META announces list of 10 nominated plays for 14th edition

With an exciting line-up of plays in Gujarati, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada -- along with Hindi and English -- the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META) recently announced its list of nominations for its 14th edition, scheduled to begin from March 6th. As many as 10 productions from over 400 plays have been selected for awards across 14 categories including set, costume and light design, direction, production and performance, said the organisers.

The week-long event will stage selected plays here at Kamani Auditorium and Shri Ram Centre, and the winners will be felicitated at an awards night. "It is great to see the diversity and vibrancy that is reflected in Indian Theatre. META is not just a festival but a platform to showcase the best of Indian theatre, highlighting the incredible energy and passion that theatre persons bring to the stage against all odds," Sanjoy K Roy, MD, Teamwork Arts and festival producer, said.

The short-listed plays include 'Agarbatti' (Hindi and Bundeli), 'Andha Yug' (Gujarati and Hindi), 'Kola' (Kannada) and Loose Woman, all showing the sheer diversity of cultural identities and languages represented in Indian theatre. This year the selection committee featured veteran actor and producer Denzil Smith, noted director Jyothish MG, National award-winning film producer and director Veena Bakshi and Mumbai-based playwright Vikram Phukan.

"There was a healthy balance of traditional and contemporary theatre, a lot of creative stuff came from the north-east and southern region... Theatre in the country is evolving and while there is enough material inspired by the classics, there are also original scripts, lots of devised techniques and treatment, and the folk idiom is very prominent," Denzil Smith said, while talking about the entries this time around. The winners will be felicitated at a red-carpet awards ceremony on March 12th, while the festival itself will come to a close on March 11.

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