Celebrating tales, stagecraft, production & performances at Manch theatre festival

Pune: The stage is set, the spotlight is ready to be turned on and the curtain is about to rise on a theatre festival that is anything but ordinary. Manch, a brand-new celebration of stories, stagecraft, and production, is coming to the city this week.
From April 10 to 13, Shreeram Lagoo Rang-Avakash at Hira Baug will transform into a hub of performances, workshops, and conversations that go beyond what is seen under the lights. The festival is presented by Bengaluru-based Bhasha Centre, a theatre organisation dedicated to strengthening behind-the-scenes ecosystem in Indian theatre, in association with District by Zomato.

Vivek Madan of Bhasha Centre said, "From launching thedramalibrary.com, a digital library of unpublished playscripts, to creating Manch as a platform for indie groups to stage long-running productions, our goal is to fill the gaps sustainably."
The festival will open with a keynote by Bruce Guthrie, head of theatre and films at The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, on role of the producer in building bold, collaborative work. He will also join acclaimed playwright Irawati Karnik for a conversation on creative ecosystems and the importance of backstage leadership. "What makes theatre extraordinary is its immediacy — live bodies sharing space, telling stories that reflect, challenge, and move us," said Guthrie.
The standout productions to be staged include I Killed My Mother / It Wasn't My Fault, The Open Couple, and Rihila. Workshops cover a range of topics from production to promotion in theatre business. These include Women in Blacks by Saatvika Kantamneni, Chala Likes Yeu Dya, a session on using social media for theatre by Meghana AT, Stage to Page, a writing workshop by Prachi Sibal and Jitender Singh, and WoW, a workshop on designing by Abhay Mahajan.
The festival will also feature a session ‘Picnic with Playwrights', with Manaswini Lata Ravindra and Dharmakirti Sumant engaging in unfiltered exchange of ideas.