A city is best defined by its cultural scene, the art it embraces, stories it stages, the talents it hones, the artistes it moulds, and the myriad emotions it evokes. As a reflection of the stories we live in real life, theatre, as an art form and also as a means of entertainment, contributes greatly to this cultural scene. Namma Chennai has seen a steady growth in theatre in the past few years, accommodating new formats, welcoming new artistes and going beyond the tried-and-tested formulae of story-telling. Adding a new chapter to the vibrant theatre scene in Chennai is the KISS Theatre Festival; KISS that translates to ‘Keeping It Slightly Short’, catering to the rising demands of short plays. While the format is short, the festival’s impact has been huge. Its success can be measured by the fact that from 20 plays in the first edition last year, it has grown to 60 plays in its second edition this year! The second edition has 60 plays, 275 actors, 54 writers (out of the 60), and 14 awards. An overwhelmed Denver Anthony Nicholas from Poochu’s Productions whose brainchild KISS is, tells us, “We had planned to go from 20 to 40 this year, but to our surprise, we received 80 entries! We had to actually close our registration. However, we didn’t want to reject people, so we went ahead to incorporate 60 plays.”
Spanning over six days, the festival will see 10 plays (each with two shows) every day (on February 2, 3 4, and 9, 10 and 11). And with a mix of veterans and newcomers, the festival is going to be a culture curry of sorts. Denver informs, “We have many newcomers this time. And while we toyed with the idea of having a central theme for the festival, we finally decided to be inclusive of varied genres. So, the 35 plays in Tamil and 25 in English are from across genres. While some will make you ponder, others will leave you in splits and touch your heart chords.”
Agreeing with Denver, Navaneeth, who is writing and directing Nee kaatru naan Mazhai, opines that the more theatre festivals we have, the better it is. “When there is an anticipation twice a year, it definitely creates an enthusiasm among artistes and groups, increases productivity and helps consider theatre a serious craft to explore,” he says, as he adds, “People believe theatre is a dying art, that there is a struggle, that it is challenging, but honestly, the process of crafting a play is beautiful. And by encouraging beginners and veterans to come on the same stage and participate in the festival, it creates a new age theatre crafting.”
Sukanya Umesh’s Pen and Paper is a Tanglish romantic comedy musical featuring live original music. The story is a simple and light-hearted take on modern dating in Chennai, featuring independent singer-songwriter Sublahshini, who will be debuting as an actor. “The idea for this came last year. I have a friend, Alvin Presley, who is an independent singer and songwriter. He had a gig a couple of months ago and the girl (Sublahshini) who opened for him completely blew me away! I spoke to her after the gig and asked if she ever thought of being on stage and do theatre, and she told me it’s always been her dream! I mean what could be the odds! ‘Do you mind if I use one of your songs for this play I am writing?’ I asked her, also adding if she will be open to performing it, and she said yes! So, I chose the song first and then I adapted the play to it, and it just worked really well!”
Since Sukanya mentioned hers is a simple story, we ask her if the short format restricts an artiste compelling one to choose simple stories that can be easily told and presented, and she says, “Not really. The 15-minutes format is like a sitcom. However, since mine is a musical, the short format was challenging for rehearsals because none of my cast members are full-time actors. That apart, I think it’s a really smart move on the organiser’s part to ensure that each actor can act only in one play, so directors are also forced to look for fresh talents, unusual combination of performers, which I think has resulted in having newer faces in the festival this time around.”
Bhavya Balantrapu goes back to the 1600s to bring a “sweet and wholesome love story”. Titled Vandals, the play is set against the construction site of the Taj Mahal, with the story revolving around a Muslim woman, Shireen (played by Mrithula Chetlur) and a Hindu widow (Vinithra Menon). Bhavya, who has written and directed Vandals, says, “I have been in theatre for years now, but I hadn’t written a love story! Since historic fiction is one of my favourite genres, I also wanted to re-imagine the time when the Taj Mahal was being reconstructed and how two women find love in each other in that setting.” Isn’t it quite a bold move? Is it a risk worth taken? She replies, “I did some research. It wasn’t something spoken about (love between two women) but it wasn’t non-existent. There are no records of any queer love story from the time, but who are we to say that they didn’t exist? My play is a fantasy and it’s just to say that it (a queer love story) was normal then, and it should be normal now.”
