15th edition of Old World Theatre Festival to begin on October 8

New Delhi, Sep 28 (IANS) With an assemblage of finest theatre, the 15th edition of Old World Theatre Festival will be held here from October 8 to 16 this year.

The nine-day festival will open with an acclaimed play "Ramayana" by Jalabala Vaidya and Akshara theatre to pay tribute to theatre doyen Gopal Sharman who passed away earlier this year.

Presented by Old World Culture, the festival will be held at India Habitat Centre, Delhi, and Epicentre in Gurgaon.

Other main focus of the festival would be on the staging of Kaizad Kotwal's widely debated play "Agnes of God", which sparked a row after Catholic groups in Mumbai sought its ban for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

The play, an adaptation of an original play by John Pielmeier, tells the story of a Catholic nun Sister Agnes, who has a baby, and claims immaculate conception. The play will be staged on October 13 and 14 at Stein auditorium, India Habitat Centre.

"The festival is attentive to relevant and exciting theatre experiences developing across the country. This edition brings together ambitious productions pushing the limits of contemporary theatre practice," said Vidyun M. Singh, Director, Programmes, India Habitat Centre.

The festival also offers a variety fare, including Ibsen's timeless classic "Doll's House" by Ila Arun, which features Ira Dubey of M Cream fame in the lead and Purva Naresh's hugely entertaining "Ladies Sangeet".

The other attractions include "Barff" featuring the versatile actress Sadia Siddiqui and veteran actor-director Saurabh Shukla. Besides, "The Gentlemen's Club AKA Tape" on the discreet lives of the drag kings and "Tees" on the collapse of traditional agriculture are notable selections this year.

"The plays deal with issues ranging from freedom, gender stereotypes, religion to eroding ecosystems and assaults on sustainable agriculture and rural livelihood," added Singh.

The much-anticipated solo "White Rabbit Red Rabbit" and Anish Victor's choreographed solo "Koogu" are defining additions to the festival, said the organisers.

Theatre lovers can also look forward to a workshop series called Cycloroma 2016 as part of the festival.

Registered participants will have the opportunity to interact with theatre artists Anurupa Roy, Anahita Uberoi, Sudhanva Deshpande, Puja Sarup, Sheena Khalid, Arghya Lahiri, Jaimini Pathak, Purva Naresh among others.

The sessions range from acting to light design, scripting, playing with material to the use of music and song, and children's theatre.

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