It’s an exciting time of the year owing to the ongoing festivities and the stage is abuzz with a fantastic line-up of presentations. The NCPA’s theatre genre is dedicated towards creating, presenting and hosting world-class theatrical experiences that entertain, challenge and inspire.
Our goal is to reach a wide and diverse audience and offer our range of spaces with a blend of live and screened events in both regional and foreign languages. Our programming ranges from classic plays to new writing, musicals, live and streamed broadcasts, spoken word, and classic cinema created and performed by the leading local, national and international artistes.
Coming up in January: Connections India
The NCPA’s youth theatre programme, in association with National Theatre, London.
What: Theatre Programme When: 11th-15th JanuaryWhere: Experimental Theatre
About the programme: The National Centre of Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai is proud to associate with the National Theatre, London, to bring an exciting and unique youth theatre initiative – Connections India, for the second time to schools in Mumbai. The holistic theatre programme offers the students across age groups the opportunity to perform in a festival of fantastic new plays written for young people by acclaimed playwrights. In its second rendition, Connections India will witness 10 schools from around Mumbai, present their theatre experience on stage at the Experimental Theatre, NCPA between the 11th to the 15th of January 2024.
The shows are directed by Danesh Khambatta, Rachel Burchett, Shruti Sharma, Gurleen Judge, Padma Damodaran, Asif Ali Beg, Rasika Agashe, Aakash Prabhakar, Amey Mehta and Chakori Dwivedi.
Schedule:
| SCHOOL | PLAYS | DIRECTOR | SHOW DATE |
| TFI | Tuesday | Padma Damodaran | 11th January |
| ABWA | Hunt | Gurleen Judge | 11th January |
| Colaba Municipality Upper Primary English School | Same | Amey Mehta | 12th January |
| BIS | Model behaviour | Danesh Khambatta | 12th January |
| Akanksha | Like Theres no Tomorrow | Asif Ali beg | 13th january |
| ICMD | Changing Room | Shruti Sharma | 13th january |
| Angel Xpress | Salt | Aakash prabhakar | 14th january |
| DSB | Mobile Phone Show | Rachel DSouza | 14th january |
| Aseema | Variations | Rasika Agashe | 15th january |
| Shatabdi Sohala Sahakar Nagar MNP Shala School Hindi 1 | Bhoomi Dhaara | Chakori Dwivedi | 15th January |
Reality Check
An NCPA Presentation in collaboration with Cinema Collective
What: Documentary Film Screening Where: Little Theatre When: Thursday, 18th January – 6.30 pm Entry: on a first-come-first-served basis
About Reality Check: NCPA has revived the Reality Check film series, which was started in 2014, to promote and encourage documentary filmmakers in India, whose work reflects life and culture in the country today in a provocative blend of creativity and integrity.
#Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, a film by Anand Patwardhan
Language: English, Hindi, Marathi Duration: 1 hr 36 mins
About the film screening: Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, a Sanskrit phrase meaning “the world is family” is a universal idea that competes the domain, exclusivist Hindu notions of caste. Anand grew up in a milieu that questioned the latter. The Family’s elders had fought for India’s Independence but rarely spoken about it. ‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity’, words enshrined in India’s Constitution, became subconsciously internalized. As his parents aged Anand began to film with whatever equipment was at hand. Soon birthdays and family gatherings gave way to oral history. Revisiting home movie footage a decade after his parents had passed was a revelation. Today as self-confessed supremacists whose ideology once inspired the murder of Mahatma Gandhi rewrite India’s history, memories of the past have become more precious than mere personal nostalgia.
Production, Direction, Editing: Anand Patwardhan. The film screenings will be followed by a post-film discussion.
Main Pal Do Pal Ka Shayar Hoon
An NCPA Presentation in collaboration with The Hoshruba Repertory & Art for Causes
What: Hindustani Play Where: Tata Theatre When: Saturday, 20th January – 7.00 pm
Duration: 2 hrsAge Suitability: 6+
About the play: The play is based on the life of Sahir Ludhianvi. Sahir Ludhianvi was one of the iconic poets & lyricists of Urdu literature and Hindi cinema respectively in the 20th century. Hoshruba Repertory in collaboration with the Art for Causes brings alive his life in a semi-autobiographical theatrical presentation. The play attempts to bring a 360-degree perspective on his life interspersed with some of his iconic songs and poems.
“Aao Ke Koi Khwaab Bunein”
Composed by Aneesh Pradhan and First Sung by Shubha Mudgal
Writers: Mir Ali Husain & Himanshu Bajpai
Director: Danish Husain
Madhuri Dixit
an NCPA Presentation in collaboration with Sparsh Productions
What: Gujarati Play Where: Tata Theatre When: Sunday, 21st January – 6.00 pm Duration: 2 hrs
Age Suitability: 6+
About the play: Madhuri Dixit is a romantic-thriller play which revolves around a couple named Ramakant and Madhuri who are happily married to each other, but this is not an ordinary relationship as Madhuri is in a vegetative state for the past seven years fighting a rare type of coma named Locked -in- syndrome. Madhuri met with an accident six days after marriage and since then she is trapped in her own body. Ramakant’s wife Madhuri understands everything that is happening around her but is not able to speak, react or communicate with the outer world. Ramakant has been serving and taking care of his wife since they got married, setting an image of an idol husband who is ready to sacrifice his whole life to bring Madhuri back to consciousness. Ramakant is a well-respected professor in an engineering college who minds his own business. They also have a maid named Shanti who visits their place twice in a day. Ramakant has a friend Pratik, a neurosurgeon, who visits his place for Madhuri’s routine check-ups. What will happen when the doctor finds out Ramakant’s weird behaviour which reveals a truth and lie game named Madhuri Dixit?
Directed by Swapnil Baraskar
Written and produced by Umesh Shukla
Cast: Riddhi Nayak Shukla, Neha Pakai, Harshad Patel & Hemang Vyas
Qisse aur Kavitaayein
An NCPA Off-Stage Presentation
What: Open mic poetry showWhere: Tata Gardens When: Sunday, 21st January – 6:30 pm
Language: Hindi Duration: 1 hr 30 mins Age Suitability: 15+
About the show: We bring to you a unique amalgamation of poetry infused with music. Stories about life, love, and laughter are sure to move you and bring you an experience to remember amidst nature at the beautiful Tata Gardens at the NCPA.
Headlined by Priya Malik, followed by Vanika Sangtani, Abhin Joshi, Aryansh Arora, and Yashi Verma, we bring to you an eclectic mix of your all-time favorites and fresh voices on the poetry scene.
LIFESTYLES OF MUMBAI 