New Delhi : From the moving trial of great ancient Greek philosopher Socrates to Aurangzeb’s ascendance to the Mughal throne and some complex yet heart wrenching stories of Russian great Chekhov! For the theatre lovers of Delhi, all these and much more will be up on stage during the five day Delhi Natyotsav this month.

Presented by Delhi Government and the Sahitya Kala Parishad, the festival of theatre from January 20-24 will see the participation of some extremely respected theater personalities. The opening day will be presided over as Chief Guest by Shri Waman Kendre, the director of the National School of Drama.

Some widely different stories and plays have been put together to be staged during the theater festival at Sriram centre Auditorim and will offer a mix of emotions and experiences for the audience. With some prominent episodes in history forming the background of most of the plays being directed by eminent theatre persons, the festival hopes to offer a rich theatrical experience.

“We have brought together some plays which have been appreciated and loved by a wide audience over the years. Some of the most respected names in Indian theatre are participating in the five-day festival which will present a rich mix of historical and contemporary stories. We are sure Delhi’s discerning audience will love every presentation,” says Mr. J. P. Singh, Assistant Secretary (Drama), Sahitya Kala Parishad.

The festival will begin with ‘Chekhov ki Duniya’, an endearing play directed by Shri Ranjit Kapoor. The play is a set of six different stories from the rich ensemble of eminent Russian writer Anton Chekhov weaving together different experiences of human emotion, sublime relationships, struggle in poverty and the excesses of a world riddled with inequality. This play has been staged several times and has never failed to enthrall its viewers.

Written by Dario Fo and directed by Avijit Dutt, ‘Abducting Diana’, another popular dark comedy will be staged on the second day of the festival. The story of a kidnapped millionaire media boss which turns out to be a more complex and eventful than the kidnappers would have imagined will offer a mix of thrill and suspense with shades of comedy.

Another interesting feature of the festival would be Robert Ridley’s play ‘Love in a Time of Oppression’ which is a long drawn story of a woman and her courage and resilience in the backdrop of a series of major historical events beginning from the holocaust to the fall of communism. The play is being directed by eminent theater personality Faisal Alkazi who has directed 200 plays over a career spanning 35 years.

Another historical figure who will feature in the festival is Mughal ruler Aurangzeb, the son of Shah Jehan, whose ascendance to the throne was fraught with a bloody struggle and ideological differences. The play was originally written in Tamil by Indira Parthasarathy in 1974 and over the years has been translated and performed in English, Hindi and Urdu. Veteran theater person K S Rajendran has donned the director’s hat for this play.

Also to be staged during the festival is ‘Sukrat Nange Paon’, the Hindi version of ‘James Maxwell Anderson’s renowned play ‘Barefoot in Athens’ which is based on the final days of Socrates, his trial and his sacrifice for the values he deemed right to be directed by Padamshree Raj Besaria.