In the second day of the three day theatre festival, Kamala Nehru College’s Concoction was witness to some of the admirable theatre in the Delhi University circuit. It commenced with the host college, KNC performing its annual production The Cover Story, which revolved around the story of two young and ambitious reporters  trying to uncover a businessman running a sex racket with the children on the streets. The play utilized the concept of lights and shadows to portray scenes which were happening undercover.Of the 23 teams that participated in the preliminary rounds, 8 performed at the finals of ‘Archlight’ on 28th and 29th January, 2014.

The competition was judged by Ms. Nilanjana Banerjee and Ms.Sanchita Mukherjee both of whom have been involved with theatre intimately. On 28th Jan, Miranda with its play ‘Tax-free’ was the first to perform in the competition, followed by Hindu College’s Batch of 2002, which revolved around a bunch of college friends and their re-union. KMC’s Room for doubt was recipient to thunderous laughter as they portrayed a committee of teacher’s resolving issues in the University. The final day of the festival saw performances by SRCC (The Black Comedy), Shiivaji College (Mission 31), Gargi College (PFV), Khalsa College (Can’t pay? Won’t pay!) and Ramjas College (The Private Ear).

SRCC’s ‘Black Comedy’ was declared the winner of the event. Talking about the concept of the play, says Rupali Singhal, Co-Director, “A lot of comedies are made every year, but we chose this script because it stands out. It has a plot which keeps you gripped and uses the concept of reverse lighting so that it no longer remains just another slapstick comedy.” When asked about the level of competition they faced she said, “Theatre in DU has become professional. The judges in the preliminary round did a brilliant job of selecting the plays. The win feels much more deserving when you know the competition was hard.”

The audience at this event flouted many rules of theatre. While the organizing committee strived to keep distraction of the artists to the minimum, there was little they could do about the hooting and clapping of the audience. Reflects Rupali, whose play witnessed the loudest cheers, “Laughter is acceptable and especially in a comedy. In such a moment the artist pauses and then resumes their role. But hooting is a complete distraction for the artist and the fellow audience.”

In a version of Ad mad titled Phata Poster Nikla hero, a group of three had to make a poster in the preliminary round. The selected participants had to then enact in the final round. A team from Zakir Hussain College (Evening) emerged as winners in the same.

Together for a cause, a Non Governmental organization, organized a n enthralling session of spoken word poetry by visually impaired children from National Association for the blind and Save the Quest.This was followed by an interactive session with Rupa Das Gupta, founder of Sarhana, a school for special children and the closing ceremony in which 50 sky lanterns were lit and released in the sky. The principal of the College, Ms. Minoti Chatterjee lit the first lantern and inaugurated the ceremony.

Winners

Archlight

1st Prize: Shri Ram College of Commerce for Black Comedy
2nd Prize: Kirori Mal College for Room for doubt
Best Actor: Keshav Moodliar, Ramjas College

Phata Poster Nikla Trailer: Zakir Hussain College (Evening)

Image Credit: Yashika Sunaria, Kamala Nehru College | Featured Image: SRCC performing Black Comedy