Kolkata's only solo arts festival, 'Monologues 2018' is all set to add a zing to the nip in the air. Presented by pHREEDOM4 EVER, an organization that envisages cultural excellence and brand equity with the right stroke of commerce is the brainchild of its founder Chaity Ghosh. The passion to weave her own creative world led Chaity to shape her dream in the name of pHREEDOM4 EVER. Her 23 years of apex level corporate experiences with various MNCs, corporate houses and entertainment industry has given shape to many dreams with insight, intelligence and power to foresee. The festival 'Monologues' is the prodigy of Sujoy Prasad Chatterjee, an acclaimed interdisciplinary artist from the city.
This is the sixth year of the festival and to earmark that, the artist ensemble has been finalized to offer a different genre of artistic activities over two days. The festival kick starts on January 27 at The Library, ICCR at 6:30 pm with an interactive session between ace scriptwriter, Academy Award recipient Mahesh Elkunchwar and veteran theatre personality Sohag Sen followed by a play reading on the script of Mahesh Elkunchwar by acclaimed actor Chandan Roy Sanyal. On February 3, the matinee session opens at the Abanindranath Gallery, ICCR at 4 pm with a solo rendition by ace vocalist Monomoy Bhattacharya followed by a dance performance by globally celebrated danseuse and activist Alokananda Roy, a solo vocal by revered musician Gaurab (Gabu) Chatterjee and a piece of theatrical by Nandikar famed performer Saptarshi Moulick. On both the days, the festival has free entry for enthusiasts. This is one of those landmark celebrations of art and culture that the art lovers of the city look up to due to its artist amalgamation.
'Monologues' as a festival is unique in many ways. Since its inception, in one hand it has been a treat to experience performances by stalwarts like Mahabaanoo Modi Kotwal, Mita Vasishth, Lushin Dubey, Rudraprasad Sengupta, Rupankar Bagchi, Debshankar Haldar, Sudarshan Chakravorty to name a few and on the other hand, it has given a rock-solid platform for upcoming talents to cement their artistic propositions. From 2016 onwards, The Solo Room Achiever Awards has been initiated as a part of pHREEDOM4 EVER Monologues where young and talented artists from various formats of performing art are being recognized to acknowledge fresh talents.
"Every age has its storytelling form and artistic expressions are an integral part of our culture. 'Monologues' is aimed to embrace the best of the artistic qualities," said Chaity.