Samahaara

Samahaara is an Indian theatre group based in Hyderabad. It was founded by two young theatre personalities, the actor-director Rathna Shekar Reddy and the playwright Anjali Parvati Koda.^[1] The group began with touring its maiden production, The Crest of the Peacock,^[2][3] an educational play on mathematics across the twin cities to schools and colleges, staging more than 50 shows. Their play Purushotham-He, the Victim of Spiders and Pressure Cookers has received critical acclaim.^[4] They have worked on many productions since including another original play, Dominic Wesley, written by Koda and directed by the UK-based Stu Denison, Unlucky (based on Samuel Beckett's plays) also directed by Denison,^[5] Rabindranath Tagore's Post Office, Woody Allen's God,^[6] Athol Fugard's The Island and many workshop productions.

The Hyderabad Theatre Festival

Samahaara is credited with making theatre popular and involving the young in Hyderabad. Its most significant contribution to the theatre of India, apart from the original productions, has been organizing theatre festivals, namely The Hyderabad Theatre Festival 2009,^[7] The Hyderabad Theatre and Short-Film Festival 2010^[1][8] and the Samahaara Hyderabad Theatre and Rock Music Festival 2011.^[9][10] and Hyderabad Theatre Festival 2012.^[11] The Hyderabad Theatre Festivals (HTF) have been instrumental in bringing together the various amateur and professional theatre groups in Hyderabad and improving the quality and scale of the plays. They have been a great boost for theatre groups in Hyderabad.

Many of Samahaara's stand-alone productions are performed at auditoriums across the city, including the open-cultural center Lamakaan, the iconic Ravindra Bharathi, Telugu University and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. HTF 2009 was held in June 2009 at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, HTF 2010 was held at Ravindra Bharathi for 7 days in July 2010 and HTF 2011 was held in December 2011 at three venues: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Ravindra Bharathi and Taramati Baradari.^[12] HTF 2012 was held in December at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

Founders

Rathna Shekar Reddy is an alumnus of the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute^[1] and a noted theatre director and actor in movies and theatre.^[13] His body of work includes The Imaginary Invalid,^[14] Fiddler on the Roof,^[15] Purushotham, Wait Until Dark,^[16] The Last Wish Baby^[17] and movies like Naa Bangaru Talli (Ente in Malayalam as the lead), Virodhi, Ishq, Yamudiki Mogudu and upcoming movies like Antha Scene Ledu and Mana Kuralle.

With his performances and his flair for the art, he has touched the hearts of hundreds and can be termed as a person largely responsible for what can only be called as a 'theatre revolution' in the city visible in the last few years. Youngsters in Hyderabad are now able to find a mentor to mould their talent. He has created a platform for them to develop and display their talent.^[18]

Anjali Parvati Koda is a critically acclaimed playwright^[19][20] and writer in films. Her father is the filmmaker Mohan Koda^[21] and her brother, Rahul Koda, is currently a popular screenwriter in Telugu who co-wrote Telugu movies like Anaganaga O Dheerudu, Panjaa. She wrote her first play, Purushotham-He, the Victim of Spiders and Pressure Cookers at 18,^[22] and later wrote Dominic Wesley, directed by Stu Denison, which received good reviews.^[23][24] She co-wrote the adaptation of Samahaara's workshop production The Last Wish Baby, a satirical comedy, and her latest play was Gregor Samsa, a stage adaptation of Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis. Her first play, Purushotham, He the Victim of Spiders and Pressure Cookers, was included in the syllabus for BFA and MFA at Rutgers, State University of New Jersey in the academic year 2013-14.^[25] She is also a stand-up comedian.

Theatre workshops

Samahaara is one of the most active theatre groups in India, with a number of theatre workshops^[26] for both beginners and professionals by theatre personalities like Rathna Shekar Reddy, Mike Daisey, Theatre MXT from USA (in association with the US Consulate General Hyderabad),^[27] Stu Denison from the UK and David Zinder from Israel.^[28] Samahaara regularly runs weekday and weekend theatre workshops for beginners. The workshops help promote theatre awareness and increase professional approach and scope in the city.^[29]

References