Girish Karnad's HAYAVADANA - it's a great story, the staging by the Industrial Theatre Company is inventive; the actors really connect with each other, and reach out to pull you through the fourth wall.
Your favourite adda to see a play
Prithvi
Your favourite playwright
I don't know...Sarah Kane, Edward Albee, good ol' Shakes...
Your favourite play-character
Jerry from THE ZOO STORY by Edward Albee
A play you would like to see filmed. Why?
CLEANSED by Sarah Kane, because it is a visceral, vicious meditation on love, with fantastical elements that are always problematic for a stage director to create. Of course, there is a beauty in that difficulty - but I'd like to see how a film handles those fantastical elements.
A novel/short story you would like to see on stage? Why?
The Life You Save May Be Your Own by Flannery O'Connor. It's about a woman who marries her deaf daughter off to a one armed man, in exchange for money and a car. It's full of little contradictions, especially dealing with the human nature of a transaction.
The most hilarious play you have seen
Arpana's production of STORIES IN A SONG had me laughing a lot.
A play, which is over-hyped
In Bombay, any play with a film actor in it gets overhyped.
An important play (but ignored)
DASTANGOI has had very few shows in Mumbai.
A play character you would like to ''dialogue'' with
Most of the characters I am drawn to, fascinated by, I don't think I would have much to say to them. I just like watching them, or being them. But, to hang out with for a day? Puck from A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM.
A passage from an important play that you can recite
The ''If it were done, when 'tis done'' speech from MACBETH.
A classical play that you should have read
RAKTAKARBI by Tagore.
A play that changed your perception about the theatre
THE DAY OF MURDERS IN THE HISTORY OF HAMLET by Bernard-Marie Kolt�s. It was not the text itself, but the way of performing it. Everything is an assertion; it is about loading every word with importance, following the punctuation strictly and allowing all the importance to build up, until the full stop. Which is an explosion.
How do you regard the Mumbai theatre scene?
I have a language restriction - which I'm working on � consequently, I can only speak of the English theatre scene. I think it is still developing. For some reason entertainment and thought have been separated. On one hand, silly slapstick comedies rake in big audiences; on the other, experimental movement pieces can barely keep their audience members in their seats; and in between, a whole lot of wishy washy stuff happens. As far as I can tell, nobody really dares.
Have you read any interesting books/articles concerning the theatre? Why did you find them interesting?
I used to read a lot about the theatre. I don't right now. I used to like The Theatre and it's Double by Antonin Artaud, because it was about viscerally creating the spectacle of theatre.
If you have ever been a part of a theatre production/s, can you recall an event that was insightful, significant or simply humorous?
Working on DEATH OF A SALESMAN with Alyque Padamsee has been hilarious. He has more energy than all the rest of us put together. During a scene with him, you're never quite sure if he is pushing you because his character feels like, or if you are being too self indulgent with a moment and the director in him wants you off the stage. He throws out little gems every now and then, such as, ''The mind speaks through the mouth, the heart speaks through the eyes.''
Can you think of a foreign production that you found remarkable? Why?
Haven't watched any recently.
Your favourite director/actor/music or set designer
There are the heavyweights like Naseeruddin Shah and Alyque Padamsee who I will always try and learn from. As for younger actors, I like Prerna Chawla and Gagan Riar. Director: Sunil Shanbag
A significant Indian production that you may have witnessed
The production of Kahlil Gibran's THE PROPHET by Motley in 2008.
Life in the theatre without the humble batata-wada or the cutting chai... or can you recall the best gastronomic experience you've had in the precincts of the theatre to date?
Once I did a play that was rehearsed in Goa. Rehearsal on the beach would end at sunset, followed by beers and goan curry. Fantastic.
Jim Sarbh
Which is the last best play you saw and why? 
