The Youth Theatre Festival at Thespo 21 Begins From 16th December 2019
MUMBAI, Dec. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Thespo, a youth theatre movement, has announced its 21st edition, which will be held at Prithvi Theatre, Juhu from 16th - 21st December. Thespo is a youth theatre movement based out of Mumbai, that started in 1999 as an evening's programme of theatre, has evolved into a full-fledged, round-the-year movement, which has been possible with the help and support of the theatre community. Today, Thespo focuses on training and mentoring young talent, giving them a platform to showcase their work, creating collaborations between national and international theatre-makers, all aimed towards building a global community of young theatre professionals. It is run by a team - organizers and participants under 25. Over the last few months, more than 200 young groups from 27 cities, covering over 15 languages have registered their performances and a screening panel consisting of two proficient theatre professionals has gone around to watch these plays, giving feedback and curating few for the festival.
Thespo is working towards the 21st edition of its annual festival, which is a flagship event. The festival is filled with full-length plays, platform performances, fringe performances - one of which is in collaboration with Canadian theatre maker Kathleen Duborg - intermediate extensive workshops, and play readings. This year Thespo 21 will feature a full-length play from Jabalpur for the first time ever. Over the last 20 years, Thespo aspires dial up the drama so they have come up with its 21st theatre festival.This year, they are stepping up things to the next level and are gearing up for a week full of non-stop drama so that people can 'Binge on Theatre'. A true inspiration of the millennial obsession of binging on daily-soaps, capturing the essence of the era of - binging. The concept of theatre is bringing drama to life, so indulge in a week-long binge on the brilliance of theatrics this Thespo 21.
This year they will showcase a lineup of full-length plays, platform performances, fringe performances and workshops at Prithvi Theatre. As tradition calls, Thespo celebrates the stalwarts who have kept theatre alive for the current generation to inherit. To this end, they have instituted a Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be held at NCPA this year. Being an intricate web of nuances, Indian theatre constitutes a lot of luminaries that often escape our attention. One such unsung hero is Farrokh Mehta.
With an extensive repertoire, he is an artist who passionately believes in the solidarity that theatre accords to its practitioners. Sharing this sentiment of camaraderie and in the hopes of faithfully continuing this legacy, Thespo presents this year's Lifetime Achievement Award to Mr. Farrokh Mehta. Along with applauding his phenomenal performances over the years, Thespo also acknowledges the spirit of unity that he brings to the fore.
They also encourage a culture of experiencing theatre by introducing the concept 'Friends of Thespo' - a crowdfunding programme for the past 7 years. The purpose of Friends of Thespo is to build a strong sense of community and a powerful team of theatre and Thespo lovers. It also helps in raising the basic funds needed to ensure that the festival can continue to happen year after year.
Commenting on Thespo21, Quasar Thakore Padamsee, theatre director, and one of the founders of Thespo commented, "I don't know how they do it, but each year the newer generation keeps surprising us with their talent and drive. Honestly it makes me very jealous as a theatre-maker. This year's festival is a really proper tribute to the two decades that the movement has been going. How the team has managed to curate the line up and the incredible workshops is really impressive."
Nishika Mehta (19), one of the Thespo Fellows said, "Vikram Phukan and Alok Rajwade scoured the country for over six weeks before finally deciding on the line up. They saw plays from over 15 cities & towns, and in more than ten languages. We've been very fortunate to have two such experienced and dedicated curators. And the four plays that have been short listed are varied in content, style, and form. It really promises to be a very exciting 21st year."
Where: Thespo21 is taking place at Prithvi Theatre and NCPA.
When: The performances and workshops are would be showcased at Prithvi Theatre from 16th to 20th December 2019 followed by that the awards night is being held on the 21st December at Godrej Dance Theatre, NCPA.
About Thespo
Thespo is a youth theatre movement that showcases, trains, collaborates and celebrates to create a global community of young theatre professionals.
About Theatre Group Bombay:
Theatre Group Bombay (Established in 1944) is one of India's oldest English language theatre groups whose members (Alyque Padamsee, Sabira Merchant, Gerson Da Cunha, among others) have gone on to become legends in theatre, radio and television.
About QTP:
QTP is an arts management company that specialises in creating unique and engaging experiences for live audiences. The company produces its own unique brand of work with thought provoking productions like Khatijabai of Karmali Terrace, Project S.T.R.I.P., So Many Socks, Wildtrack and Every Brilliant Thing. Over the years QTP has built collaborations with theatre-makers from across the world and produced various international performances from countries like Canada, Australia, UK and many more. Additionally, QTP also manages the annual Tata Literature Live! and the youth theatre movement Thespo which is now in its 21 st year. QTP believes theatre can change lives and is committed to building a strong community for the practice and appreciation of live performing arts.
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