MUMBAI: The Grand Finale of the eighth edition of ‘Vodafone Rangasangeet 2017’ will be held on 16 December 2017 in the august presence of eminent Marathi Theatre and Film personalities at Balgandharva Rangamandir. Overall 13 teams across six centres viz. Pune, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Kankavli, Ratnagiri and Goa, will battle it out to become the coveted champions of the eighth edition of this annual competition. While the prose finals will be held on 14 December 2017 at Nehru Auditorium, Ghole Road, musical finals will be held on 16 December 2017 at Balgandharva Rangamandir (J. M. Road).This will be followed by winner announcement and prize distribution at Balgandharva Rangamandir from 7 pm onwards.

Umesh kamat will be the Chief Guest for the event along with Subodh Bhave and Jitendra Joshi. The plays will be judged by an esteemed jury panel comprising of Shrirang Godbole, Vibhawari Kulkarni, Kiran Yadnopavit. The winning teams will be entitled to a cash prize worth INR one lakh for musical and INR 10,000 for prose along with a host of other prizes worth INR five lakh.

The call for entries for the eighth edition of Vodafone Rangasangeet began in September this year followed by preliminary rounds in Nashik, Ahmednagar, Goa, Kankavli, Ratnagiri and Pune. At the close of two month long process of selection and elimination, out of more than 100 teams across the six centres, 13 teams were shortlisted, 07 in musicals and 06 in prose, as finalists in both the categories.

Speaking about Vodafone Rangasangeet Business Head – Maharashtra and Goa Vodafone India Ashish Chandra said, “As a value based organization, Vodafone believes in making a meaningful contribution to society, across the geographies we operate in. Vodafone Rangasangeet has been created, conceptualized and executed to bring back focus on Marathi theatre as a serious form of art and encourage youth to look at it as not merely as an entertainment but also as a profession. This year more than 100 teams participated across six centres in Maharashtra and Goa. It is quite evident from the number that the participation is increasing and so is the passion and love for theatre. We are delighted to receive such an incredible response for the eight edition of ‘Vodafone Rangasangeet 2017’ and would like to congratulate the shortlisted teams for making it to the Grand Finale.”

Shri Prasad Purandare of Theatre Academy said, “Our association with Vodafone goes back to 2010 when Vodafone Rangasangeet was launched. Over the years, Vodafone Rangasangeet has received tremendous accolades from Theatre Fraternity across Maharashtra and Goa. Some of the participants in the past have moved on to achieve fame in Marathi Theatre, Film and TV industry. The main purpose behind Vodafone Rangasangeet is to encourage budding talent and motivate theatre enthusiasts, with a more reformed and challenging mode of theatre, which is musical. With the overwhelming response received over the years and continuous support from Vodafone, we intend to take this platform onto a next level.”

Vodafone Rangasangeet, organised by Vodafone, one of India’s leading telecom service provider, in association with Theatre Academy is a one-of-its-kind state level musical and prose one-act-play competition. The competition aims to provide a platform for budding talent in theatre across Maharashtra and Goa.