Into the City

Five fun things to try and look forward to this season.

The Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation’s production Under An Oak Tree will be staged as part of their Theatre Weekend series for July. Theatre revivalist wand artist, Mohammad Ali Baig, who has directed the play and features as the unnamed protagonist in it, shares his experiences.

Tell us about Under An Oak Tree

Under An Oak Tree revolves around the ideas of childhood innocence, adolescence and growing up. It has a set comprising a chic bachelor pad on one side and a room in a haveli filled with antiques, silverware and sepia-toned photographs on the other. The two are divided by an oak tree, which serves as a metaphor for two different lives of the same individual.

It was staged at London in April this year. Tell us about it and the response it received.

The premiere in April was sold out a week prior and we were still getting requests.

How much of your own story do you see in the play?

It is a bio-play written by my wife, Noor Baig, and it was interesting to revisit my childhood and adolesence through her eyes. But we have made sure that it has a universal appeal too.

What is the best compliment you received for your performance?

I was told a lot of good things by a lot of people at London, Mumbai and Bengaluru where the play was staged at. Someone from the audience told me that they found the play to be a lesson in valuing legacies.

DATE July 22

AT Sheraton Hyderabad, Gachibowli DETAILS baigtheatrefoundation.org