Fifth season of Delhi Theatre Festival to feature plays by Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah

New Delhi: The fifth edition of Delhi Theatre Festival will return from September 20 with plays by theatre and cinema veterans like Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Shabana Azmi and Lillete Dubey.

Organised by Alchemist Live, the shows will be staged at the Siri Fort Auditorium, Kamani Auditorium, and OP Jindal Auditorium in Delhi, and Orana Conventions in Gurugram.

The three-day festival will stage a total of seven plays by some of the most noted names in theatre.

On September 20-21, Ratna Pathak and Naseeruddin Shah's "Old World" will be staged at the Siri Fort Auditorium. The play will move to Orana Conventions on September 22.

The drama involving the actor couple is revolves around the friendship that develops between an eccentric woman and a reserved doctor after a chance encounter at a health resort.

Twinkle Khanna's celebrated play "Salaam Noni Appa", featuring Lillete Dubey, Yateen Karyekar and Jayati Bhatia will open at Kamani Auditorium on September 21.

"Salaam Noni Appa" explores the dynamics between two widow sisters, as one of them finds love in a younger man.

Mandira Bedi and Samir Soni's "Anything but Love" will be staged at Kamani Auditorium on September 20.

A comedy for adults, "Anything but Love" is a story of two people, recently divorced but maybe still very much in love.

"Broken Images" by Shabana Azmi will be staged at Orana Conventions on September 21.

The show features Azmi playing two sisters living under the same roof - one an intellectually brilliant paraplegic, the other a plodding writer - but the arrangement is fraught, because as they respond to life together, and separately, they continually modify the image they have of each other and the world around.

"Delhi Theatre Festival has always held a special place in my heart. Performing for a Delhi audience is always an invigorating experience. Returning to Delhi to perform 'Broken Images' after a couple of years fills me both with excitement and anxiety,’" Azmi said in a statement.

"One on One Dhamaal" by Rajit Kapur, Vrajesh Hirjee, Sumeet Vyas, Sohrab Ardeshir, Anu Menon, and Shikha Talsania will be staged on September 21 at OP Jindal Auditorium.

The unique theatrical production brings together nine of Mumbai's finest actors to deliver monologues and duologues in English and Hindi to address subjects as varied as marriage, Bollywood, inedible airline food, the politics of road naming ceremonies, and the experience of living in a big city.

"Jaya - A Rock Musical of the Mahabharata", featuring Megan Murray, 2Blue, Vikrant Chaturvedi, and Asif Ali Beg will go live at Siri Fort Auditorium on September 22.

"Jaya presents the key events of the Mahabharata in a dramatic montage style through the eyes of Yudhishthira. It examines and contrasts his experiments with truth with two divergent beliefs and viewpoints: those of Duryodhana and his faith in victory and power at any cost, and those of Karna’s fatalism and belief in an unchangeable destiny.

Vinay Pathak and Rajat Kapoor's "What’s Done is Done" will be staged at OP Jindal Auditorium on September 22.

Julio (Pathak) and Pedro draws you into the world of Macbeth or Macky B (Kapoor) & Lady Macbeth, an adaptation of Macbeth and his lady.

"This is the third time we are collaborating with Delhi Theatre Festival. We have been there with 'nothing like Lear', and this time we are back at the festival with 'what's done is done', which is our adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth. A theatre festival like this is a wonderful idea - to work as a bridge between theatre practitioners and audience," Kapoor said.

Talking about the festival, Prabhu Tony, COO and co-founder of Alchemist LIVE, said that they are trying to introduce new formats within the realm of theatre every year.

"The energy and anticipation surrounding the Delhi Theatre Festival is truly inspiring. As we embark on our incredible fifth season, Alchemist Live is determined to raise the bar even higher. This year's festival promises to be a captivating exploration of theatrical diversity. We envision the Delhi Theatre Festival as a global hub for theatre enthusiasts, and we're honoured to provide a platform where playwrights, actors, and audiences can come together to celebrate the magic of live performance," Tony said.