Theatrical fare

Short plays in Hindi, Gujarati English and Marathi along with books and movie screenings at Prithvi Theatre Festival today.

Prithvi Theatre Festival may have been given a miss last year, but there is a whiff of good news for theatre-goers this week. Today, the suburban theatre hotspot will feature a day-long carnival at their Juhu venue.

“The idea is to celebrate the theatrewallas and our audiences, who have been generous,” says Sanjana Kapoor, director of Prithvi Theatre. “The affection of our audience has kept us going. I wanted to give them something to cheer about,” she adds.

The daylong carnival will kick-start with the release of Prithvi’s yearbook on theatre veteran Satyadev Dubey, along with screening Dubey’s 1971 film Shantata! Court Chalu Ahe, which is based on a play by Vijay Tendulkar. “When we showed this film before, many young people from the audience wanted to buy DVDs, now we’ve got copies of the movie too,” confirms Kapoor.

Besides books and movies, the thespian haunt will also feature short theatrical performances in Hindi, English, Marathi and Gujarati at the carnival. “Actors will put up 20-minute performances of their old favourites or new pieces,” adds Kapoor. The famous Prithvi cafe will rustle up some special treats today.

For World Cup supporters, Kapoor has put up a screen outside to catch score updates.

The day after the carnival, Prithvi will host Jennifer Kapoor’s memorial concert, which is held every year on her birth anniversary on February 28. “Zakir Hussain curates this concert every year, but this time we’ll have Taufiq Qureshi at the helm,” adds Kapoor. The memorial concert will also feature the Jaipur Kawa Brass band, who play Indian rhythms on western classical instruments. “It’s amazing to watch them play thumris on western instruments like clarinet and trumpet,” adds Hussain.