Youth Theatre In India
The auditioning & screening process is in July. 35 are shortlisted. 5 make it to the final five. And on the final day, just one emerges the winner.
Sounds like the tried & tested formula of the not so uncommon reality TV star' shows, right? Think again. This is the lineup for the Annual Lipton Thespo Awards, who believe they are churning out the future of theatre'. This year, the festival was held between 15-19th of December, at the NCPA experimental theatre in Mumbai. It has also spread its wings to Delhi & Bangalore.
So how exactly is Thespo different from other theatre festivals? Neysa Mendes, Festival director, Mumbai says that "We are a bridge. There is just too wide a gap between professional & inter collegiate theatre, which makes it very difficult for a person just starting out into the field. We try & bring the two closer together."
The way the entire show works is simple. The actors need just their talent to get into the final five. They have to be below 25 yrs of age, select or write a play, direct it & audition for it. When they do put it up, the lighting, sound, stage & all the other paraphernalia that goes hand in hand with a professional play is provided by the organizers. Undoubtedly, it is this aspect that thrills & attracts most performers.They have other reasons too, for performing here. Santosh Verulkar, Director & actor of the Marathi play Aastha ani gawarichi bhaji' performs here because he thinks it opens up the Hindi & English audiences for him, "We are noticed on this platform. We may just land up with roles in other languages."
The plays by themselves are visual & auditory extravaganzas. The lighting is appealing & tailor made, the dialogue delivery is convincing, the direction impeccable & the scripts well written. Quality of performance', may well be placed as the trademark of Thespo. The storylines have ranged from incest to the student-teacher equation to a brilliant adaptation of Vijay...
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