A dramatic weekend is on the cards for people in Patna with a taste for theatre.
Two English plays - 30 Days in September and Nine Parts of Desire - would be staged at Premchand Rangshala on Saturday and Sunday evening. Both the plays have already been performed at several places around the country. Well-known actor Lillete Dubey, with films like Zubeidaa, Kal Ho Naa Ho under her belt, will direct both the plays in Patna. After a small role in the 2012 British comedy-drama The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Lillete also romanced Richard Gere in the recent release The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
She'll entertain theatre lovers with her direction of 30 Days in September (written by Mahesh Dattani) and Heather Raffo's Nine Parts of Desire on April 4 and 5, respectively. While the second work is a solo performance of the director's talented daughter Ira, 30 Days... would see Lillete sharing the stage with Ira, Darshan Jariwala and Joy Sengupta.
"30 Days in September treats the taboo of sexual abuse of children and delves into points of 'how', 'what' and 'where' it can take place. The play showcases the complicated relationship of a mother and a daughter, trying to overcome the trauma of the past," said Shouvik Narain, a theatre artiste from Patna and the organiser of the two plays over the weekend.
The play would start at 8pm.
On Nine Parts of Desire, the solo of Ira to be staged from 7.30pm on April 5, Narain said: "The 75-minute play depicts the lives of nine women and all the characters would be played by one actor."
Narain, the organiser of the plays, is overwhelmed by the response. "Initially, I was a little cautious but after an overwhelming response from the audience over the social media, I decided to organise the event," he said.
Residents are excited about the weekend treat too. "In the 1990s, great plays were staged at Kalidas Rangalaya and Premchand Rangshala but the emergence of different mediums of entertainment led to the audience losing interest in theatre. I am glad that after a decade these two internationally acclaimed English plays are going to be staged in Patna. I have booked my tickets for the show," said Indranath Chattopadhyay, who works with a radio station in the city.
