National Centre for the Performing Arts Launches Three New Theatre & Film Initiatives

National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), India's premiere arts and culture institution launches Mid-Week Cheer!, Reality Check and NCPA Select - three new initiatives aimed at providing a wider variety of programming for theatre and film enthusiasts.

Deepa Gahlot, Head - Programming (Theatre & Film), NCPA, says, "With an aim to broaden the theatre horizon, NCPA, over the years has been supporting theatre and film through various initiatives and sustained activity. Keeping this promise, like last year, NCPA introduces three new initiatives to capture the dynamism of Mumbai's-and India's--vibrant theatre and film scene. We hope our platform is utilized in the best possible manner and we wish to undertake many more initiatives in the near future".

Program Details:

Mid-Week Cheer!

NCPA in collaboration with Schitzengiggles, a leading Improv comedy group will host a new monthly series - Mid-Week Cheer! Showcasing Improv comedy, a form of theatre where most of what is performed is created on the spot. The performance includes scenes/games based on audience suggestions; there is no script and no rehearsals. Even the audience will get an opportunity to be on stage. The first act is directed by Brij Bhakta and will be performed by Brij Bhakta, Aadar Malik, Karan Talwar, Varun Thakur and Neville Shah.

Reality Check

The NCPA in association with the Indian Documentary Producers' Association (IDPA) begins a new film series, Reality Check, to promote and encourage documentary filmmakers in India, whose work reflects life and culture in the country today, in a provocative blend of creativity and integrity. Reality Check kicks off with Nishtha Jain acclaimed film Gulabi Gang, set in the badlands of Bundelkhand in central India, a place of desolation, dust and despair, featuring women who travel long distances by cart and tractor, bus and train, to wrest justice for women and Dalits.

NCPA Select

The NCPA is introducing a new monthly series called NCPA Select, under which, every month, a production by an acclaimed group from outside Mumbai will be invited to perform at NCPA. This will give an opportunity for the best groups to be exposed to Mumbai audiences and for local theatre lovers to catch up on what is happening in the rest of the country. The series begins with Kolkata group Ranan's Those Who Could Not Hear The Music. This is a piece doubly inspired by the life, music and writings of and on Beethoven, and Vikram Seth's novel - An Equal Music.