Aishveryaa Nidhi as Ishwari Khanna in 'Quarantine': Among Top 110 plays for Short & Sweet 2011 festival Sydney

Friday, 10 December 2010 09:58

Written by Editor

Quarantine, a 10 minute play by Neena Badhwar has made it to the final 110 short listed plays in the Short & Sweet 2011 festival to be held in Sydney from Jan to March early next year. The play will be on in January from 5th to the 9th at Newtown theatre from Wednesday to Saturday at 8.15pm and Sunday at 5.15pm.

The play is produced by Abhinay School of Performing Arts which is dedicated to promoting art and culture from Indian Sub-continent. The school maintains Indian-Australian connection to our cultural heritage and strives to expand the culture's expressive range, fostering its artistic evolution in Australia.

Last year in June the school had conducted a 10 minute play writing workshop with Alex Broun, festival’s director and a famous playwright, with a focus to developing talent in the Indian community. By helping develop more writers and directors from Indian sub continent it aims at creating opportunities for Indian actors as well to perform in the mainstream theatre.

In the workshop Alex inspired the participants to write their own plays when ten selected plays took part in moved play readings conducted in Aishverya Nidhi August. 'Quarantine' won the top spot on both the audience as well as the judges' choice and got into the Short & Sweet 2011 final 110 plays.
Quarantine was also staged in Delhi Short & Sweet as an entry by Abhinay School of Performing Arts. It was the only overseas entry in the festival which ran from November 12 – November 19 in Delhi.

The play in Delhi was directed by well known Indian theatre director Arvind Gaur and cast included Sydney's Aishverya Nidhi, Ishwak Singh, Shiv Chauhan, Smriti Vij. Malay Garg, Charu Gupta, Rahul Khanna and Himansu Maggu. Music was given by Kiran Pradhan.

Quarantine’s plot is based on a hilarious yet emotional outbursts from an old Indian lady as she enters the Australian customs at the airport and is questioned on things she has brought in her bag. Sydney Theatre Company’s well known actor and resident director Stefo Nantsou has teamed up with well known Indian-Australian actress Aishveryaa Nidhi to act and also direct the play for Sydney Short & Sweet. Aishverya plays the role of Ishwari Khanna – the old lady in Quarantine while Stefo Nantsou plays the Quarantine officer. Other actors are Pranam Janney, Shourya Nidhi and Ambika Asthana. Music will be given by Kiran Pradhan.

Along with Quarantine there are some other entries where Indian writers, actors and directors are taking part. Uma Kali Shakti directs Mike Giles’ Haircut in Week 1 from Jan 5-9 and Chris Shaw Swanson’s ‘People Like Us’ in week 4 in Newtown from January 26th to Sunday January 30th. Writer Sonal Moore’s East to the Ocean’directed by Jim Hare will be on in week 4 at Newtown.

Abhinay School of Performing Arts also presents Katheryn Yuen's ‘The Fallopian Channel’ in the wildcards at Newtown theatre on January 29th at 3pm.'The Fallopian Channel' won the wildcard during Abhinay/Short and Sweet 10 minute play readings and was invited to be performed in the final Wildcards. The play is written and directed by Katheryn Yuen and actors are Johhny Wignall, Shourya Nidhi, Annie Suttor and Susan Young.

It is a great news that now Indian actors, writers and directors are showing keen interest and participating in the Short & Sweet festival and making their mark in the mainstream Australian theatre. It is highly recommended that we support such efforts by the artists and definitely pencil in the dates to see these plays. For more info log on to www.abhinay.com.au or www.shortandsweet.org