Theatre Marina’s festival returns with a four-day feast of Tamil and English comedies and original short plays

Few things are as invigorating as a theatre collective that refuses to follow a single formula, choosing instead to reflect the varied languages and styles of comedy found across the city itself. Theatre Marina, dedicated to developing fresh talent, has spent 11 years providing a steady platform for Chennai’s budding writers and directors. The collective returns with the second edition of its signature theatre festival, spanning four days across two weekends.

The line-up brings together a Tamil comedy, Clone Banega Crorepati (July 11 and 12), an English comedy, Game Set Mrs Match (July 18), and Aaru Ambil Ooru Vambu, a showcase of six original short plays (July 19). Ahead of the festival, R Giridharan, who also directs the opening production, talks to us about why variety became this year’s guiding principle.

From laugh-out-loud comedies to bold 10-minute plays, this festival celebrates theatre in all its forms

“The first edition taught us that Chennai audiences are far more adventurous than we give them credit for,” Giridharan tells us. “They wanted variety in a single sitting: something to laugh at, something to think about, something that surprised them. That’s the biggest lesson we carried into this year—don’t play it safe with a single genre or language. This edition is built around that same idea of range, but with a tighter, more confident curation,” he shares.

“I wanted the festival to feel like a full theatrical meal,” Giridharan explains. “Clone Banega Crorepati is a classic Crazy Mohan-ish comedy at its core, but completely restyled in writer Vedarun Rajkumar’s own voice,” he smiles.

“Short plays are theatre without the safety net of time. A 10 or 15-minute piece has to earn its impact almost instantly,” he explains. “That discipline produces some of the boldest ideas we see all year. Audiences can expect six distinct worlds, six different tones, back to back,” he enthuses. 

Even beyond the festival, Theatre Marina’s focus remains unchanged. “We run Ten-Ally-Drama, a short play competition, which has now completed three editions. The fourth edition is going to be bigger,” he avers. “Between that and this festival, our focus stays the same: keep building steady, recurring platforms where writers and directors in Chennai can take risks and be seen,” he concludes.

₹299 onwards. July 11 to 18, 7 pm. At Alliance Française de Madras, Nungambakkam.

Email: anoushkakundu@newindianexpress.com
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