Children’s Theatre
Bangalore Little Theatre (BLT) Children's Theatre programme features an annual flagship production specially created for young audiences. Each play in this series is based on original scripts, either developed in-house or adapted by BLT. Over the years, the series has built a strong reputation and brand identity.
Every year, around 20 to 25 performances are staged across schools and public venues. Proceeds from the shows support the disadvantaged child, with a focus on those from low-income backgrounds.
The play typically opens performance on Children’s Day (November 14) and runs for about two months. Over 4,000 people watch the play across Bengaluru every year. This included students from about 20 schools.
Beyond Hattamala (2023)
Beyond Hattamala is a translation of Badal Sircar’s play Hattamalar Oparey. A story of two likeable thieves, Kena and Becha who jump into a river to escape being caught. They wash up on the shores of a strange land – a land where buying and selling are alien concepts. The entire community works together to produce what they need, and everything belongs to everyone. Kena and Becha are excited at the opportunity this land has to offer. What follows are humorous and thought-provoking misadventures arising out of Kena and Becha not understanding the concept of “no-money”. In this play, Sircar depicts his socio-political and economic outlook with the creation of a utopian land, beyond our real society full of disparities. Asking us- Can there be a place where there is no concept of money, where everyone is content with their choices and is happy?
Directed by: Deepak Mote, Murtuza Ketty
Beyond Hattamala
Kabulwala Calling
Kabuliwala Calling (2022)
The play Kabuliwala Calling is an original adaptation for the stage developed at Bangalore Little Theatre. The story is presented by the Kabuliwalas of Kolkata themselves. Historical details of the Afghan community are added to provide the context. The story shows the spontaneous development of deep bonds between a child and a grown-up stranger from two entirely different cultures. The play uses the Afghans or Kabuliwalas as they are better known in Calcutta to narrate Tagore’s story. The play also provides historical details of the Afghans in India to build context.
Directed by: Vijay Padaki
The Boy with no Shadow (2019)
The Boy with No Shadow is a comic tale of a peace-loving kingdom on the planet Venus, ruled by an absent-minded king and a very patient and understanding queen. Unfortunately, the kingdom has a military chief, who is not all that peace loving. How can one retire from a military career without at least one little war? Greatly preoccupied with his need for manliness he seeks magic potions from various sources in the universe, and secretly plans a war against a neighbouring planet. A little boy passing by drinks a bottle of one of the potions ordered by the Commander out of curiosity … and turns invisible. That is when the tamasha begins. If Venus is the planet of love and Mars stands for war and Jupiter is for fun and frolic, imagine the mayhem when characters from the planets have their paths crossed! And an invisible little boy is criss-crossing them all the time. It is another world!
Directed by: Aditye Nair
The Boy with no Shadow
A Bellyful of Paradise
A Bellyful of Paradise (2018)
The Boy with No Shadow is a comic tale of a peace-loving kingdom on the planet Venus, ruled by an absent-minded king and a very patient and understanding queen. Unfortunately, the kingdom has a military chief, who is not all that peace loving. How can one retire from a military career without at least one little war? Greatly preoccupied with his need for manliness he seeks magic potions from various sources in the universe, and secretly plans a war against a neighbouring planet. A little boy passing by drinks a bottle of one of the potions ordered by the Commander out of curiosity … and turns invisible. That is when the tamasha begins. If Venus is the planet of love and Mars stands for war and Jupiter is for fun and frolic, imagine the mayhem when characters from the planets have their paths crossed! And an invisible little boy is criss-crossing them all the time. It is another world!
Directed by: Aditye Nair
The Year of the Rooster (2017)
The Year of the Rooster is a play based on a Chinese folk tale. It is a charming family entertainer with a story that is timeless and universal in appeal.
The adaptation in English retains much of the Chinese tradition of performance. The style of storytelling is comic, down to earth, poking fun at human nature all along. The Chinese tradition also has great simplicity in staging the play. It begins and ends with a bare stage. A great deal is achieved with very little on stage, pushing the audience’s imagination all the time. The stagehands take charge of the play, making the characters in the story their creations.
Directed by: Vijay Padaki, Archana Kariappa
The Year of the Rooster
Maya Bazaar
Maya Bazaar (2016)
The play Maya Bazaar is Based on the eponymous movie from the 1950's, BLT's version is in English and is a contemporary retelling of the classic yarn. How does Abhimanyu win the hand of Sashirekha, the love of his life with some help from Ghatothkacha and his merry rakshasas and Krishna, original magician? Set in the mystical environs of Dandakaranya and Dwaraka, this play is our tribute to the original and is sure to tickle your funny bone.
Directed by: Sridhar Ramanathan
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