After some well curated shows in the past, Chennai Art Theatre is now launching another monthly curated show called 20-20. Curated by Juvith Arthi, the idea is to bring theatre to the people even weekdays, mainly Thursdays and Fridays. “Why restrict theatre to only weekends when we can watch good play throughout the week? Just like we can go for a movie or enjoy other forms of entertainment on any day of the week, I wanted theatre to have the same scope and space with the public,” says Arthi.
Also, with movie theatres and other such places crowded over the weekdays, the idea was to fuel the interest of people to watch theatre plays on weekdays. “Added to that is the fact that many people do have a day off on weekdays and some other working professionals have flexible work timings, so the 20-20 can fit perfectly into their schedule,” says Arthi.
In the first edition, three plays of 20 minutes are going to be staged. The first play called Pinavarai, written and directed by Charles Britto, is about a day in the strenuous life of hospital workers at a mortuary. “At a government morgue, the sanitation workers are made to do the autopsy under the supervision of the doctor. It is a regular day until a sanitation worker resists from doing the work and questions the existing system,” explains Charles.
“I had the idea in mind, but I wrote this play specifically for 20-20,” he says, adding, “The 20-20 is not too short, neither too long, I think it’s just apt for the audience’s attention span. Also, since only three plays will be staged at every 20-20 show, it allows the audience enough time in between plays to grasp, comprehend and reflect upon each play, without burdening them with too much at a time.”
Essentially a drama, for Pinavarai, Charles has likened relevance with to a painting by Hyman Bloom. “I do mash-ups with paintings and contemporary art since I have an artistic background, so I usually also take references from painting. I chose Cadaver No. 1 as it is about an autopsy, depicting a dissected, morbid body,” he explains.
The second play is Sorgame Endralum, directed by Namritha. “Have you heard of someone who had the most embarrassing death? Unfortunately, our protagonist Vikram is definitely one of them,” says Namritha, as she explains us the plot. “From being unsettled by his death to transitioning into the afterlife, every single thing in Vikram’s life has not been so ‘heavenly’. And it turns out to be laugh worthy for us. He meets his angelic assistant who is supposed to help him, but will she? Along with Vikram, the audience will explore the afterlife and the revelations of heaven,” adds Namritha.
The third play of the first edition of 20-20, Uzzuff Razeen’s Between a Clown & a God aims to “plant an idea in the minds of the audience”. The plot revolves around the life of a clown, where a clown’s subconscious and conscious mind are fighting over a particular topic and convincing the clown into a right path with the help of an alien from another universe. It delves into the subjects of caste, religion, social issues and morals. With all this, the conscious mind is trying to convince the clown to throw off his subconscious mind and help him to get a good life,” explains Uzzuff, who staged this play at the Short+Sweet Theatre Festival held recently, and was overwhelmed by the love and reception it received.
Also read: Art of darkness
Tickets at Rs 300.
November 10, 7.30 pm.
At Medai – The Stage, Alwarpet.
Email: rupam@newindianexpress.com
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