Dastak, Singapore’s renowned Theatre and Film Festival, makes its Indian Debut in Vadodara
Mumbai: WeCanDoIt, a renowned theatre company from Singapore, is proud to announce the Indian debut of DASTAK, an annual Theatre & Film Festival from Singapore. Scheduled to be held from 22nd to 24th November 2024 at the Alembic City Art District in Vadodara, Gujarat, the DASTAK 2024 edition will be an immersive three-day festival featuring curated Hindi plays and short films, workshops in theatre, script writing and filmmaking, and panel discussions among others. WeCanDoIt is joining hands with Page to Stage, a well known theatre company, and 3 Peepul Productions, an award winning films production house, to bring their expertise to enhance the festival’s offerings, promising a diverse, engaging, and impactful experience for participants and audiences.
DASTAK is the brainchild of Shalaka Ranadive, Founder & CEO of WeCanDoIt, a pioneering theatre company based in Singapore. Most of its editions, since its inception in 2009, have been supported by the ‘National Arts council’, Singapore. Through DASTAK, WeCanDoIt has provided a platform for aspiring and professional talents across Singapore and has staged over 70 plays and produced five films.
The vision for DASTAK 2024 in India is to create a vibrant collaborative platform, uniting talents from Singapore and India in theatre and filmmaking. DASTAK’s three-day festival aims to raise awareness of critical social, environmental, and sustainability issues, inspiring change through the powerful medium of the arts, while also tapping into the rich yet unexplored talent pool of the country.
Speaking about the festival and its debut in India, Shalaka Ranadive, Festival Director for DASTAK 2024 and Founder & CEO of WeCanDoIt, said, “I am truly honoured and excited to bring DASTAK to my homeland, India. After six successful editions in Singapore, it feels incredibly special to share this festival’s artistic spirit with the vibrant and culturally rich audiences of India. DASTAK has always been about fostering creativity, collaboration, and meaningful conversations through the arts, and to now do that in Vadodara, a that was my hometown and instrumental in shaping me as an artist, is a surreal moment and a dream come true. I look forward to the powerful exchanges between artists from both countries and hope this marks the beginning of a long and inspiring journey for DASTAK in India.”
DASTAK 2024 will be hosted in the vibrant Art City of Western India—Vadodara, in Gujarat. Vadodara, erstwhile Baroda, has long been a cradle of creativity, fostering a cultural renaissance since pre-independence era that continues to flourish. Today, the city is home to a thriving community for performing and fine arts, theatre, and filmmakers, along with many patrons of the arts, making it a vibrant hub for creativity and talent. This rich artistic legacy and cultural heritage makes Vadodara the perfect setting for DASTAK 's debut edition in India.
Festival Highlights:
At DASTAK 2024, attendees can look forward to an immersive and vibrant experience in storytelling, theatre, short films and interactive exchanges with reputed directors. The festival will commence with a grand launch event, setting the stage for an exciting celebration of the arts. Audiences will be treated to daily performances featuring five curated 20-minute plays, each offering a unique narrative that highlights the diverse storytelling traditions of both Singapore and India. In addition to these captivating plays, the festival will present a selection of curated short films from Singapore and India, screened daily to provide a rich visual bonanza. Engaging panel discussions and thought-provoking dialogues with theatre directors and filmmakers will add to learning for the participants. For those eager to dive deeper, workshops led by industry experts will provide hands-on opportunities in filmmaking and theatre. Interactive pop-ups throughout the festival will further enhance the experience with dynamic cultural activities.
In the lead-up to the festival, DASTAK 2024 is creating opportunities to engage with the community by curating scripts, plays, and films through a jury selection process and will also host short filmmaking workshops in select schools and colleges across Gujarat. This comprehensive approach will further enable a rich and engaging experience for all attendees, celebrating the intersection of storytelling through theatre and films, culture, and social impact.
About DASTAK:
Founded by Shalaka Ranadive in Singapore, DASTAK has earned recognition for fostering cultural exchange between Singapore, India, and Malaysia. The festival continues to push boundaries with innovative productions, offering a platform for emerging artists to showcase their talents. Over the years, DASTAK has attracted over 1,000 attendees per edition, supported by 50+ cast and crew.
About Page to Stage:
Founded by Suchitra Parikh and Neena Arora in Vadodara, Page to Stage offers a platform for children and adults of all ages and abilities to find their voice through theatre. Page to Stage has produced more than 30 plays and productions in Vadodara, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Under its vertical “Theatre for a Cause’, Page to Stage collaborates with NGOs and social causes, to further their message through storytelling, offering theatre to underprivileged and disadvantaged communities.
About 3 Peepul Productions:
Founded by Neena Arora, Priya Krishnaswamy and Suchitra Parikh in Vadodara, 3 Peepul Productions is a films production house, focused on stories rooted in the Indian ethos. Their first short film “Vishwamitri Villa shot on zoom was fully improvised, inclusive, experimental short film, and the cast has deaf and hearing amateur teenagers, with Hindi, English, Gujarati and Indian Sign Language, English. The film won awards at several film festivals in USA, UK and UAE. Their first feature film “Kundaalu” won 7 awards at Jaipur International Film Festival-JIFF 2024.
Join us at DASTAK 2024: Theatre and Short Film Festival, in Vadodara from 22nd to 24th November, where theatre and films meet purpose and creativity, resulting in positive social impact.
