What: Short+Sweet powered by t2
Where: Gyan Manch
When: August 7 to 12
Expect: The second edition of Short+Sweet theatre festival in Calcutta will feature around 40 plays, mostly by Calcutta-based groups. Six plays will be staged by groups from Mumbai, Bangalore and Dubai.

What is Short+Sweet?

Short+Sweet is a multi-platform, international arts organisation, running festivals in theatre, dance, cabaret, comedy, voice (choirs and vocal groups) and film throughout Australia, New Zealand, Dubai, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, India and now in the US. “It runs the largest festival of 10-minute acts in the world with a successful track record of over 15 years across more than 20 cities in the world. The festival includes something for everyone — comedy, drama, romance, thriller, and all in just 10 minutes!” said festival coordinator Suman Sarawgi. 

This time, last year...

 

At a glance

Duration of each play: Not more than 10 minutes.
Scripts: Original plays written by either local playwrights or international writers especially for the festival.
Language: A mix of English, Hindi and Bengali.
Preliminary rounds: August 7, 8, 9 and 10 at Gyan Manch. The set of plays for each evening will be different and no two plays will be directed by the same person. 
Gala Finals: Only 10 to 12 plays will be shortlisted for the final battle at Gyan Manch on August 12. The finalists have to stage their plays twice on August 12 — once for the curtain-raiser show at 4pm, and again at the judges’ round at 6.30pm, followed by the award ceremony.
Judges: Ananda Lal, Katy Lai Roy, Chetna Jalan, Sanchaiyita Banerjee, Anubha Fatehpuria, Pradip Mitra, Vikram Iyengar and Gulan Kripalani. This year the best play chosen by the judges will also be given the t2 Best Play Award. 
Entry: Ticket prices for the Preliminary Rounds are Rs 150 per person and those for the Gala Finals on August 12 are Rs 250 per head. Tickets are available on bookmyshow.com and will be available at the venue on the day of the event.

Short+Sweet theatre festival, in association with t2, was launched in Calcutta in 2015 by theatre enthusiast Rashmi Kotriwala. In the first edition, almost 35 teams took part with 10-minute plays each. In an evening show, the audience were treated to around 10 plays. At the end of each show the audience voted for their favourite play of the evening and a set of judges picked their favourites. The scores were tallied to make a shortlist of plays to be staged at the Gala Finals. Shaishav — A Confined Desire, a play written and directed by Sukamal Maitra of theatre group Shilpobhumi, won the Best Overall Production prize.

What: MAD presents Babai Weds Mamon powered by t2
Where: Gyan Manch
When: August 5, 6.30pm to 8pm
The plot: Two dysfunctional Bengali families come together to celebrate the marriage of their respective children, Babai and Mamon, in this comedy that is rife with everything that makes the Bengali feel nostalgic. Tickets: Priced at Rs 200, available at www.explara.com; or call 9748219249. 
Organiser speak: “Babai Weds Mamon is much more than 50 shades of Bangaliana. It is a living, breathing pujo advertisement,” said Soham Majumdar, co-director of the play.