Youthful actors, legendary playwrights!

When the vigour of nimble minds is combined with the rich legacy of theatrical masterpieces, it’s only natural that hard-hitting and stimulating performances emerge out of this combination.

Infusing new life to the literary marvels, Sahitya Kala Parishad and Department of Art, Culture and Languages, Delhi Government organised the seven-day festival ‘Yuva Natya Samaroh’ recently. The festival showcased some popular and widely performed plays, directed by young and promising directors of Indian theatre.

Heralding the festival on an emphatic note with the acclaimed author Mannu Bhandari’s play Mahabhoj, director by Tariq Hamid and his entourage performed at the Shri Ram Centre for Performing Arts.

Connecting the legacy of theatre through the vivid interpretations of the contemporary artistes, JP Singh, Assistant Secretary, Drama, Sahitya Kala Parishad, surmised, “Some very fine stories have been told in Indian literature over the centuries which never fail to enchant the audience, no matter, how many times they are played out and narrated.

At the Yuva Natya Samaroh, we have some such plays and stories that will get a new interpretation and meaning in the hands of young and remarkably talented Indian
theatre artistes.”

The festival featured plays by eminent writers like Bhishm Sahni and Surendra Verma. One of Indian literature’s earliest known playwrights Mahakavi Bhasa’s
ancient work Svapnav Savadattam was the highlight of the festival. The six-act Sanskrit play is the best known work of the writer; it encompasses the life of Vatsa King Udayana and his queen Vasavadatta.

The play was directed by Ramji Bali and staged on the fourth day of the festival. The curtains came down after the remarkable revival of Bhishma Sahni’s play Hanush by Himanshu Joshi on the seventh day of the theatre fest.