PUNE: Bharat Natya Mandir in Sadashiv Peth opens its doors on Monday, November 16, for nine days of amateur theatre.
The Pune centre preliminary round of the 65th Houshi Marathi Rajya Natya Spardha, organised by the state cultural affairs department and the directorate of cultural affairs, runs till November 24. Seventeen plays will be staged.
Swachhand Pune's 'Label' opens the competition on November 16, followed the same day by 'Jyachya Tyacha Prashna'. Shows are at 1 pm and 7 pm each day.
The schedule runs through 'Red Wine' on November 17, 'Perfect Mystery' and 'Nishigandha' on November 18, 'Vadalvaat' and 'Antaratlya Andharat' on November 19, 'Begum Barve' and 'Apurnam' on November 20, 'Udghatan' and 'Pratima... Ek Gaane' on November 21, 'Couple Single Aahe' and 'Moruchi Mavshi' on November 23, and 'Pasara' and 'Black Box' on November 24.
For amateur theatre groups, this round is the year's audit. A place in the next stage of the competition is decided here, and groups have spent the past months on rehearsals, sets and the small economics of putting a production together.
The list itself is varied: family drama, mystery, women-led narratives and experimental work. For first-time performers, it is one of the few stages in the state that comes with an audience and a jury in the same room.
For theatre-goers in the city, the run turns Sadashiv Peth into the obvious evening stop for the next week and a half. It is also the first large theatre event after Diwali, which usually means full houses.
The competition's next round follows the Pune centre's results, and the groups that go through will carry the city's share of the state draw with them.