Five plays dedicated to five years

On Tuesday October 27 Ranga Shankara Indias most affordable theatre space will be revving up its performances in celebration of its fifth birthdayRanga Shankara has hosted over 2000 plays since its inception which makes it atleast one or more performance every day The company holds an annual themed festival to celebrate Ranga Shankaras wide range of shows Performances vary in language theatre styles and meaning As well as being a venue the theatre also produces plays which are staged here post which they travel panIndia A host of plays are lined up for the fifth year celebrationsu00a0Stills from the plays top Madhav Bagh second Arundhati Nag and third Gumma to be staged at Ranga ShankaraMiD DAY spoke to Arundhati Nag the founder member and the leading force behind the whole initiative who believes the company to be potentially a platform for theatre not just for Bangalore but India and the rest of the worldu00a0Ranga Shankara has its own home productions For our fifth birthday we will be showcasing five plays we are proud of These plays will run from October 27 until November 1 in various languages Hindi Kannada and English Three of the plays will be performed by children of different ages and there will also be two solos says NagThe aim for the future of Ranga Shankara is to increase audience in Bangalore before considering expansion Nag says she wants The sixth year of existence to be dedicated to doubling up audience who want to experience something different The theatre for children AHA which unites children from a range of backgrounds has already doubled up in number recently as they have come directly from school Workshops are held to produce plays but Rangas primary motive now is to increase the numbers of mature audienceNag reiterates Every performance needs an audience In todays time just making it out of your home or office and making it in time is quite demanding She believes that audience want theatre to be fashionable and if it does not have that West End or Bollywood type of glamour attached to it just like more daring and experimental theatre has there might be fewer audience Because Ranga Shankara is not for religion politics or money I would like to salute anyone who dares to spend his or her spare time getting involved whether it be in music dance painting or simply being a good audience says NagIn celebrating their fifth birthday Nag says We are saluting the people who have performed in these last five years We are celebrating Bangalore for making Ranga so unique and the people who have made it work We have seen so many enterprises closing in two years but were still smiling and going strong It is time to say thank you to people performers and audience All we do is provide the spaceZapperdockel and the WockA story of the beginning of a friendship between two creatures that couldnt be more different from each other On October 27 730 pmCall 2649 3982Hakki Harutide Nodidira A story of a woman discovering her inner beauty through the eyes of a strangerOn October 28 730 pmThe First LeafThe story of the joys and challenges of a middle class family residing in the Gurukripa Society On October 29 730 pmCall 2649 3982Bikhre BimbA solo Hindi play about Manjula Nayak a professor of English literature and an unsuccessful writer who finds international acclaim when she writes a novel in English which becomes a bestseller On October 30 730 pmCall 2649 3982Flowers An English dramatic monologue that questions duty and its complex relationship with human desireOn October 31 730 pmCall 2649 3982At Ranga Shankara JP Nagar 2nd PhaseWallet factor Ticket prices start at Rs 50 and never go above Rs 200 even for renowned plays