Astitva and Mumbai Theatre Guide launch eNatya Chaupal, a unique web hangout for all those who love and enjoy theatre. Our new initiative in collaboration with Astitva will enhance the ‘liveness’ of theatre online. eNatya Chaupal will enable all those interested in theatre to participate in a manner that’s engaging, convenient and interactive. eNatya Chaupal will host play readings, conversations and talks related to theatre. ‘Chaupal’ is a meeting place where it’s possible to engage in debate and in discussion and this is what we hope eNatya Chaupal will facilitate. Given its format, eNatya Chaupal will not only easily connect theatre lovers in India and from around the world but will also bring an added value to the ongoing discussions about theatre in India. We strongly believe in strengthening the online resources that our theatre community in India can avail of. We hope that eNatya Chaupal will be a significant step in that direction. Our first ‘chaupal’ will take place on June 15 and will feature the Sahitya Akademi award-winning Indian English playwright-director Mahesh Dattani. Speaking to him will be Jehan Manekshaw, the founder and director of Theatre Professionals and of the Drama School Mumbai (DSM). Jehan Manekshaw will be engaging Mahesh Dattani in a conversation about his plays and his recent book ‘Me and My Plays’

Date – 15th June 2014

Time – 4.30 pm

Venue – www.youtube.com/enatyachaupal

About Mahesh Dattani

Playwright, stage director and filmmaker, Mahesh Dattani received the Sahitya Akademi Award for his anthology Final Solutions and Other Plays in 1998. His other major stage works include 30 DAYS IN SEPTEMBER, DANCE LIKE A MAN and TARA. His film Morning Raga won the best creative contribution by a director at the Cairo International Film Festival. The script has been archived by The Academy of Motion Pictures, USA. He lives in Mumbai.

About Jehan Manekshaw

Jehan is the Founder and Director at Theatre Professionals. Jehan Manekshaw has a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Direction from the University of London and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Wesleyan University, CT, USA. Since founding Theatre Professionals in 2008, Jehan has conducted numerous workshops for professional actors, children, and corporate. He has worked with Geetanjali Kulakarni, Padma Damodaran, Yuki Ellias and Mahesh Dattani to found The Drama School, Mumbai. Which provides a one year certificate course in Theatre Making? While he has directed many plays in his career, he also works with teams across languages and cultures, most recently directing Shakespeare’s OTHELLO in Kannada at the Ninasam Theatre Institute in Karnataka and EKLAVYA in Japanese at the Matsumoto Performing Arts Centre, in Japan.