Late January At Jagriti In Bangalore

It’s going to be an interesting 2015 for art and culture lovers in Bangalore as the Theatre Jagriti is set to celebrate an eventful four years with a line-up of great events.

In the words of Jagdish and Arundhati Raja, the power duo behind the theatre, they have witnessed more successes than failures with great music shows, theatre and comic acts.

The year 2015 began with entertaining and exciting performances. These are not plays alone, but two new shows dedicated to comedy, music and dance.

For music lovers, every Tuesday and Thursday starting from January 6, a musical show has started called as Musical Twist, which began with vintage Kishore Kumar hits rendered by J P Atre.

Every Wednesday, there is a laugh riot with the stand up show- Improve and Sketch. From January 7th, the awesome duo Sumukhi and Richa have been taking centre stage. These girls happen to be the only female sketch artists in Bangalore.

This wonderful sketch comedy by two female comediennes and assistants will bring on stage, adventures encountered in our normal daily lives. Audiences easily connect with this duo as they present situations infused with drama. According to Richa, the show is filled with subtle sarcasm, infectious energy and eerie silences.

Weekends at Jagriti are the signature shows: Drama or Theatrical productions. From all weekends (Friday to Sunday), great plays will be staged under the name- The Drama Live! A big line-up of plays is ready all the way to March. In April, Jagriti is back with Curtain Raisers (plays new to the city). In May, it will feature a summer carnival of plays for kids.

Here are some of the happening plays of Jagriti at the beginning of the year:

• King’s Player: 8:00 PM, from Friday, 23rd Jan 2015 – Till 25th Jan. This is Shakespeare meets stand up. Helmed by Tref Gare, the play is a one man theatrical blitzkrieg coming to the city. This great story features one man, 14 characters, a mix of theatrical styles and much quantity of sweat.

This tragic hero tells his tale against his tragic background of medieval Europe: Poverty, death, plagues and general unpleasantness. Set against this backdrop is the story of an unlucky, starving and talented actor, who is given the chance to join an elite group: a king’s player in the Danish court of Elsinore.

• Punch Tantra features Laughter Fusion: 8:00 PM, Wednesday, 28 Jan 2015: It is one of the best local comedies using radical mime, Improv, and a special section for a perfect climax. It is pure, unadulterated, clean, comedy. The team specializes in Movie spoof, Mad Ads, Imrpov and other out of the ordinary theatrical tit-bits. After rendering many corporate and public shows, Punch Tantra ranks as the first registered professional radical mime team who offer complete entertainment.

• World premiere: Stalowa Wola by Christopher Kloeble (Friday, 30th January): It is the story of Karl who loses his wife Susan in a car accident. She was travelling to Stalowa Wola, a place in Poland unfamiliar to Karl. He wants to investigate why she went there and thus begins his journey to an unfamiliar region of Poland. Christopher Kloeble is a noted scriptwriter, playwright and novelist.

These are some of the upcoming events at Jagriti Theatre. All Bangloreans are in for a treat this year.

Author’s bio: She is a freelance journalist based in Bangalore, specializing in entertainment and culture. She keeps tabs on all cultural events in the city and contributes articles on the same to websites like www.eventshigh.com.