Serendipity out & about 2024 brings theatre and art to community centres, orphanages, govt. schools, old age homes in Goa to make the arts more inclusive, accessible 

• The second edition of ‘Serendipity Out and About 2024’ will bring theatre in regional languages to the children and people of Goa.
• The performances at the Bastora Panchayat and Community Hall (August 4) and Piedade Youth Association Club House, Divar (August 5) are open to the public.

Goa Khabar : South Asia’s largest multidisciplinary arts festival, Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) 2024, is all set to bring the magic of theatre and art  to 19 orphanages, government schools, old-age homes and community centres across Goa – from Bastora in North Goa all the way to Canacona in South Goa – through the second edition of its immersive ‘Serendipity Out and About’ programme.

“Serendipity Out and About is a way to expand the Serendipity Arts family beyond the city of Panaji, with this year’s edition focusing on making the arts inclusive, accessible to all, especially those who, for various reasons, are unable to attend the Festival’s main edition in December in Panaji,” said Quasar Thakore Padamsee, co-curator for Serendipity Out and About 2024 and SAF 2024’s co-curator for the Theatre discipline.

The vibrant performance ‘Lavani Ke Rang’ written and directed by Mumbai-based director, theatre producer Bhushan Korgaonkar, at two venues — the Bastora Panchayat and Community Hall on August 4 and the Piedade Youth Association Club House, Divar on August 5 — is open to the public. The performance, in Hindi and Marathi, is a celebration of the lives of traditional Sangeet Bari Lavani artists from the perspective of a veteran Lavani theatre performer.

Sananda Mukhopadhyaya, Serendipity Out and About 2024 co-curator who has curated the programming for the children in schools and orphanages’ section , have put together four performances – Machher Jhol, Gubu Gubu, Sa Pa Re Sa Pa Sa, Hanv Gara Asa – with corresponding workshops at four government schools and six orphanages. SAF is collaborating with local artist educators who practice theatre in Goa – Tanashri Rane, Shravan Ratnakar Fondekar, Shivraj Malik, Ariendon Felldon Gomes – to facilitate the workshops in the government schools and orphanages and introduce the young audiences to the world the performances are set in.

There will also be an ‘Expressive Arts Therapy Workshop’ conducted byCharvi Budhdeo conducted at the seven homes for the aged based in Panaji, Bastora, Divar Island and other locations.

“We are excited to bring an edition of ‘Out and About’ by the Serendipity Arts Foundation, which will feature a dynamic mix of children’s theatre and art workshops in  English, Konkani, Hindi and Marathi, providing a platform for self-expression and creative exploration,” said Mukhopadhyaya.