Atelier's Youth Theatre Week 2010 : Play Details

19th November : 

Double Bill -1(Two Hours)

4:30-6:30 (Rs 50)

Shakkar ke paanch daane(Hindi)

Cut it out(English)

Do you think being twins is all about looking alike? Meet Sarah and Norah Thomas, they don’t look alike, don’t think alike, they don’t act alike but the starkest difference between the two is that one is dead while the other is alive. Meet Lisa Thomas, a woman living or shall we say leading two lives – as a lonely divorced mother of Sarah and Norah and as ‘the other woman’ in a man’s life. The play throws light on the guilt that engulfs her along with the pain and frustration that surfaces because of it. Why is she so guilt-ridden over her child’s death? Why has Norah become a self abuser after her sister’s death? Why can’t they connect over their common loss?

These are the few questions that the play tries to put to rest while, highlighting the intricate complexities under seemingly simple relationships within a family. Or does it?

Double Bill -2(Two Hours)

7:30-9:30 (Rs 50)

Clatta(English)

Two judges in a dilapidated court room are bored of not having any cases to decide. So when Claude comes to them asking to be punished they happily take up his case, ignoring the absurdity of the situation. The play follows, in its first half, the trial that ensues when Claude reveals that he has committed murder and pleads guilty, but the case is not as simple as it seems, and matters reach till the President of the country. In the second half, when all of them have died and reached the afterlife, the pursuit for justice and yearning for right to prevail has still not died in many of them, and they put to trial the Arab Atta, for the heinous terrorist acts that he had committed on earth. Part musical part farcical in nature, the play draws similarities and finds differences in both the scenes, and questions murder, punishment, and reason.

The inheritance of the Jhujhunwallas(English)

Patient Name- Rustam Jhunjhunwala; Status- Discharged; Lineage- JJ Senior, maternal whereabouts uncertain; The Inheritance- Little one, use your little one; The Plan- Bazinga!; The Reprieve- Mausambis; The Brigade- The Lawyer, The Assistant, Vivan Mehta, Sue...err...Bobby, Dr. Shoky; Disco Stück- Aishaa Kapoor

Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby

Hit Number – I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing

20th November : 

Double Bill -3(Two Hours)

4:30-6:30 (Rs 50)

Veronica’s Room(English)

The absorbing spider’s web, entwining fantasy and reality begins in 1973. Susan Kerner, a young Boston college student, and Larry Eastwood, a young lawyer she has just met, have been enticed to the Brabissant’s mansion by the Mackey’s, a charming elderly Irish couple who are struck by Susan’s strong resemblance to Veronica Brabissant, long dead daughter of the family for whom they work. They view Veronica’s picture in her room untouched by time. Susan is induced to impersonate Veronica for a while to solace the only living Brabissant, her addled sister living in the past and believing Veronica’s alive and angry with her. But once dressed in Veronica’s clothes, Susan finds herself locked in the role – and locked in Veronica’s room. Or is she Veronica, in 1935 pretending to be an imaginary Susan?

 Johnny Doesn't Know (English)

John, a gay man in his late twenties has been in a 7 year long relationship with his dominating boyfriend, when he finds himself falling in love with a striking woman. Landed in a predicament and in dire need to make a call on his sexuality, John introspects whether to stick with the familiar surroundings or to clean his slate and start off afresh.

Double Bill -4 (Two Hours)

7:30-9:30 (Rs 50)

Frihet : A montage on Ibsen’s Women (English)

‘Frihet’ is a journey of the self and the process of realization of complete freedom. It deals with love in relationships and aims at exploring the lives of characters from Henrik Ibsen’s plays. From the introduction of woman characters to the relationship these characters have with The Man in their life, the play unravels the lives of five women with strong identifying traits in intricately inter-woven sequences. 

Anahata(Bilingual)

Anahata ties the lives of four women with an underlying theme of incest. Anahata means the wheel of unstruck sound which is exactly what this play unveils. Incest though prevalent in a majority of households all over, keeping it hidden, not bringing it to light is considered a "safer" option for it may hamper the family's name. It is a stylised play and symbolism is an important part of its depiction

21st November : 

Double Bill -5(Two Hours)

4:30-6:30 (Rs 50)

Firangi Laut Aaye(Hindi)

“Firangi Laut Aaye” is a drama based on the revolt of 1857. The play explores the story of the Indians who fought for their freedom and how, in spite of being much larger in number, they still faced defeat at the hands of General Havelock and his British Army. The play is set in a region of the United Province of Uttar Pradesh, and follows the story of the lesser known contemporaries of other famous revolutionaries of the time. It follows revolutionary Mulla Amanat and Nawab Mohammad Khan and shows the challenges they face in their struggle for freedom.

Samar(Hindi)

Meet Rihaan, a psychiatrist. Meet his new friend, a drug dealer. Rihaan has everything a man could ask for then why is he tired of his so called 'perfect' life? ‘’Samar’’ explores an inherent inner conflict of the mind - A constant battle between right and wrong.

Does Rihaan’s “Samar” ever end Or does he get lost in the shades of grey?!

7:30-8:30 (Rs 200)

 Untitled (Billingual)

"This play portrays the journey of a woman from hopelessness into hope; of how --- in a world in which men try to make themselves ubiquitious masters --- she takes charge of her own destiny and rebels against male domination, enabling her own spirit to soar and ,at the same time, putting into motion the process by which men will get liberated from their own neuroses."