THE STAGE is set for the 12th Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META). The festival, which celebrates the best of Indian theatre, is all set to be held in the national capital from March 4-9. META recently announced the 10 shortlisted plays, which will be showcased during the festival and judged across various award categories by the jury. Over 300 entries were submitted and viewed by a selection committee comprising eminent theatre personalities before 10 plays—including Bengali, Malayalam, Rajasthani, Kannada, Hindi and English productions—were finalised to be nominated.
For the first time this year, online entries were also accepted. “In keeping with the increasing focus on the digital medium, we accepted online entries for the very first time this year. This has further strengthened our commitment to provide opportunity and access to the finest talent out there,” says Sanjoy K Roy, managing director, Teamwork Arts, which produces the festival.
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The jury members for this year include actors Dolly Thakore, Seema Biswas and Sachin Khedekar, playwright and actor Mahesh Dattani, theatre and film actor Avijit Dutt, and performer and drama educator Maya K Rao.
The Lifetime Achievement Award this year will be conferred upon veteran Marathi theatre exponent Arun Kakade, commonly known as ‘Kakade Kaka’. Eighty-five-year-old Kakade is the man behind the success of Marathi theatre group Aavishkaar. In the past, the META Lifetime Achievement Award has been conferred on
people such as Ebrahim Alkazi, Girish Karnad and the late Zohra Sehgal, among others.
Top 10 plays that will vie for the top honour
Lassanwala
Bhima
Elephant in
the Room
Outcaste
Kaali Naadakam
Dhumrapaan
Mahabharata
Awddyo
Shesh Rajani
Katha Sukavi Suryamall Ki
I Don’t Like it as You Like it