Prithvi Theatre to exhibit works of gen-next playwrights

Mumbai: Aspiring playwrights from the city will get a chance to present their productions at the prestigious Prithvi Theatre as a part of collaboration between the British Council and Government of Scotland.

Titled "Class Act", the project, in association with Creative Scotland, will have new works from 60 new generation playwrights based out of Mumbai, as a part of the celebrations of the Council's 70 years in India.

"Class Act" is being conducted by Rage Productions in partnership with the Traverse Theatre from Edinburgh at the Prithvi Theatre on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The project saw the participation from 12 schools with five students each undergoing a two-week training on playwriting.

At the end of the workshop, 20 of their original scripts, mentored by acclaimed professional playwrights from Scotland and India, directed by a mix of accomplished Scottish and Indian directors and performed by professional actors from Mumbai will be staged over these two days with 10 plays per day.

"We are excited to bring the Class Act to Indian students, which will not only encourage creativity amongst young writers, but also provide them with a platform to develop and showcase their talents.

"British Council's creative arts programmes not only allow individuals to celebrate their unique creativity but also unlock greater career choices by nurturing and developing the artiste within," Helen Silvester, Director-West India, British Council, said in a statement.

"Class Act" has been delivered by the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, across 25 successful years, working with young people across the central-belt of Scotland, and even reaching Moscow and Ukraine.

Through the programme, young people are mentored by professional playwrights to develop and write their own scripts for the stage. Following a process of creative workshops, the finished plays are performed by a professional company.

Talking about the partnership, actor Shernaz Patel of Rage Productions, said, "We at Rage have been championing new writing for the past 15 years through our playwriting project Writers' Bloc.

"We are therefore thrilled to be partnering with the Traverse for this absolutely unique project. We are certain that this initiative will, in the long run, lead to a new generation of playwrights."