The Hamara Shakespeare festival is an annual 3-day festival celebrating Indian theatre in Chennai. This festival features stand-out performances by artists from across the country who have created a mark in their respective fields.
We at the Prakriti Foundation have had long standing commitment to theatre, which brought us to the epitome of this arts form, Shakespeare. However, our intention with this festival was to explore and experiment with the Indian perspective – how have Indian individuals and groups, actors and directors chosen to interpret Shakespeare? The result of this thought process was Hamara Shakespeare – a unique festival that portrays the works of Shakespeare in Indian languages in the Indian realm. This festival is an initiative by Prakriti Foundation in association with Kalakshetra Foundation and The British Council as Cultural Collaborators.
The festival opens its doors to people all over the country and the world, inviting them to experience and enjoy the world of theatre in Chennai. The best part being that it is non-ticketed and is open to all!
The 2013 edition showcased legendary Indian theatre artists from all over India – from New Delhi (Neel Chaudhuri of Tadpole Repertory and Anirudh Nair of Wide Aisle Productions), from Kashmir (M.K. Raina), and from Mumbai (Atul Kumar of The Company Theatre).
The Hamara Shakespeare performances were held over three days from 7th to 9th November, 2013 at the Kalakshetra in Chennai. For further details regarding the venue, time and various performers on each day, kindly select the date from the drop-down menu.
07-11-2013
“A Winter’s Tale” a Hindustani-English play based on Shakespeare's play of the same title, by theatre artistes from New Delhi, Neel Chaudhuri of Tadpole Repertory and Anirudh Nair of Wide Aisle Productions. This is one of Shakespeare’s popular work which is a story of loss and redemption.
08-11-2013
“Badshah Pather” is a Kashmiri play based on Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’. This adapted version is performed by a traditional group of artistes from Kashmir and directed by theatre veteran M. K. Raina.
09-11-2013
The Company Theatre from Mumbai brings the Hindi edition of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Piya Behrupiya, a translation (by Amitosh Nagpal) of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. According to its director, Atul Kumar, the play has a "strong Indian folk leaning" even though it is a translation and not an adaptation.
To know more about our past editions of this festival, kindly select a Year from the drop-down menu below.
Anirudh Nair
The Company Theatre, Mumbai
Neel Chaudhuri
M.K.Raina
Atul Kumar
