Not Quite There, a theatre group that consists mainly of young people seeking to establish a new facet of theatre experience, is presently working on Angst. Angst. Coonth. Coonth. Boom. Bam. Dhandhal. Dhamaal. KAPUT., which is scheduled to open on January 26, 2001 at the Indian Institute of Technology's Techfest. The group will also perform at the Prithvi Theatre. Not Quite There meets regularly, reads, discusses and explores play-scripts. Ramu Ramanathan, (playwright of 'The Boy Who Stopped Smiling, Curfew, and Shanti, Shanti, It's a War) is the group's co-ordinator.

The group's first venture was Vaikom Muhammad Basheer's Me Grandad 'Ad An Elephant! , which has been performed at numerous venues in Mumbai. Angst. Angst. ... is a multi-lingual play that attempts to understand the 'now' of human existence; the 'now' that resides within the minds and souls of the Indian youth.

Ramu Ramanathan, director of the play, told Mumbaibest, "We have been rehearsing for six months now. There is no written or typed script." Speaking about Angst. Angst..., Ramanathan added, "This is a play about technology. It presents a balanced and realistic view of what is happening in India. Each character in the play talks about aspects of class and gender against the backdrop of nation and technology."

As the play has no script, the actors began rehearsals by creating their own characters. Over time the characters of the play were developed and fine-tuned to achieve the finished product that is Angst. Angst.... The play is a multilingual experience as each of the characters speaks in his or her own native tongue, with their own peculiar dialects. The characters are caught in a cauldron of conflict which is defined by class, caste, gender, religion, language and technology.

Performances at

IIT, Powai on January 27, 2001 at 6.00pm and January 28, 2001 at 10 am

Prithvi Theatre on January 31, 2001 at 6.00 pm and 9.00 pm and February 1, 2001 at 6.00 pm and 9.00 pm

By : Patrick Coelho