's latest work "Bamboo Blues" would be awaited.
The NSD premises, Kamani auditorium, the Shri Ram Centre and the LTG auditorium are among the seven venues at which the plays will be staged.
The tickets for the festival will be on sale from December 30, and are priced at Rs 20, Rs 25, Rs 50 and Rs 100.
--Source: India Asian News Service IANS
