Classic Rabindranath Tagore plays like 'Kabuliwala, Varmala, Lal Kaneer, Jeevit or Mritay, Kankaal and Kunti Samvaad, Balidan, Tota Kahani' and dance drama 'Chitrangda' will be among the plays enacted by various city-based groups to mark the poets 150th birth anniversary celebrations from next month.
The nine-day long festival will be starting from August 2 at Tagore Theatre. Out of these, four plays 'Baat suhe phullan di, Varmala, Lal kaneer and Balidan' will be staged in Punjabi.
According to the city theatre experts, Rabindranath Tagores plays are being staged for the first time in the city. As there is a large presence of Punjabi-theatre lovers in the city they have decided to stage the short stories of noble prize winner in Punjabi language.
Sahib Singh, director of Adakaar Manch Group Mohali, said they have been staging Punjabi plays since 19 years in the city but never got a chance to stage Rabindranath's stories. ''His play 'Baat suhe phullan di' will be based on Tagore's three different short stories, including 'Once there was a king, Victory, and My lord My Baby.' My theatre group artists are very passionate about the final performance as it will be a new experience for all of them. It will be the best way for Punjabi theatre lovers to understand Tagore's stories,'' he said.
Davinder Daman, director of Norah Richards Rangmanch Theatre Group, said, ''For the advancement of Punjabi theatre this is surely going to be a big challenge for artists. Tagore's play 'Varmala' will also be staged in Punjabi during the festival.''
