Prithvi Theatre Festival: Here are The Guide's top picks that you can indulge in this year

It is a busy afternoon when Zahan Kapoor answers this writerrsquos call As trustee he is busy with lastminute preparations for one of the biggest celebrations of the year mdash the Prithvi Theatre Festival ldquoThis is a concentrated time when the fraternity comes togetherrdquo Kapoor shares Extended by five days this year the festival will witness over 26 premieres by production companies across the countryKunal left and Zahan KapoorldquoExtending it even by five days has a logistical load It has its own unique challenges from setting rehearsal dates to managing the venuerdquo Kapoor notes This can be a challenge considering the curation spreads across art forms of theatre music and dance performance The infrastructure though Kapoor assures is ready The newly upgraded light and sound mixers ensure that the venue is moving ahead with times while retaining its familiar feelThe other addition is the Fringe venue that has grown popular for radical experiments ldquoIt caters to a specific kind of performance It also encourages newer groups and more experimental workrdquo he remarks adding that there are plans to transform the space into a parallel venue for shows throughout the year ldquoExtending the festival is a challenge and we might have to power through But that is part of the funrdquo the Kapoor scion laughs as he signs offFrom November 3 to November 18At Prithvi Theatre and Fringe opposite Prithvi House JuhuLog on to prithvitheatreorg inbookmyshowcomAlso Read Time for a workplace detox Heres how you can approach itThe guidersquos top picksAt Prithvi TheatreNaseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah File Picgtgt Return of old maestrosRatna Pathak Shah and Naseeruddin Shah open with Ek Dastaan Ek Haqeeqat writer Ashok Lalrsquos contemporary dastans replete with poetry themes of religious harmony and justiceON November 4 9 pm November 5 6 pm and 9 pmEntry Rs 750 onwardsgtgt Live laugh loveManav Kaulrsquos new musical Pyar Aadmi Ko Kabootar Banaa Deta Hai based on his book Prem Kabootar tells the story of three boys who fall in love and out of the lsquobrocodersquoON November 6 6 pm and 9 pmENTRY Rs 750gtgt Snapshots of a romanceGhanshyam Lalsarsquos group brings to the stage three decades of a tender romance through snapshots of a complex relationship in Khichik SnapshotsON November 7 6 pm and 9 pmENTRY Rs 750gtgt Finding singularityUnlike the premieres on show Adishakti will be presenting the final run of their famed production Brhannala mdash that first premiered 20 years ago on the Prithvi stage mdash based on the mythical episode from the Mahabharata on Arjunarsquos transformationON November 8 6 pm and 9 pmENTRY Rs 500gtgt Book this dramaMahmood Farooqui extreme right and Poonam Girdhanirsquos DastanERet Samadhi take Geetanjali Shreersquos Booker Prizewinning novel Tomb of Sand and transform it into a dastangoi performanceON November 9 9 pm November 10 5 pmENTRY Rs 750gtgt Drunken reveriesMakarand Deshpande will bring back his drunk avatar in this solo act Piyakkad that he calls ldquoan insight into the true makings of a drunkardrdquo Deshpande gives us a sneak peek saying ldquoItrsquos the story of three veteran drunkards that have changed my liferdquoON November 14 6 pm and 9 pmENTRY Rs 750gtgt Heart of a familySachin Khedekar seated takes on the role of a disillusioned patriarch played by the late James Earl Jones and Denzel Washington in Feroz Abbas Khanrsquos Hind the Hindustani adaptation of August Wilsonrsquos Pulitzer Prizewinning play FencesON November 16 6 pm and 9 pm November 17 5 pm and 8 pmENTRY Rs 750Also Read Diwali 2024 Six easy tips to keep your eyes safe this festive seasonAt Fringegtgt Russian talesRussian poet Alexander Pushkinrsquos poem will come to life in Purvabhyas Natya Sansthanrsquos stage adaptation Gypsies that deep dives into the concepts of morality conformity to law and freedomON November 13 5 pm and 7 pmENTRY Rs 250gtgt Grandmarsquos loveA grandmother and granddaughterrsquos bond of sacrifice and unconditional love finds an emotional expression on stage with Tumhara ShammiON November 18 5 pm and 7 pmENTRY Rs 250gtgt Murakami speaksA Japanese adventure is set to unfold with Adammya Theatre Grouprsquos premiere of this fantastical story on Mizuki Ozawarsquos chance meeting with increasingly mysterious characters in Aham MurakamiON November 16 5 pm and 7 pmENTRY Rs 250Musicgtgt Quadrophonics II ndash 4 PianosVeteran keyboardist Louiz Banks will unlock a treasure trove of symphonies with instrumentalists Tubby Rahul Wadhwani and Arka Chakraborty Gino Banks on drums and Sheldon DrsquoSilva on bassON November 18 8 pmENTRY Rs 750gtgt Symphony Orchestra of IndiaYoung piano prodigy Ayaan Deshpande will perform Mozartrsquos Piano Concerto No21 at this specially curated programmeON November 11 8 pmENTRY Rs 500