Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival to celebrate milestone year with 20 plays over 20 days

Bengaluru’s Ranga Shankara is celebrating two decades of theatre excellence with a month-long festival 

For fans of Shankar Nag and Kannada cinema, November holds special significance as the month of their beloved “Auto Raja.” Each year, admirers across the state celebrate his birth anniversary on November 9, with festivities coinciding with Kannada Rajyotsava. For theatre enthusiasts, October and November marks a key cultural event: the Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival (RSTF). Held at Ranga Shankara in JP Nagar, this beloved theatre space was built in memory of Shankar Nag by his wife, acclaimed actor Arundhati Nag. 

As Ranga Shankara reaches its milestone 20th anniversary this year, the organisers are gearing up for an unforgettable month-long celebration, from October 10 to November 10, that will take place every Thursday to Sunday. The iconic venue will host RSTF, an event that will feature 20 plays over 20 days. This milestone event reflects two decades of commitment to nurturing contemporary theatre in India, showcasing performances in multiple languages, including Kannada, Hindi, English, Marathi, Tamil, Bengali, Assamese, Sanskrit, Lepcha, and more. 

Down memory lane

Since its inception in 2004, Ranga Shankara has emerged as a cultural beacon in India’s theatre scene, with 7,500 shows across 36 languages and an audience of 1.2 million. The brainchild of Arundhati, the venue has become a hub for artistes and theatre enthusiasts alike, offering an affordable platform for local, national, and international talent.  

Back in 2004, Ranga Shankara opened with a 45-day long festival, and speaking to The Hindu, Arundhati Nag explains how different the first festival was from the ones that followed. “Back then, we had no idea what we were doing. It was a 45-day festival and we were still painting the walls, checking the toilets and the air conditioning and more. We were not even sure if we could accommodate 320 people in one sitting,” she recalls.

“I must credit so many people who made the first and almost every other festival possible — Suri (S Surendranath, theatre maker and trustee at Ranga Shankara), my friend Gayathri, our auditor Ranga Rao, the legendary MS Sathyu, Girish Karnad and many others have been the pillars of Ranga Shankara.”

“We had Bombay-based theatre maker Atul Kumar, who moved to Bengaluru and planned the entire festival with us over six months. Money was not a concern as we had sponsors; few theatres, built by middle-class people like us, could have had such a big opening. Now in 2024, the festival is not too different; of course money has not been easy to get, but putting the event together has always been fun,” she adds.

Arundhati says that though all the festivals over the last two decades had a theme, this year they decided to simply celebrate the fact that Ranga Shankara and theatre “have been wedded to each other for twenty years without compromising on artistes’ needs.”  

Anticipate theatrical brilliance 

The festival promises to be a dynamic celebration of theatre with a lineup of seven encore performances of audience favorites that have graced the Ranga Shankara stage before. These include renowned Kannada productions such as Mukhyamantri by Kalagangotri, Hayavadana by Benaka and Karimayi by Spandana — all troupes celebrating over 40-50 years of continuous performances. Modern classics like Taking Sides by The Company Theatre and Kaumudi by D for Drama will also return to captivate audiences once more. 

Ranga Shankara has also commissioned three new productions for the festival and have paired three skilled directors — Chidambara Rao Jambe with VASP Theatre, Lakshman KP with Samudaya, and Devendra Raj Ankur with Kahe Vidushak — to work with these theatre houses. The festival will showcase works of Alyque Padamsee, Manav Kaul, Ravindra Khare, Shabana Azmi, Guru G Venu, Kapila Venu, Rajiv Krishnan, TM Krishna, P Rajagopal, Abhishek Majumdar, Kumud Mishra, Atul Kumar, Ratna Pathak Shah, and Naseeruddin Shah. 

The festival will also feature productions from across India such as The Far Post in Lepcha, Raghunath a META 2023 Award winner in Assamese, Atho Hidimba Katha in Bengali, and Sangeet Maanapamaan in Marathi, each addressing important social themes and cultural narratives. 

Beyond the stage

RSTF with the Bangalore Theatre Collective as its executive producer, will extend beyond traditional performances, offering workshops, seminars, and ancillary events designed to engage with the community. Two in-depth seminars will explore the evolution of Kannada theatre and Indian urban theatre, featuring renowned panellists KY Narayana Swamy, Lakshmi Chandrashekar and Abhishek Majumdar.

The Shankar Nag Award winners, all prominent under-40 theatre artistes, will lead discussions on the changing face of urban theatre in India. Platform performances curated by five Bengaluru-based theatre groups Dramarsis, WeMove, Illuminating Windows, Bangalore Little Theatre and Sanchaya, will take place in the foyer, highlighting the vibrant local theatre scene. Workshops led by prominent theatre personalities will focus on bringing creativity to daily life and are open to homemakers, teachers, and senior citizens.

The festival will also feature baithaks by Sangeetha Katti, Ustad Faiyaz Khan’s resonant echoes on the sarangi, Shadaj Godkhindi’s divine flute, and the melodious intricacies of MD Pallavi and Bindu Malini’s voices, weaving together a tapestry of timeless tunes and sublime artistry. Adding to the festival’s charm, RS Walks will offer behind-the-scenes tours of the theatre, led by S Surendranath. 

Details of the festival are available on the Ranga Shankara website and social media. Tickets for the shows are available at the Ranga Shankara box-office and on BookMyShow.  

Published - October 04, 2024 11:16 am IST