Playwright, theatre actor and director Mahesh Dattani and popular actress Lilette Dubey are joining hands to present Script Lab, a four-day scriptwriting residency workshop from December 16 at the Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa next month.
The purpose of this workshop is to introduce playwriting, tap talent, assist with character development, constructive feedback and also to help writers turn a critical eye on their own works. It will focus on screenplay structure, character development, dialogue, theme, visualisation and dramaturgy.
Dattani, the first playwright in English to be awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award, and wellknown for writing plays such as Dance Like a Man, Bravely Fought the Queen, On a Muggy Night in Mumbai and Final Solutions, will lend his expertise on all aspects of storytelling during the residency programme.
The programme will include two days of instruction, one day of mentorship and will conclude with dramatised readings of the plays in an outdoor setting at the festival.
Talking about the project and his experience of working with Dubey, Dattani said in a statement: “In the world of Indian theatre, there exists a major lacuna of scriptwriters and quality writer”, which needs to be addressed immediately.
“Keeping this thought at the forefront, Lillete and I felt that it was imperative to include this in a hands-on-yet-fun format at the Serendipity Arts Festival, which is how the residency workshop was conceptualised. The four-day workshop in December will include devising, structure, scene-design and dialogue-writing as part of the training, and would be ideal for anyone who wants to take up scriptwriting professionally”.
“For me, being a part of this festival is extremely exciting and exhilarating. To be able to put aside my role as a director, producer and actor and don the hat of a curator, with the freedom to explore and platform new genres, styles and forms of contemporary theatre from India and across the world” Dubey said.
Serendipity Arts Festival is a multi-disciplinary arts event that focuses on music, dance, theatre, crafts, visual arts, culinary arts and photography.
