Benaka stages month-long celebration of late theatre master B.V. Karanth's legacy

Benaka, the Bengaluru-based theatre repertory established by the late B.V. Karanth, will stage a series of performances, workshops and cultural events across Karnataka through September to commemorate what would have been his 98th birthday.

The month-long programme, titled 'Karantha Maasa', opens with a three-show theatrical tour in Dharwad on 5 and 6 September before moving to the capital.

Festival anchored by biographical play

A theatre festival at Kalagrama in Bengaluru on 16 September will inaugurate the city leg with 'Baba Karantha', a biographical play chronicling the thespian's life and work. The repertory, whose acronym stands for Bengaluru Nagara Kalavidaru, was founded by Karanth in 1974.

Three more productions, 'Hayavadana', 'Sattavara Neralu' and 'Gokula Nirgamana', will be staged on 18, 21 and 22 September at Ravindra Kalakshetra.

Workshop to examine AI's role in theatre

Running parallel to the performances, a theatre workshop at Ravindra Kalakshetra on the same three dates will address contemporary practices and challenges facing the art form, including the emerging role of artificial intelligence.

Karanth's artistic philosophy centred on making theatre accessible to wider audiences, a principle the month-long celebration seeks to honour through its programming mix of performance, pedagogy and music.

U.S.-based automotive retail technology firm Tekion announced its support for Karantha Maasa on Sunday as part of its corporate social responsibility initiative.

Source: The Hindu