META to showcase 2020 award-winning plays for its 17th edition

In 2022, we are back on-ground with the award-winning productions from the 2020 META festival.

An adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's ''The Old Man and the Sea'' and Malayalam writer Paul Zacharia novelette ''Bhaskara Pattelarum Entey Jeevithavum'' are among the award-winning plays of Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META) 2020 to be showcased here in its 17th edition, starting July 7.

Having showcased its productions online for the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the META this year will return on ground with four award-winning plays from its 15th edition at the Kamani Auditorium here.

''Although the judging process was completed in time for META 2020, we had to award the winners only by means of a virtual ceremony. We are pleased to finally have an on-ground META this year through the presentation of 4 META 2020 award winning plays,'' said Jay Shah, vice-president, head - cultural outreach, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, in a statement.

''We are hopeful to be able to have a full-fledged META in 2023 and are looking forward to new pieces of theatre being commissioned and performed during the year,'' he added.

The four plays in its repertoire this year are: ''The Old Man'', ''Ghoom Nei'', ''For The Record'' and ''Bhaskara Pattelarum Thommiyude Jeevithavum''.

''META pivoted online in 2020 and 2021 and built a new community even as we streamed a number of award-winning productions followed by talks and conversations around the many disciplines of theatre and the arts. In 2022, we are back on-ground with the award-winning productions from the 2020 META festival. You can see the best of the festival, live in Delhi,'' added Sanjoy Roy, MD of Teamwork Arts.

Instituted by the Mahindra Group with the objective of becoming a significant platform for theatre across regions, states and dialects in India, META recognises all aspects of the stage including playwriting, set, costume and light design, direction and performance and awards the best in the entire spectrum.

The four-day festival will come to an end on July 10.