Play a part

A previous session of Curtain Call underway

One can never read plays alone; because of the number of characters, it's always better to read it in a group," believes city-based applied theatre practitioner Aanchal Jain, whose arts-based organisation Thought Project has initiated Curtain Call, a Zoom session where participants - even those from non-theatre backgrounds - can meet virtually to read and discuss plays. This weekend, the group is hosting a community reading of playwright Mahesh Dattani's play, On A Muggy Night in Mumbai.

Jain tells us that the idea stemmed from her own experience of being unable to prepare for a play by herself when the lockdown started. Realising that this could be something they could extend to a larger community, they started Curtain Call in June, focusing on plays that highlight social themes. She adds that people can sign up to be a reader or a viewer; readers are assigned characters and expected to read aloud their lines. "We believe that theatre can be a powerful tool to
address various socio-political issues. Accordingly, our choice of plays is mediated by the thought of having a guided discussion on them, post the readings," Jain elaborates.

Aanchal Jain and Mahesh Dattani

In the upcoming session, the group is inviting participants to read Dattani's play, which revolves around six friends in Mumbai, their journey of self-discovery, and the ways in which they navigate relationships, gender, sexuality, mental health, companionship and societal oppression. "This is a play I wrote in 1995, and even made a movie on it [called Mango Soufflé]," Dattani shares.

The Sahitya Akademi Award-winning playwright adds, "When the folks from Thought Project reached out to me, I thought it was a great idea to have a community read the play. I remember when I started doing theatre, we would pick up a script, read and discuss it every weekend," he recollects, adding that such readings can open up larger conversations. His advice to readers? "Have fun and discover it as a story about relationships."

On January 23, 4 pm; January 24, 6 pm
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Cost Rs 250 onwards