Take to the stage

Mumbai Guide, mini-festival, Rage Productions, popular plays, choreographer Shiamak Davar, True School of Music and theatreperson Divya Palat, workshops

There's a mini-festival in town
Rage Productions started in 1993, when Shernaz Patel, Rahul da Cunha and Rajit Kapur joined hands and decided to make plays without an eye to the box office'. Since then, the group has staged acclaimed as well as popular plays such as Class of ‘84 and The Glass Menagerie.

A scene from Mahua

Throughout this week, five of its plays will be staged at Prithvi theatre. It will include Class of '84, which offers a unique take on friendship over time; Mahua, a play on a tribal belt whose inhabitants face the threat of displacement; One on One, a show of monologues about contemporary India; The Glass Menagerie based on the classic play written by Tennessee Williams; and The Bureaucrat about a senior bureaucrat who needs to solve a national crisis.

A scene from Class of ‘84

Speaking about the event, Rahul da Cunha says, "Every so often, we like to have mini-festivals to remind audiences of the range of plays we have in our stable, plus the fact that we are a multi-lingual theatre company (Mahua is in Hindi and three of the monologues in One on One are also in Hindi)."

The theatre group has festivals every six months so that the audiences get a perspective of the Rage oeuvre.

On: Mahua (September 9 and 10, 9 pm); Class of '84 (September 11, 7 pm and 9.30 pm); One on One (September 12, 7 pm and 9.30 pm); The Glass Menagerie (September 13, 5.30 pm and 9 pm); The Bureaucrat (September 14, 5 pm and 8.30 pm)
At: Prithvi Theatre, Juhu.
Call: 26149546 for tickets

Music, dance and theatre
If you wish to hone your overall skills, in terms of music, dance and theatre acting, sign up for the workshops that are part of the arts festival YouTheatre. This year's theme is change and it aims to bring music, theatre and dance under one roof by providing three-day intensive workshops, which will culminate in a show. The workshops will be hosted by contemporary choreographer Shiamak Davar, faculty from the True School of Music and theatreperson Divya Palat.

Scenes from the acting workshop by Divya Palat

Palat adds, "The idea was to ensure everyone, regardless of age, ability and socio-economic strata are given a chance to use art as a tool for change. We want people to realise what incredible tools theatre, music and dance are to make a difference in your life. The sessions are for those who wanted to try but never did."

Her acting course will train students on the art of the monologue. "They will learn to perform solo on stage and narrate stories from personal experiences," she says.

The music course will train students to co-create an original song and learn the tools to mix remix and change the song. The Dance with Shiamak course will have students improvising a series of dance movements and creating an original dance piece inspired by what change means to them. Each workshop will end with a finale performance on Sunday.

On: September 12, 13 and 14
At: NCPA, Nariman Point.
Call: 9821016149 / 9820980809 to register