Noida Authority, in a bid to promote art and culture, is organising a 3-day theater festival in the city at the Indira Gandhi Kala Kendra

For all theatre aficionados of Noida, you don’t have to travel all the way to Delhi anymore to catch a play. Noida Authority, for the first time, has organised a three day theatre fest, “Noida Natya Mahotsav” right here in the city.

The fest to be staged from November 26 to 28 at the Indira Gandhi Kala Kendra in Sector 6, is a first for the city. A line up of four plays is scheduled over a period of three days.

“The Noida Authority will be promoting theatre, art and culture since it is a cosmopolitan city. Also, Delhi has a rich heritage in plays. Now, Noida also needs something of this sort. This was the big thing missing in Noida,” said Rajeev Tyagi, chief general manager of Noida Authority.

Delhi-based Pierrot’s Troupe will be opening the fest with ‘Private Affair’ on November 26. The play revolves around a skirt and a breakfast tray –  both missing mysteriously from a five star hotel room with no less than an Army Col., a psychiatrist and a Mumbaiyya Bhai trying to find it.

This will be followed by the popular comedy ‘Ghalib in New Delhi’ the next day being performed since 1997, with 528 shows under its belt. The play is a funny account of the re-birth of the renowned 19th century poet Mirza Ghalib in 21st century New Delhi. Beginning with his second birth at the ISBT in Delhi, to staying in a Servant Quarter with a Delhi University student from Patna; to dealing with a Punjaban landlady; to becoming a Page-3 celebrity.

Ghaziabad-based theatre group, Pratham Path will stage “Daak Ghar” followed by the Pierrot’s Troupe’s “Gandhi Ji with Spelling Mistake”, on November 28.

“An artist is always happy to perform at multiple venues. I personally always feel happy to perform in UP as it is my home state. I hope our performances and those of other theatre groups in Noida develop it as a new theatre hub in NCR as the people living in these towns have been regularly visiting Delhi to watch theatre and have, thus, contributed to growth of theatre and culture in Delhi-NCR a great deal,” says M Sayeed Alam of Pierrot’s Troupe.

The theatre festival is a non-ticketed event