An event to announce the plan for Thespo 22, India’s first international digital youth theatre festival, The First Call, also doubles up as an evening to meet new people, and theatre artistes from across the globe. The Friday event will have performances and a Breakout Room for conversations.
Thespo, which was started in 1999, will be held in December this year, and The First Call, which has been held offline before, is going digital due to the pandemic. Talking about going online, Toral Shah, from Team Thespo, says, “There was always a chance of technology getting integrated into the performing arts. The pandemic and lockdown have only accelerated the process. We are looking at intense growth and exploration of the medium.” Instead of depending on prerecorded content, Team Thespo is attempting to gather people in real-time for The First Call.
“We feel realtime activity adds to the community experience for the participants, as well as the viewers. Even the festival will focus on this,” says Anoushka Zaveri, another team member. The evening features a live music performance by singer-songwriter Ranjani Ramadoss who has penned a song keeping in mind the tagline of this year’s edition — It’s time to double the dramagiri. Vedashree Rao will present a contemporary dance performance, and Thespo alumni Hrishabh Kanti will answer questions from artistes who are keen to participate in the festival.
“The online medium erases political and geographical boundaries and has democratised the platform even more. We can have people logging in from all over the world to watch our performances,” signs off Toral.
Entry free. August 14, 6.30 pm
ayeshatabassum@ newindianexpress.com
@aishatax