With so many languages of performance in the theatre today - I sometimes miss the simplest form of performance � storytelling � with only text. Hence, amongst what I�ve watched, these few plays have stayed with me: COLOUR BLIND (Dir: Manav Kaul), HO SAKTA HAI DO AADMI DO KURSIYAAN (Script, Dir: Vinay Sharma) and an evening of Dastangoi � which I watched. The written text and spoken text, both have been arresting in these.
Your favourite adda to see a play
Being an architect as well, the character of a space attracts me. Hence spaces I enjoy are - Prithvi in Mumbai and Padatik Little Theatre in Kolkata. Other spaces I�ve enjoyed � Bahumukh at the NSD, Chorus Repertory�s theatre in Imphal and a small quaint theatre called Sujata Sadan in Kolkata.
Your favourite playwright
If I must pick � some plays by Beckett and Dharamvir Bharati�s ANDHYA YUG, never seem to leave me.
Your favourite play-character
Amongst the ones I�ve played in the past - Sundari in Mohan Rakesh�s - LEHRON KE RAJHANS directed by the Late Shyamanand Jalan and Hilda Wangel in Ibsen�s - THE MASTER BUILDER directed by Wlodzimierz Staniewski.
A play you would like to see filmed. Why?
They are 2 completely different mediums. A play I think can be documented not filmed. Many play scripts can be turned into films of course � one I would like to see as a film is Beckett�s ROCKABY � it would be interesting to work with this text/performance through the immense possibilities of zooming-in that lenses can offer.
A novel/short story you would like to see on stage? Why?
Metamorphosis by Kafka.
The most hilarious play you have seen
From what I can recall from the recent past � Theatre Arpana�s play SEX, MORALITY AND CENSORSHIP in its entirety and the performance in NIDRAVATHWAM by Adishakti.
A play, which is over-hyped
How do you decide, if a play is �over-hyped� or �under-hyped�? Being an actor and also part of a team which is programming the black box theatre at Padatik, I�ve realized that every play tends to gather its own audience. Reactions and responses will always be subjective. I also firmly believe � what you take back from a performance is also what you bring to it!
An important play (but ignored)
Indian classical plays in general are being ignored.
A play character you would like to �dialogue� with
Madam Irma in Jean Genet�s THE BALCONY.
A passage from an important play that you can recite
A number of passages from Mohan Rakesh�s LEHRON KE RAJHANS � one of them being Nand�s passage which reads - �mai chaurahe par khara nanga vyakti hun, jise sabhi dishayein leel lena chahti hain, aur apne ko dahke ke liye jiske paas aavran nahi hai�.�
A classical play that you should have read.
Watched but not read - Sudraka�s MRICHAKATIKA which I�ve been meaning to read for a while now.
A play that changed your perception about the theatre
Ten years ago, I was full of youthful perceptions/opinions � while rehearsing MADHAVI (by HS Shivaprakash) taken from the Tamil epic Sillapadikaran. The play was directed by Late Shyamanand Jalan. I was playing Madhavi � I learnt to not think that over emotionalizing was �melodrama� and my definition and parameters of that word changed � and along with that, my perception of theatre as a viewer and a performer also changed.
How do you regard the Mumbai / Kolkata theatre scene?
Busy - with a lot of work happening in Kolkata � many young groups and youngsters taking to the stage, which is joyful for theatre! But I wish both theatre makers and audiences here could cross the spoken/performance language boundaries and watch others� works � it�s high time! Theatre in Hindi and English is definitely still a �minority� here unfortunately � though I think they belong to Bengal as much as Bengali theatre does. I�m also keen to see some groups who perform regularly for proscenium theatre to take to other intimate spaces and create new work.
Have you read any interesting books/articles concerning the theatre? Why did you find them interesting?
I�m in-between four books. Brecht on Theatre � the development of an aesthetic is a lovely collection of Brecht�s notes and theoretical writings. Grotowski�s Empty Room - a collection of writings prompts us to ask � what does Grotowski�s oeuvre mean for the theatre today? Spaces for engagement by Ar. Himanshu Burte and Architecture, Actor and Audience by Ian Mackintosh interest me as I am both an architect and an actor.
If you have ever been a part of a theatre production/s, can you recall an event that was insightful, significant or simply humorous?
Once while I was rehearsing � VISARJAN - directed by Habib Sahab (Tanvir) � I saw him suddenly on-stage, shouting out instructions to Tapas da (Sen) who was designing lights and in turn shouting out ideas/possibilities to Habib Sahab. Both aged, couldn�t hear each other � so there were 2 different conversations happening at the same time � rather hilarious! But I also saw these two men leaning on their walking sticks, their feet firmly on the stage (while all of us less than half their age were tired and seated), work tirelessly and uncompromisingly towards what they both individually wanted to achieve which ultimately and magically they did together.
Can you think of a foreign production that you found remarkable? Why?
Just last year I think - Sasha Waltz and Guests� performance, here in Kolkata, dialoguing with an old Bengali mansion. It was a site-specific work; I liked the way the elements in/of the building became equal with the performers.
A significant Indian production that you may have witnessed
Kanhailal�s DRAUPADI.
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?
In Kolkata � it�s the humble muri and chai � it�s almost ritualistic at theatre rehearsals!
(Anubha Fatehpuria is a Kolkota-based actress who works with the theatre company Padatik) """"
Anubha Fatehpuria
Which is the last best play you saw and why? 
