Prithvi Theatre Festival in the lurch, again

For two years in a row, Prithvi Theatre's annual festival will not take place in November according to schedule

For two years in a row, Prithvi Theatre's annual festival will not take place in November according to schedule

Mumbai's theatre buffs won't like this. Prithvi Theatre's annual theatre festival has been cancelled for the second consecutive year. The management has officially confirmed the news that the space will remain shut in November and therefore the festival will not be held this year.


A still from Vidyunmati Kalyaana, a play by the theatre group Ninasam.
The play was part of the last Prithvi Theatre Festival held in 2009

"We have been in the process of taking stock of the status of our building at Prithvi Theatre. As things stand now, we need to undergo the repair and maintenance of the building that needs immediate attention in November (when the monsoon is well and truly over). What this means is that we would not be able to host the Prithvi Theatre Festival this year," Sanjna Kapoor, director of Prithvi Theatre, confirmed.

As of now, the team at Prithvi Theatre has put all plans on hold. Work on the festival and other events at the theatre will resume only after the repair work is complete. "We have to put all our plans on hold till we have more clarity on the issue of the building and possible work required on it," Kapoor added.u00a0

The Prithvi Theatre Festival was postponed in 2010 as well. Then, Kapoor had said in a press release, "We have kept our tradition of celebrating theatre this year (2010) through our presentation of Complicite's A Disappearing Number -- however, because of Complicite's prior commitments this was in August."

A mini-festival was promised in February 2011 instead. But that was eventually converted into a day-long Theatre Carnival. In October last year, Kapoor had pacified theatre lovers by giving an assurance that the festival would be back in 2011.

"We will also host our regular Prithvi Festival in November 2011 -- with a much more ambitious National Theatre Festival -- again celebrating all those who have been part of Prithvi's story over the past 33 years." Unfortunately, we will have to wait another year for the "ambitious" festival.