The Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META) and Festival 2019 recently announced that this year, the award will be conferred to one of India's most progressive playwrights, Mahesh Elkunchwar. He is critically-acclaimed and widely-known for having experimented with a wide range of drama, and is a powerful force in both Indian and Marathi theatre for over three decades.
The jury for the 14th edition of the awards was also announced and comprises of renowned theatre artist, actor and screenwriter Akash Khurana; Anmol Vellani, Founder and former Executive Director of India Foundation for the Arts; Ila Arun, popular Indian actress, singer and TV personality; Kulbhushan Kharbanda, eminent Indian actor; Lynne Fernandez, Managing trustee of Nrityagram and one of India's first professional female lighting designers; and Sunit Tandon, former Director of Yatrik, the oldest theatre group in the capital, and presently Director of the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi.
The announcements come ahead of the week-long Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META) and festival to be held from March 6-12, 2019 at New Delhi's Kamani Auditorium and Shri Ram Centre, where META 2019's ten-shortlisted plays will be performed for an esteemed panel of jury members, as well as theatre-lovers in the Capital.
Breaking previous records, over 400 entries were received this year at META, which were viewed by an eminent selection committee, comprising well-known theatre practitioners. This year's final nominations feature plays in Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, along with Hindi and English language scripts. The shortlisted plays, this year, will explore several themes.
In previous years, the META Lifetime Achievement Award has been conferred on several stalwarts of Indian theatre, including Vijaya Mehta, Arun Kakade, Ratan Thiyam, Girish Karnard, Ebrahim Alkazi, the Late Heisnam Kanhailal, to name a few.
Jay Shah, Head, Cultural Outreach, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd, said, "The Mahindra Group is delighted to announce the 14th Annual Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards. The enthusiasm this annual event generates for theatre practitioners and audiences is in itself a validation of what we had set out to achieve."
Sanjoy K Roy, MD, Teamwork Arts, and Festival Producer, said, "Every year META reinforces Indian theatre's diversity and excellence. META 2019 is a tribute to the finest talent we have across the country. Like last year, META's workshops and masterclasses will bring the dynamic community of theatre-practitioners closer and inspire more stories of the stage."