Which is the last best play you saw? A Marathi play titled TI, which was performed at the National School of Drama (NSD) during the Theatre Olympics this year. It has had a long lasting impact on me. Besides entertaining me with a horror story, the play also experimented on various levels like being a '' play within a play '', one actor playing eight different roles, characters entering, exiting and appearing from unexpected places. All these factors not only made it more interesting but also taught me a lot about stagecraft and the art of performance. The actor playing eight different roles, slipped into each character with such ease, that the audience was left spell bound.
Your favourite adda to see a play Prithvi theatre is a beautiful place to watch quality productions and to intimately experience the magic of theatre. But I would also like to mention the Yashwantrao Chavan Centre at Sachivalya as an adda to watch plays. Every year intercollege theatre competitions are held in this particular theatre and I love to watch different one- act plays performed by college students. It's a breath of fresh air.
Your favourite playwright It's extremely difficult to name one, as I am deeply influenced by P.L Deshpande's pure humour, Munshi Premchand's mesmerising Hindi, Shakespeare's emotional rollercoasters and Samuel Beckett's interpretative presentations. But to name just one, it would be Vijay Tendulkar. His dramas have a harsh take on reality, humanity, hypocrisy, social issues, and women's status in our society, and there is so much more that moves you from within.
Your favourite play-character Laura Wingfield from THE GLASS MENAGERIE, written by Tennessee Williams. Alone, isolated and limping, Laura engages herself in an imaginary world of glass animals. Laura's character is relatable to every girl and yet she is so different. It is always challenging to play a person who is less expressive. Besides her, Draupadi from The Mahabharata is a character that is a dream role for every theatre actress.
A play you would like to see filmed. Why? WADA CHIREBANDI – a Marathi classic by Mahesh Elkunchwar. It depicts a very realistic story of a family. I feel that if filmed, it may take us closer to the lives of the entire family. Also the ambience inside the old house, the little unsaid expressions - everything will come to life if this play gets filmed.
A novel/short story you would like to see on stage? Why? I recently read Daphne du Maurier's novel ‘Rebecca' and even saw Alfred Hitchcock's movie on the same. But I wonder what a challenge it will be to establish The Manderley mansion on stage .The story is a blend of murder mystery, suspense, drama, horror, love story, human emotions, courtroom drama, and even comedy. So many elements can contribute to this play that delivers so much to its audience and can also fill them with nostalgia, as they would recall the book and Hitchcock's Black and White film.
The most hilarious play you have seen When it comes to comedy, I enjoy much more when I am watching plays in my mother tongue Marathi. HASVA PHASVI is one of those classic Marathi plays that will make you smile with admiration for the witty humor as well as make you laugh out loud with its relatable characters.
A play, which is over-hyped I sincerely don't think any play currently is over-hyped, as each play is a team effort and a result of hard work, which deserves all the hype and publicity that comes its way.
An important play (but ignored) I had been a part of a play titled TIRATH ME SAB PAANI HAI. The play had a brilliant say against superstitions, religious blindness, and exploitation of women by self declared god men. The specialty of the play lay in its ability to present these issues wrapped up in a comedy. Unfortunately the play had limited shows. It could have been staged at a few important theatres where it could have reached a mature audience and the message it contained could have been delivered on a larger scale. We still hope to stage this play this year and give justice to its content.""
Manali Kale
