The Island - An English Play By Anish Victor

The Abhinaya National Theatre Monthly magazine is organising the 2nd Abhinaya National Theatre Festival 2007 from 9th to 12th August, at the Ravindra Bharathi. Six stage plays and four street plays from all over the country will be staged during the 4-day festival.

A Telugu play Ye Velugulaki Prasthanam on 9th August; a Telugu street play Tadabu Lakadana Jibu Jibu and a Hindi/English play Numbers In The Dark on 10th August; an English play The Island, a Telugu street play Dakshinayanam and a Kannada play Caucasian Chalk Circle on 11th August; and a Tamil play Pavan Kunju, a Tamil street play Payanam and a Manipuri play Acheekpagi Khongjel on 12th August, will be staged.

Today, the third and penultimate day, an English play called The Island will be staged by Rafiki of Bangalore, directed by Anish Victor. Originally written by Athol Fugard and first staged in 1973, this apartheid-era drama is inspired by a true story, set in an unnamed prison clearly based on South Africa's notorious Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was held for 17 years.

It tells the story of two prisoners, played by John Kani and Winston Ntshona, labouring in a quarry by day and rehearsing for a play in their cell at night. Considered one of the most significant plays of the 20th century, The Island is a tribute to the men and women who, with indomitable courage and a longing for liberty, were imprisoned for taking part in the fight for a free and democratic South Africa.

Athol Fugard's play is a testament to political freedom, racial equality and the limitless boundaries of the human spirit. Anish Victor's Indianised version of the play will have Sachin Gurjale playing the role of John Kani and Anish himself playing the role of Winston Ntshona.

Rafiki was started in the early 1996, by three friends - Anish Victor, Preetam Koilpillai and Dominic Taylor. They work with a consistent focus on children and the youth to celebrate, professionalise and explore theater for the transformation of self and society. Rafiki has over 250 performances to its credit, and has travelled extensively across Goa, Pune, Mumbai, Kodaikanal, Ooty, Chennai and Bangalore.

Abhinaya National Theatre Monthly was founded in the 2004 by Gadde Srinivas, a theater artiste and a die-hard lover of theater. Srinivas holds a diploma in theater arts. Quitting his lucrative profession in Telugu movies, he started Abhinaya, a first-of-its-kind magazine in India dedicated exclusively to theater. He organises many events throughout the year, like the State Theatre Festival in Guntur, and Padya Nataka Festival and Nataka Rachana Poteelu in Hyderabad.

Please contact G Srinivas at 93911-11622 for further details.