Young directors take their plays to non-proscenium spaces

Young theatre directors Gulshanara Khatun and Avi Chakraborty have chosen intimate spaces to present their theatre rather than staging them on big prosceniums. Soon, Gulshanara’s Batil Chithi and Avi’s Samayjan will be performed at Padatik. While Batil Chithi has been scripted to be a non-proscenium play, Samayjan — a play by Bratya Basu — was initially staged on a proscenium stage.Gulshanara, who also acts in the play, said, “We always cry for halls and don’t get dates. So we have decided that we will start occupying intimate spaces to stage our work. This time, we are staging it in Padatik. But we can take it to your drawing room and college canteen.” Avi said, “Samayjan started in a non-proscenium space in Bangalore in 2017. It was an impromptu decision to stage in a thakurdalan as the hall that was allotted there was not suitable for the play. We found a perfect space and staged it there. Later, we took the play to various auditoriums including Girish Mancha, Madhusudan Mancha, Muktangan, Jogesh Mime and so but I always wanted to stage it in an intimate space. I keep on asking people for suck spaces. The play took place in Tripti Mitra Natya Griha and Gobordanga Sanskritik and got good response. Now, we will have a show in Padatik and we are really looking forward to it.”