Yatrik out to discover new talent

Neha Kirpal

Yatrik Theatre, one of the oldest theatre groups in New Delhi, is turning up the heat this summer. The group, which is known for thought-provoking theatre in Hindi and English over the past 50 years, has collaborated with Sangeet Shyamala for a year-long programme to discover fresh scripts and inspire new directorial talent.

“We have done similar programme earlier with some success at the India Habitat Centre,” says Yatrik’s director Avijit Dutt. One of the programme’s success stories in the past was Abhishek Majumdar, who did his debut play during the course of one such programme, and went on to make a name for himself as a playwright. As part of the programme, Yatrik is doing an actor training workshop, to be conducted by Dutt and his team from June 21 to July 15. The workshop, which will have elements like acting, improvisation and theatre games, will conclude with a performance to help participants get a sense of the entire workings of theatre. “Starting from the building blocks of the body, we create an entire process to bring mind to focus and deliver better performances,” explains Dutt.

Many original scripts by indigenous and international playwrights have been dramatised by directors during readings. This year, Mahasweta Devi’s Bedanbala was dramatised by Anmol Vellani. The performance was directed by Oroon Das. “Before mounting on the stage, we do a masterclass with a veteran director or lights designer to fine-tune the production,” adds Dutt. Yatrik’s last play, 9.45 ki Express Ki Citee, written and directed by Dutt, was based on child abuse. The script was inspired by true experiences of a girl who was abused in her childhood. The play commemorated a decade of the Commission for Protection of Child Rights. As a theatre director and actor, Dutt has done over 75 plays in English, Hindi and Bengali. He has also written six full-length plays.

Founded in 1964 by educationist Joy Michael, Yatrik has many firsts to its credit — establishing and maintaining weekend repertory theatre, employing full-time personnel and paying actors and directors as well as starting regular plays by and for children. Some of the well-known film and television celebrities who have worked with the group over the years include Roshan Seth, Sushma Seth, Kusum Haidar, Alyque Padamsee, Marcus Murch, Barry John, Bhaskar Ghose, Sunit Tandon, Ebrahim Alkazi and Kulbhushan Kharbanda.