Ten plays across various languages like Hindi, English, Kannada, Urdu and Tamil have been nominated at the upcoming 11th edition of Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META).
Kannada play "Akshayambara", "Mein Hun Yusuf Aur Yeh Hai Mera Bhai" in Urdu and Hindi, and non-verbal musical "After Death - A Spiritual Journey" received eight nominations each.
English play "Agnes of God" got seven nominations, Bengali production "Haoai (The Eleventh Planet)" received six nods.
Also nominated are "The Cabinet of Dr Caligari" (English), "07/07/07" (English, Hindi and Farsi), "Balcony" (Malyalam), Kuhaimaravasigal (Cave Tree Dwellers) in Tamil and "A Friend's Story" (English).
The productions focus on an array of subjects including displacement, revolution, faith and spirituality, mental health, rape, crimes against women, bisexuality, prostitution and love in conflict zones.
The art forms presented are diverse and include the dance drama form of Yakshagana, the rituals of the Indian Bhil tribe, play-within-a-play scenarios, spatial experimentation and audio-visual narratives.
The nominated plays will be judged across 13 categories.
Awards will be given for Best Play, Best Director, Best Stage Design, Best Light Design, Best Innovative Sound Design, Best Costume Design, Best Actor in a Lead Role (Male), Best Actor in a Lead Role (Female), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female), Best Original Script, Best Ensemble, and Best Choreographer.
"A plethora of languages, ideas and cultures will be on display this March and we urge the audiences to come and partake in this wonderful festival and to especially show their support for regional theatre," Jay Shah, Head, Cultural Outreach, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd said.
The award ceremony will be held on March 11 here while the shortlisted productions will be staged from March 6 to March 10.
