After five outstanding seasons, the Athipathi International Theatre brings to you the Sixth Tamil Drama Festival 2018. Book your calendars from July 19 to July 21 and head down to the Grassroots Club at Ang Mo Kio (568046).
Explaining the festival and the theme chosen, the writer of all the plays, Mr. Pungalenthii said, “Science Fiction books in Tamil are rare and so are the plays, hence we took this up as a challenge to attract the younger audiences and stage five original science fiction plays for this festival.”
Tamil is the fourth official language of Singapore. Furthermore, the Tamil community is an integral part of the nation; in January 2018, Cabinet minister S Iswaran said, “The government’s policy position and support for Tamil is clear. The rest is in the hands of the community, especially our youths, to embrace the language, use it in everyday life and make it a living language.”
From a drama that is set in 2420 AD with teenagers fighting for survival to a sweet love-hate story between a couple matched online, here is a quick sneak peek at all the amazing plays that will be performed during the festival.
சித்தர்42 [Siddar 42]
Written By Pugalenthii
Directed by Yesha and Jegathesvaran
The year is 2420 and the world has been partially destroyed by nuclear wars and natural disasters. The world populations have dwindled down and only teenagers occupy the world as evolution has resulted in them having weak hearts that will collapse if it beats above 140.Three teenagers, Jothi, Kali and Vembu have stolen a Medical robot from an army storage site. On inspection they realise that it is a Librarian Robot which tells them how to make gold out of any metals.
The stage is set for a post-apocalyptic journey that explores humanity’s struggle for survival and the hard choices they have to make in doing so.
அந்தரிந்திரியம் [An organ of thought of AI]
Written by Ramesh Venkat, Saravanan Shanmugam ,Vinith Kumar and Sharmelee Selvaraji
Directed by Saravanan Shanmugam
The play has ridden the wave of AI news and advancements announced recently. A company has been engaged by bureaucrats to devise an app using AI to match compatible couples so that the birth rate can be increased. Venkatesh succeeds in designing one and it shows that Soundaraya is his perfect match. Venkatesh jumps the gun by going straight to Soundarya's house for a marriage proposal. She kicks him out of the house, and he is forced to turn to the AI over and over again.Will Venkatesh and Soundaraya fall in love and marry?
மின்னனுவன் [Humanoid Child in the Orphanage]
Written by Pugalenthii
Directed by Yoghini
Sitoe runs the Athipathi orphanage for dozens of kids. What is unknown to the kids is that the orphanage is used by tech companies to test their new equipment and products with children. One of the best kept secret is that there is a robot that looks like a child that does not know that it’s not a human.
Is it better to be a human or to be robot? What is the definition of life? Watch the play to find out.
நிலவை காணோம் [Why is the Moon missing?]
Short story by Maathangi
Dramatised by Gajendren and Ram Santhanam
An alien creature that takes a form of a six-foot-cockroach approaches a housewife.
It reveals that their species would like to take the Moon away from Earth back to their planet Villaria. Will the housewife vote away the Moon?
விண்மாலுமி [Spaceman]
Written by Pugalenthii
Directed by Navinnason
Astronaut Mamulan has left his main mining ship to trace an unknown transmission when it broke down, forcing him to enter cryo sleep. However, the mysterious signal beckons and other entities seem to want to sabotage his mission.
Will Mamulan venture forth into the unknown? Can he survive in space with assistance (or hindrance) from his AI?
The stage is set and the rehearsals are on! We hope to see you there. The early bird tickets are being sold at SGD15 until July 16, 2018, while afterwards they will be sold for SGD25. For reservations , please call +6590998510.