A synergy of emotions 

CHENNAI: In the era of virtual dominance and pandemic scare, most of us prefer to be on our comfortable sofas — except the fans of performing arts who crave a realistic experience. Suppressing the pain of being hooked on the phone and dreaming of watching an on-stage performance to go through catharsis is what they long for. The Summer Theatre Festival by The Krishna Gana Sabha (KGS)  will come somewhat as a relief to the art-lovers  as it is set to provide a total blend of emotions.  

Conducting theatre festivals every year for more than five decades, KGS has never failed to impress its audience. This year, the Festival features both English and Tamil plays and will be conducted from May 18 to 22 at Dr. Nalli Gana Vihar Auditorium, T Nagar. Age no bar, it welcomes everybody to be a part of this. This festival also makes KGS’ comeback post a two-year hiatus forced by the Covid pandemic. 

“We didn’t conduct the fest during the peak of the pandemic, not even virtually, as we believed in the live energy. The festival this year has now expanded its scope to English theatre too, featuring three gripping plays apart from two engrossing Tamil plays — all ranging from themes of comedy, sentiment to thrillers. This is a step to reach audiences, far and wide, and encourage theatre as an art form to continue and thrive. Contemporary theatre is being introduced for the first time in the fest, which is the highlight of this year,” says Saashwati Prabhu, CEO, KGS.

Every year, the institute prepares throughout the year researching what plays to feature and which artists to invite. “We filter the plays both theme-wise and production-wise. The main thing is that it is going to cater to all kinds of audiences. The play, Buy One Get One Free, is adapted from an English comedy Parabel. ATM by Kathadi Ramamurthy provides a family-friendly comedy. Every play featured lies somewhere in the middle of heavy and light, entertaining and captivating, serious and light-hearted. I am sure that you can take away a good message from these plays, for there is a lot to introspect and internalise,” adds Saashwati.  

KGS aims to connect with the audience and put out the live synergy as a festival. This year’s plays include Title by Ohio Productions, Mini Tiffin by Chennai Art Theatre, ATM by Stage Creations, Buy One Get One Free by Theatre Nisha, Sons by Masquerade. 

The tickets are available at BookMyShow and at the venue, starting from Rs 200.