Goan theatre expert Vijaykumar Naik, who has directed 22
Marathi plays in his career till date, has now put up a play for Kala Academy
students. “Till now, I have directed plays for our Hauns Theatre Training
Centre; this is the first time that I am directing one for the Kala Academy
Repertory Company students,” Vijaykumar says.
“The inaugural show of the play ‘Khel Kheliyela’ will
be staged at Kala Academy on August 25, 2015. The earlier productions by
Rangamell, Kala Academy’s Repertory Company, used to be staged within the
state. This time we have decided to take it to another level by staging it in
various places outside Goa. ‘Khel Kheliyela’ is Rangamell’s 45th play
production,” informs Vishnu Surya Wagh, Chairman of Kala Academy.
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The play, starring 16 artistes, has an interesting story to
tell. “The play incorporates the fun and entertainment aspect of our lives. One
needs to understand the fact that when obsess over these two elements (fun and
entertainment) in our personal lives, it can ultimately have an adverse impact.
Every individual contributes towards society in one way or the other, and in
return, our personal life is influenced by society. These experiences help us
to grow and attain maturity. This same thought has been put forth through the
play ‘Khel Kheliyela’,” explains Vijaykumar.
While it took Vijaykumar one and half months to pen down the
play, it took an additional 10-15 days to put it up. “These artistes have good
theatre experience so it was quite easy for them to pick up the nuances of the
characters; it’s only the coordination that took ten days,” he says.
‘Khel Kheliyela’ fits perfectly into the dramatic
cornucopia that Goa boasts of. Theatre has been an important part of the
state’s culture and history; no zatra or festival is complete without the
staging of a play. Rangamell too highlights Goa’s status as a state with
culturally rich theatre heritage by regularly staging plays of high standards
in terms of content, presentation and production value. The repertory company
has, so far, produced 41 plays in Konkani, Marathi, Hindi and English
languages, making its presence felt all over Goa as well as outside the state.
Special efforts are being made by Kala Academy to take this rich theatrical
tradition to the people who live in far flung villages and small towns where
such artistic experiences are a rare occurrence.
Rangamell’s various productions have been staged at several
national theatre festivals like Bharat Rang Mahotsav organised by National
School of Drama (Delhi), Nehru Centre (Mumbai) and theatre festivals in
Gujarat, Rajasthan, Kerala, MP, Uttarakhand, etc. In April 2013, Rangamell
organised its first international tour in Dublin, Ireland and performed eight
shows of Rabindranath Tagore’s plays ‘The Post Office’ and ‘Red Oleanders’ (in
English) at the Samuel Beckett Theatre Company, Dublin.
‘Khel Kheliyela’ will be staged at Kala Academy,
Campal, Panjim on August 25, 2015 at 7 pm. Free entry passes shall be available
at the venue from August 24, 2015.
Rangamell
In 1987, Kala Academy started a Theatre Art Faculty,
presently named School of Drama, to impart scientific training to promote the
theatre movement in Goa. In order to provide professional theatrical experience
and a platform to the alumni of the School of Drama as well as theatre
enthusiasts of the state, Kala Academy formed ‘Rangamell’ – a Repertory
Company, in October, 1992.
