Category: Day 5

On the fifth day of festival, The Balancing act portrayed children’s magical world. When colours are still bright, minds yet to discover stress and hearts filled with curiosity. It was a compilation of normal day scenarios from children’s routine. Children portrayed by adults, those who are visiting that world and taking us along. As a child, world is a playground. But there are places where he/she shouldnt go. At least not before the right time. The Balancing Act exhibited those places and their effects on childs mind sensitively. Issues like bullying, stereotyping, domestic violence, sexual abuse were handled.

Childrens hearts and minds are like delicate flower that must be nourished like one. How children are supposed to balance between their fantasy world and reality? How they cope with it? The Balancing Act tries to showcase these questions. Finding solution is our responsibility.

As the play progressed smiles vanished, coloures faded and children turned into adults. Maybe we are trying to convert them into adults  before time, just like artificial ripening of fruits. Putting them in a never-ending rat race and killing their innocence in the process.

The Balancing Act is a play which will make children laugh and adults revisit their memories. Its fun, its colourful, its something we should to think about.

-Sanket Bagul

This was a two-day writing workshop facilitated by senior playwright Abhiram Bhadkamkar. The focus of the workshop is to bring us fresh ideas for performances and finding unique expression. He shared that plays have to be written to tell the truth. A particular play is written since one thinks about a particular situation, analyses it and then presents it to the audience. It is a recreation of what is seen. For effective expression, a human being should be sensitive to his or her roots, ponder upon the roots of his/her experience and think about it strongly. What happened is not as important as how it happened. A writer has to tell nothing but everything with just his words.

– Bipin Ghobale

Nautanki is one of the most popular folk operatic theatre performance forms of India, particularly northern India. The workshop took a look at exploring Nautanki’s rich musical compositions and humorous, entertaining storylines that hold a strong influence over rural Peoples
imagination. The workshop facilitators conducted some voice exercises specially designed for Nautanki. They taught some songs and also took some improvisations in which actors had to both sing and act as they do in Nautanki.

– Sushrut Mulavekar