EP 228 . 15 Dec 21
Project87
With Himali Kothari
In the episode
- Before we jump into Project87, can we start with some background about post Independence theatre in Mumbai? … For example the plays staged by Ebrahim Alkazi on Meghdoot Terrace or Naseeruddin Shah and Rage theatre group at Prithvi and NCPA … Or the stage adaptations by Naushil Mehta and Bharat Dabholkar …
- Indian English language plays in the second half of the 20th century can be defined by plays like Cyrus Mistry’s Doongaji House or the plays of Gurcharan Das and Give Patel and even Asif Currimbhoy … Why are these plays not included in Project 87
- You said, first when you went hunting… Where did you hunt? Playwriting Awards like The Hindu and Sultan Padamsee award … Or theatre competitions like Meta and BBC plays … Or theatre projects like Royal Court and Thespo … Or published plays by Seagull books and Dhauli …
- Project87 – Why “only” the plays in the new millennium? What sort of data did you mine / research in making this list. Why 87?
- How did you begin the journey and when did you decided to stop? How did you trace the roots to the playwrights or to the play productions?
- Most important Q: How can listeners of AudioGyan – especially students of colleges and universities – access these plays and playwrights?
- You have interviewed some of these playwrights …. What type of conversations have you had … What are the aesthetics of these playwrights? What is their muse!
- What were your curation parameters? How did you pick 87 plays? What has been the feedback from the theatre community?
- You are a voracious reader. You read American and European plays and have worked on the texts of Maria Irene Fornes plus Wolfgang Borchert. In terms of comparative study, your assessment of the Indian English plays included in Project 87?
- Final Q: Five plays which according to you theatrewallahs in India should translate into other languages and stage …
About Himali Kothari
Himali Kothari is a writer, creative editor of Readings in the shed. This Audiogyan is for another awesome project that Himali and Nikhil Katara have worked on. Project 87 – that focuses on the richness of English language plays originating from India in the last 20 years.
