It will be staging these plays, which have seen some 40 performances each, in two theatres in the city: one in North Bangalore, and the other in South Bangalore.

The bill comprises of a Kannada transcreation of Lysistrata, an antiwar play written by the ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. The Kannada version of the play, named Lokottame is by Vishala and Channakeshava.

This eminently musical production has been designed and directed by, again, the talented Channakeshava.

The other production, Ee Naraka, Ee Pulaka, is a septet, comprising of seven plays written by the P Lankesh, and is an epic and visionary undertaking designed and directed by auteur director and theatre guru Raghunandana.
Lokottame is a rollicking and disturbing antiwar farce which is also shot through with bawdy lines and very questioning sexual comedy. In the play, the women of Athens and Sparta, which have been at war against each other for decades, unite under the leadership of Lysistrata against the war-like men of both cities.

They decide to deny their husbands all conjugal pleasure until the men seal an understanding of enduring peace among themselves.

Ee Naraka, Ee Pulaka is a theatrical epic, not in terms of the duration of the performance, which is two hours and 20 minutes, but in terms of the sweep of life-situations and emotions that it portrays.

All the seven plays in it deal with our angst-ridden contemporary world, a world where every kind of violence — mental, physical and metaphysical — is at play, and which has many sources: vigilante, state-sponsored, famililial, professional, objective and subjective. The production is therefore expressionistic in form, and encompasses the surreal as well.

The visionary quality of the direction, design and acting stem from the effort to seek a way out of the prevailing impasse, and has been widely appreciated and acclaimed through the forty odd performances it has so far seen in as many towns and cities in Karnataka.

Here are the details concerning the performances. Lokottame and Ee Naraka, Ee Pulaka will be staged on January 20 and 21 respectively at MES Kishora Kendra, 15th Cross Malleswaram at 6.30 pm daily.

The performances are sponsored by MES Kalavedi. Entry is free.

The productions will be staged at Ranga Shankara, J P Nagara 2nd Stage on January 22 and 23, in the same order as given above, at 7.30 pm daily. The performances here are sponsored by K V Subbanna Aptasamuha and Samvada Trust. Tickets are priced at Rs 50 each.

For details call: 22562526/ 23347266 (MES Kalavedi), 9242523523 (KVS Aptasmuha), and 26592777 (Ranga Shankara).
DHNS