In a rare assembly of theatrical prowess from across the country and abroad, a week-long drama festival gets under way at Adishakti near Auroville, on Wednesday.
The 21st edition of the Bharat Rang Mahotsav (BRM) parallel theatre festival hosted across select cities by the National School of Drama (NSD) offers a package of five Indian and two international productions.
Entry is free for all the shows.
Abhilash Pillai, Dean Academics at NSD, told the media that the festival, held here in collaboration with Adishakti, presents a treat for theatre enthusiasts with each of the critically acclaimed seven shows being carefully curated from across India and around the world.
Among the five Indian plays, two are in Malayalam, one each in Odiya, Tamil and Kannada, while the international productions feature one each from the Czech Republic and Bangladesh.
A highlight of Richard III, performed by the Prague Shakespeare Company, is that it features the Deputy High Commissioner to India from the United Kingdom in a central role.
Alongside theatre shows scheduled for 7 p.m., an array of traditional dance and folk performances will also be part of the audience experience.
Interactive session
There will also be an opportunity for viewers to interact with the director of the play after the performance. R. Raju, alumni of NSD, and former Head and Dean of Department of Performing Arts, Pondicherry University, said the entry being free provided the public an access to view various experimentations and innovations in contemporary theatre.
The festival will be launched in the presence of Chief Secretary Ashwani Kumar, actor M. Nasser, acting chairman of NSD Society Arjun Deo Charan and others.
Barring Chandala Impure by city-based group Indianostrum Theatre, which will be held at its own auditorium in the city, the rest of the plays will be staged at Adishakti.