What if you could watch 20 plays in 30 minutes? One minute online theatre festival coming soon

BENGALURU:  What if we told you that you could watch 20 plays in 30 minutes? Yes, you heard that right. Two city-based theatre groups are coming together to organise a 60-second online theatre festival. Called ‘Kuchh Aur’, the festival calls for two actors to enact a play, complete with a beginning, middle and end, all taking place in just a minute.

“Think of it like the T-20 of theatre,” says Anita Mithra, founder of The Tortilla Entertainment Company, which will collaborate with Urban Chauppal for this festival. “You get to hear so many stories in one evening. And if you don’t like the story, the next one is just seconds away,” adds Mithra, who is also a theatre person. 

The event is themed around ‘unusual relationships’, and the organisers are looking for actors to portray more than the usual pairs of spouses or siblings. “The story could show the equation between someone and their vegetable vendor or it could present a new facet to the relationship between a pet and his owner,” explains Mithra. Every participant is sent a demo video to help them understand that the final submission has to be a one-shot scene, without cuts or edits.

“Though they are recording it on video, it is still a play, so movement should be like it’s on stage,” adds Mithra, who has also run the Bengaluru leg of the Australian 10-minute theatre festival. She has also worked with a five-minute format earlier. While challenging creativity was one aspect of the festival, the other was to give a platform to plays in regional languages. While Hindi and English plays are popular, the team hopes to give a push to other languages as well.

“Even if someone is comfortable in English, we urge them to take part in their regional languages, even if it is by just including a few lines in it. A blend of languages always gives a different perspective,” says Vandana Dugar, a founding member of Urban Chauppal. Agrees Mithra, who adds that the format can help both beginners and advanced practitioners. “Sometimes we’re so used to taking our time with a buildup. But here, you have to pack a punch in a more creative manner,” she says. Registrations are on till July-end. Videos of top submissions will be posted on social media in August. For details, email kuchhaur.event@gmail.com