Sustained Momentum - A Decade of Global Excellence

 

The Foundation’s work has been streamlined into regular productions of its own and presentations of plays by eminent practitioners of theatre. A Global Theatre Initiative, a dedicated effort to promoting ‘Heritage Theatre’, a series of workshops and talks under ‘Celebrating Theatre’ and now regular ‘Theatre Weekends’ every month. It has been credited with taking Hyderabadi theatre to the global stage with plays like ‘Raat Phoolon ki’, ‘Quli: Dilon ka Shahzaada’, ‘Savaan-e-Hayat’, ‘Spaces’ and ‘1857: Turrebaz Khan’ and also for introducing audiences across cultures and age groups to the richness of Hyderabadi and therefore, Indian heritage. The annual 10-day, multi-venue, ‘Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Festival’, now in its 12th year, is a tribute to the late doyen who envisioned Hyderabad as a world-class theatre vibrant city.

 

Board

 

Begum Razia Baig, Chairperson

 

The woman behind the success of the doyen late Qadir Ali Baig and Chairperson of the Foundation, Begum Razia Baig is the guiding light of the Foundation. Her production experience and finely-honed judgement form the basis of high-quality theatre productions and the annual Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Festival. She was awarded ‘Woman of the Decade in Theatre’ by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh in 2014 and has also received the ‘Rotary International Award for Excellence in Arts’.

 

Mohammad Ali Baig, President

 

Internationally-feted theatre revivalist Mohammad Ali Baig, besides writing, producing, directing and acting on stage is also one of most accomplished exponents of visual communications in the country. A multiple global award-winning director of corporate, ad films and social documentaries, he heads the Foundation and the Festival as its Curator-Director. He is the recipient of the Padma Shri in 2014, among several other national and international honours in France, Canada, USA, Turkey and UK.

 

M.S. Sathyu, National Director

 

One of India’s most prominent theatre directors and filmmakers, an illustrious stage designer and art director, he is the recipient of Sangeet Natak Academy award, Padmashri and National Awards on one hand, Filmfare and other popular awards on the other. His ‘Garam Hawa’ was a landmark film and India’s official entry to Oscars. He heads the Foundation as its National Director.

 

Others:

 

• Vani Ganapathy, renowned danseuse-stage artiste

 

• Prof. Ram Gopal Bajaj, theatre actor-director and former Director of National School of Drama, New Delhi

 

• Suhasini Maniratnam, popular actress of south Indian films

 

• Kadir Zaman, eminent Urdu writer, art critic