Prayas brings you Pitārā – A Box of Memories
As we mark 20 remarkable years of storytelling, Prayas Theatre proudly presents Pitārā, a collection of powerful, bite-sized scenes drawn from some of our most memorable productions.
A Pitārā is an old attic trunk filled with treasured keepsakes and forgotten memories. In this spirit, our anniversary showcase opens that trunk to reveal iconic moments and unforgettable characters from the plays you have loved over the years.
Come celebrate twenty years of Prayas Theatre, Aotearoa’s largest South Asian theatre company
Featured Excerpts include:
1. Charandas Chor – The Honest Thief
Writer: Habib Tanvir
Director: Margaret-Mary Hollins, Asst. Director: Nona Shedde
Cast: Bala Murli Shingade, Raj Singh, Mustaq Missouri
2. Kingdom of Cards
Writer: Nobel Laureate for Literature, Rabindranath Tagore
Director: Amit Ohdedar, Asst. Director: Tushar Kandari
Dance Choreography & Direction: Sananda Chatterjee
Cast: Ayesha Heble, Nikita Varma, Karishma Grebneff
3. Rudali
Writer: Mahasweta Devi
Directors: Ahilan Karunaharan & Nona Shedde
Cast: Namrata Shanbhag, Gayatri Adi, Socrates Fernandes, Tushar Kandari
4. Love N’ Stuff
Writer: Tanika Gupta
Director: Sananda Chatterjee, Asst. Director: Namrata Shanbhag
Cast: Mustaq Missouri, Sudeepta Vyas, Bala Murali Shingade, Gayatri Adi, Aman Bajaj
5. Swabhoomi
Writer: Devised by migrants belonging to the South Asian community in Aotearoa; brought together by Ahi Karunaharan.
Director: Sananda Chatterjee
Assistant Director: Namrata Shanbhag
Cast: Ram Manthry
6. Dara
Writer: Shahid Mahmood Nadeem
Director: Amit Ohdedar, Asst. Director: Tushar Kandari
Cast: Jehangir Homavazir, Rishabh Kapoor, Roji Varghese, Aman Bajaj
7. Dreaming The Next 20 Years of Prayas
Prayas Co-founders Amit Ohdedar and Sudeepta Vyas take a trip down memory lane of 20 years of Prayas and speculate the 20 years to come.
Writer: Devised by Team Pitārā and brought together by Ankita Singh
Director: Ankita Singh
Storytellers: Amit Ohdedar and Sudeepta Vyas
Prayas Ensemble
Director: Sananda Chatterjee, Asst. Director: Namrata Shanbhag
Cast: Kamal Bansal, Sahil Goyal, Ram Mantry, Ayesha Heble, Nikita Varma, Karishma Grebneff, Bala Murali Shingade, Gayatri Adi, Aman Bajaj, Socrates Fernandes, Tushar Kandari, Namrata Shanbhag, Raj Singh, Jehangir Homavazir and Roji Varghese
Prayas Band
Music Directors: Moushumi Das and Sayanti Chatterjee
Band: Moushumi Das, Sayanti Chatterjee, Karen Plimmer, Ritesh Vaghela and Vijayendra Bose
The Pitārā Creatives
Producer: Rishabh Kapoor
Executive Producer: Nona Shedde
Production Assistant: Tushar Kandari
Pitara Concept Direction: Ankita Singh
Marketing & Communication: Sudeepta Vyas, Namrata Shanbhag, Ankita Singh and Shruthi Balaji
Costume and Make Up Design: Padma Akula
Costume Support: Mei-Ling Lee
Stage Manager: Arti Kansara
Lighting and Tech: Joseph Noster
Set & Prop Design: Darryl Sang and Mei-Ling Lee
ONLY THREE SHOWS! 5–7 November, 7.30 PM TAPAC, 100 Motions Road, Western Springs Tickets: $15. At www.tapac.org.nz