Talking about the challenge (or not) of picking up the right emotions to highlight on stage in order to fit into the 15-minutes format, Bhavya says, “If one knows the beginning, middle and end, it’s quite easy to juice out any emotion. Also, it is important to think of strong one-liners in this format because then the setup, buildup, and the punchlines fall in place. Since there is a limited time, one does not have the liberty to repeat scenes or tell anything that’s redundant. And that makes a play crisp and sharp.”
Next, picture this: Madhumita and Vaishnavi, two childhood friends, receive a death clock — a family legacy. This death clock holds in it the fate of a person’s death. The clocks carry a series of clues that unlock information about a person, and the time and date of their death. How do these friends navigate the existence of this clock in their lives, and who will be the one to uncover the fate of someone’s death first? With Ketta Neram, Nandita Lakshminarayan is getting on the stage for the first time because for her, “theatre is a great way to express”. Writing, directing and acting alongside her friend Varsha, the play creates a world where death clocks would exist. “The idea came through a conversation that Varsha and I were having. There used to be this website, which could calculate your death clock based on your BMI, and as youngsters then, we thought it was true. While we spoke about all this, we thought, why not create this world!” Nandita says, adding, “This play is especially written for KISS Theatre Festival and the 15 minutes given to us to tell our tale was never a problem, because we worked our story around the format.”
As a first-timer, with a story so unique and out-of-the-box, Nandita is confident of making a connection with the audience. “I understand our drama is a little bit out of the ordinary, but once we have established our world in the first couple of minutes, everybody will buy into it,” she says. That’s the beauty of the stage, anyway. Isn’t it?
Moving on to a story of a mother and daughter, Aparna Rajhesh’s Thiru.Manam (co-directed by Balram) begins in the midst of an imminent arranged marriage where a young bride-to-be urgently seeks a conversation with her mother. With just three days until the ceremony, she implores her mother to initiate a crucial talk with her prospective son-in-law. “Thiru.Manam is a metaphor; thiru for Mr, and thirumanam meaning wedding. The concept is Narendhar Venkatesan’s, who generally writes a lot about women empowerment,” Aparna tells us. Unravelling a poignant narrative of love, tradition, and the profound impact of maternal guidance, the play beckons audiences to witness a pivotal exchange that could shape the destiny of the impending union. As someone who has done both one-and-half-hours plays as well as 10-minutes plays, Aparna says, “I don’t belittle the power of short formats. It’s all about how you write and what you show on stage. For the Short & Sweet Theatre Festival, I had a play which hardly had any lines but it created an impact on the audience. So, the visual experience matters. In fact, the short format allows you to navigate your time and include rehearsals without disturbing your daily routine or your job hours.”
For her emotional drama, Chain Reaction, Deeptha Pattabiraman has tried to play with lights to convey the many moods that the scenes evoke. “I have also utilised music by R Giridharan. As the story plays out between a father and a son, leading up to a shocking revelation, an emotional drama ensues. So, I had to think about how to make use of the light optimally,” says Deeptha.
As you get ready to immerse yourself in a captivating showcase of 60 short plays spanning various genres, promising a kaleidoscope of emotions and storytelling, and unravel the magic of fleeting moments and artistic brilliance on the stage, we ask Denver what the third edition could promise. He says, “I am looking at longevity, establishing the brand. If we have 60 entries in the sixth edition, I will be glad for I will know then that KISS is here to stay.”
Tickets start at Rs 300.
February 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 & 11, 1 pm and 6 pm (two shows).
At Alliance Française of Madras, Nungambakkam.
Email: rupam@newindianexpress.com
X: @rupsjain
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