Thespo 11 – Theatre Andar Baahar

Four Comedies in English & Marathi selected from 90 Plays in Eight Cities
Plays, Intl. Artist Workshops (UK & Aus.), Platform Performances, Films, Music Gigs, Seminar, Magazine
Vijaya Mehta to be honoured with Thespo for Lifetime Achievement

 

Mumbai, November 23, 2009: Come December, Thespo swells from its Monthly Youth Events at the Prithvi Theatre (Two-Days Monthly of Full-length Plays, Workshops, Platform Performances) and interacting with youth across 200+ College Campuses in Eight Cities (from Kanpur to Chennai) into the Mega Weeklong Theatre Festival at the Prithvi and NCPA Experimental Theatres from December 7 to 13, 2009, featuring plays, workshops by international artists, platform performances, a youth and theatre seminar, a film club, live music gigs, and a theatre magazine.

This year, Thespo - the Youth Theatre Launchpad-cum-Festival of India’s next generation of theatrewallahs - founded, managed, mentored by India’s leading Thespians, completes eleven years of celebrating professional theatre by youth.

Thespo is the brainchild of Theatre Group Bombay – a group that has honed the skills of veterans like Alyque Padamsee, (late) Pearl Padamsee, Gerson Da Cunha and Ebrahim Alkazi among others; and Q Theatre Productions (QTP); and provides young theatre enthusiasts a professional stage with the support of auditoria bookings, funding, lights, make-up, sound, visibility etc.

From 90 plays across eight cities, the four plays chosen for the Thespo 11 Festival are “Asylum” in English from Mumbai; “Melange” in English from Delhi; “Institute of Pavtalogy” and “Geli Ekvees Varsha” in Marathi from Pune.

Abhay Mahajan (Co-Director, Institute of Pavtalogy) is really excited about returning to Thespo this year – “I wrote a play last year, Dalan, which was very well received. The experience was fantastic but due to other commitments we couldn’t stay back for any of the other shows. This year I am making it a point to be here for the whole festival and watch all the plays. I am so looking forward to performing at Thespo again. I am even recommending my friends to come down and stay for the whole of Thespo 11”.

Each day at Thespo is jam packed with activities. From the afternoon onwards there are workshops followed by band performances followed by film screenings followed by platform performances followed by the main plays. And on the final evening of the festival an Awards Ceremony which includes a special presentation to Vijaya Mehta for her incredible years of service to theatre.

“The 90 plays in eight cities was the biggest-ever Thespo talent hunt and one of my most exhilarating experiences. All four plays are from different genres of comedy, and a happy coincidence (no pun intended).” said Himanshu Sitlani, Member – Screening Panel, Thespo 11.

Workshops by theatre biggies from Australia, UK & India

Unprecedented international collaborative workshops are a highlight this year.

Toral Shah of Thespo and Q Theatre Productions (QTP) adds, “Thespo has started attracting youth participants and theatre professionals from around the world. This year we host directors, producers, trainers, students, stage managers, actors, writers, educators from the UK, USA and Australia. They are here to create shadow theatre performances, conduct workshops, produce a children’s play, share their experiences, and of course feast on kebabs and curries!”

The six workshops at Thespo 11 include ‘Seven on Seven Workshop and Making Theatre by Young People’ by Australia’s Urban Myth Theatre of Youth; ‘Hearts and Bones & How to run a Show’ by Australia’s Nell Ranney, ‘Sampling Shakespeare’ by UK’s Jelena Budimir, and Set Design by India’s Dhanendra Kawade.

Vijaya Mehta to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award

The festival will culminate with the “Thespo Awards Nite” on December 13 where Thespo award statuettes will be presented in various acting, directing, design and writing categories. However, the piece de resistance will be the presentation of the Thespo for Lifetime Achievement to Vijaya Mehta for her contribution to theatre. Mrs. Mehta, an actor and director is well known for her work in Marathi, Hindi and English.

Thespo – the preeminent and aspirational platform for youth theatre was dreamed up in 1999 when Theatre Group, Bombay, wanted to give India’s youth a simulation of the professional stage, thereby passing their torch for theatre that has burned from pre-independence till date, to the next generation.

Thespis, the Greek poet was the pioneer of the art of using spoken dialogue in an age when dramatic language was made of choruses and verses. He is considered the father of modern drama and his followers have since been called Thespians. Theatre Group, Bombay, and Q Theatre Productions (QTP) thought it appropriate to name the pioneering festival for theatre by youth - Thespo.