Dance drama Rajendra Laxmi, which brought to stage the life and time of Nepal’s first queen regent, is slated for staging at the Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival in Bangalore later this week. The play was first staged at Mandala Theatre in June this year.

Queen Rajendra Laxmi is noted for her courageous rule, in which she furthered the unification process of modern Nepal, spearheaded by Prithvi Narayan Shah.

Explaining the conception of the play, director Namrata KC said, “The place of the bold queen in the Nepali history is only nominal, while her life and work is remarkable.”

“So through this dance-drama, we aim at strengthening women’s role in Nepali society by highlighting the courageous life-journey of Rajendra Laxmi Devi Shah in a larger scale, which is often expressed in a limited version by our history. We hope it will help explore and promote the diverse culture and practices of Nepali theatre, dance and music.”

Themed “Plays that Almost Weren’t,” Ranga Shankara Theatre Fest is one of Bangalore’s landmark theatre events. This year, the fest will host the staging of about a dozen titles including Animal Farm; Chandala, Impure; Ahalya BD; and Ammi Jaan.

Rajendra Laxmi will be staged at Ranga Shankara Theatre on October 28.