What the judges had to say

The preliminary rounds of' Act 1- the N.I.E Playfest' were judged by three eminent theatre personalities - Ms. Veena sajnani, Mr. Jagdish Raja and Mr. Chippi Gangjee.

Being a director of plays himself, Mr.Jagdish Raja appreciated the fantastic stagecraft and teamwork of the crew who created different atmospheres on stage from a war-torn Kargil to a Russian household in a matter of seconds. The sets really enhanced the plays, especially in 'The Pie and the Tart' and 'Arcana- the secrets of catharsis'. Always on the lookout for new scripts, Mr. Jagdish Raja found it heartening that so many students had written their own plays and even translated plays from regional languages, notably 'Khel Mandiyela'. Freelance columnist Chippi Gangjee also commended the writing efforts of Ram Ganesh, the writer of 'Arcana - the Secrets of Catharsis'.

"The play was very typically Bishop Cottons Boys school- all sound and fury. But undoubtedly, the script was very well written", said Chippi Gangjee. The judges, having spotted promising talent at the event, commended Times Of India and N.I.E for their efforts in providing a platform for upcoming theatre talent .

They were especially impressed by Veena Mohandas (The Pie and the Tart), the old man in Khel Mandiyela, Nandita Rao (Genesis) and Swaroop Srinath (Arcana -the secrets of catharsis).

Having judged 'Act1- the N.I.E Playfest' in earlier years, all the judges regretted that the standards have dropped inspite of the increase in the number of participating schools. "The essential difference between a professional play and a school play" as expressed by Chippi Gangjee is the lack of attention towards finer details. A play is an audio-visual experience and proper execution of the script with attention to the small details is necessary."

The judges felt that there was definitely more potential and scope for improvement. In fact they recommended that the practice of sending theatre personalities to schools to advice them should be re-introduced. Ms.Veena Sajnani believes that "a lot can be learnt from watching professional plays. Aspiring actors and actresses can attend workshops for even natural talent needs to be worked at and honed." She urged these young aspirants to keep acting. "It is a wonderful profession and hobby. It can take you through your whole life".