Watch a selection of six Marathi experimental plays that explore myriad topics -- from the poetry by women saints, and the angst of a 21-year-old boy to a married couple struggling with their baggage of caste and culture

This weekend, theatre-lovers are totally spoilt for choice. Apart from regular treats at the Prithvi Theatre, roster of plays are scheduled at the Nehru Centre as part of their theatre festival, and NCPA will host a Marathi theatre festival. That's almost 11 different plays at some of the landmark auditoriums in the city.

National Centre of Performing Artsu00a0 (NCPA) has been associated with major Marathi productions over the years, including Zulwa, Atmakatha and Ek Zunj Varyashi. So, when NCPA decided to showcase experimental Marathi plays, the theatre community was all ears. Pratibimb Marathi Natya Utsav is the first initiative by NCPA in this direction, and will be followed by a monthly timetable of Marathi plays and regular drama festivals. Here's a look at what's in store at the festival.

All plays will be performed at Experimental Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point. A panel discussion will take place at 5 pm every day at the Experimental Theatre foyer.
Tickets: Rs 100 on the weekend, Rs 75 on weekdays Call: 22824567 / 66548135

Kalakendra's Mahapoor
On: August 11 at 6.30 pm
Duration: 120 minutes
Satish Alekar's Mahapoor is regarded as a classic Marathi play. Various groups have performed the play over the years. It tells a story of protagonist Govind Raghunath Kawthekar: his ambitions, passions, loves and realisation of the absurdity of his life. When yet another group decided to take up this timeless masterpiece, we were curious to find out whether they were attempting anything different. Director Aniruddha Khutwad answers in the affirmative. He says, "When I chose the script, I considered treating it like a 'period' play. But then again, the problems we face today are not very different from what the youngsters of the 70s faced. So, while the text remains the same, the visual treatment of the play has changed."

Lalit, Mumbai's Ekmekaat
On: August 9 at 6.30 pm
Duration: 120 minutes
John Osborne's work titled, Look Back in Anger popularised the term "angry young man" back in the 50s, and now playwright and director Manaswini Lata Ravindra has set out to explore the psyche of an angry young woman. "The protagonist in my play is a very angry woman. She is angry with her work, she is angry at the society, at the corruption in the society, and so on. She vents this anger at her live-in boyfriend, who decides to break up with her," says Ravindra. What happens after the break-up is what the play is about. "Women's role in the society is changing, and we are getting more assertive, we have a mind of our own. While we have adjusted to the changes, the men are clueless about how to behave around a confident woman. My play captures this role-reversal," says Ravindra.