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The 14th Bharat Rang Mahotsav- the annual theatre festival of the National School of Drama (NSD) featured around 100 performances across genres and languages, with international groups from Poland, Italy, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, Japan along with Indian theatre companies from Imphal, Bangalore, Bhopal, Srinagar and from other places too. With a minimum of four shows in a day and a number of platform performances at the open air theatre, the viewer was spoilt for choice.
The fortnight long festival staged in a variety of auditoriums ranging from the 600-odd capacity Kamani to a 50-odd seater Bahumukh, 'Bharangam' (as loyalists call it affectionately) offered all performance styles an equal welcome - be it the abstract LOOKING IN & OUT (Makoda Okada and Savita Rani), the Musical, STORIES IN A SONG (Sunil Shanbag), the contemporary visual media focused TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA (Pino Di Budo) or the operatic show THE CHORUS OF WOMEN (Marta Gornicka); each production held its unique charm and was a must watch for a true aficionado of the theatre.
On a single day, one could watch three performances at best and that too at a frenetic pace, with a ten minute gap between shows, leaving little time to absorb and comprehend. The time crunch which hindered appreciating the plays fully, was somewhat alleviated at the Director's Talk during the morning sessions. The NSD students (those enthusiastic enough to wake up in the morning after late night exhaustions) led the debates and discussions, taking notes and generally admiring the artists present.
As is mandatory for any festival of this nature, there was no shortage of food! The Food Hub was the centre of affairs with a huge yet cosy shelter, coal fires burning to keep the Delhi chill out and serving some delicious cuisines from Kerala, Tibet, Bihar, Old Delhi and the ubiquitous chai. Discussing plays, theatre, and art in general, while sitting on a charpai, sipping hot tea and shooting smoke rings (yes, this sin was allowed) was all an essential part of this festival. There were music performances by various Indian artists on all evenings inside the Food Hub. But how can one manage so much?
A colossus amongst theatre festivals across the globe, 'Bharangam' continues to be at the forefront of theatre festivals in India in terms of the range of the theatrical forms on show and in its management and execution. The intrinsically strong production team is strengthened further with skilled work force for wood work and electrical requirements. With groups flying from afar, the basic production assistance to be provided is immense. From small levels to complicated support structures, many things are managed hands on within the NSD campus. Although most foreign performers are commissioned by their respective embassy's cultural exchanges, the aggregation of it all happens on ground, at the venues.
But the viewing suffers. With such packed schedules and so few tickets (after discounting the students, staff, invitees and participants), hustles are inevitable. Maybe the organizers need to look at splitting the festival over the year and increasing the frequency of at least some productions (currently a play runs just once, except for the smaller plays staged at Meghdoot auditorium). The junta is eager to watch, as is evident by packed shows and long queues, and must get complete opportunity to do so. Yes, the logistical issues with multiple festivals would grow exponentially but one can always start small. Given the dedicated team of staff and students, taking a leap of faith is not too risky, if at all.
The 'Bharangam' provides a haven for theatrical art and its appreciation. The festival is thus far uncorrupted by corporate hoardings and unheeded by state prohibitions (WATTEPAED by Theatre For Kashmir was overtly anti-national).
Here's a look at some of the productions that were part of this festival's edition:
THE CHORUS OF WOMEN
Writer: Various participants
Director: Marta Gornicka
Company: Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute
Country: Poland
The production is about a group of 'real-life' women taken out of their spaces and, literally, placed on a platform in front of an audience and commanded to speak, shout, sing, laugh, cry and express themselves by another woman (the conductor/director of the Chorus).
A marvellous ensemble of emotions designed to exaggerate (and at times, underplay) the experiences rather than propping stereotypes often witnessed in popular culture through films, advertisements or female icons. The text drew not only from these voices but also from the enchanting fairy tale of the Princess awaiting her prince charming. The Chorus echoed the harshness of this futile wait through voices that rose and fell with each second that passed.
There is a significant part where the Chorus babbles. Starting in unison, slowly losing control and turning into chatter, then becoming more violent and unhinged. The experience was as visual as it was auditory. It seemed like an incessant flow of water, first through a calm shallow stream, then slowly gurgling over at the surface, and finally become an angry rush of foam crashing its way ahead.
The Chorus could not hold on to the notion of just being the doll that it is perceived as. It broke the monotone and pushed its individuality across. In fact, that was the uniqueness of the act that even though it was a Chorus, it seemed to bring out the lone woman in relevant instances. The woman leading the chorus appeared to control the rest but only in a way as one may seem to control the subconscious. At the end, the conductor crossed over to the other women and lay down beside them, laughing with them, and finally resting after all the commotion of personal histories and overwhelming emotions.
INSHA KA INTEZAAR
Original Text: Samuel Beckett
Director: Anwar Jafri
Company: Tehrik-e-Niswan Cultural Action Group
Country: Pakistan
When one watches a Beckett adaptation, there are hopes of a new point of view, something unseen or even un-thought. This production by the Tehrik-e-Niswan Cultural Action Group from Karachi had nothing phenomenally fresh to offer. The adaptation was limited to the native names of its cultural setting. Having said this, the haunting simplicity of WAITING FOR GODOT goes far beyond any adaptation style and is a treat to watch every single time.
Insha was to arrive soon! Insha, the saviour of some sort. He might have been God himself. But what would he be saving us from, and exactly what would happen when he finally does show up? The hopelessness of this wait is evident from the start - A lone tree, devoid of all life was standing in the middle of a barren landscape. The two humans akin to dogs, dirty, shabby, itchy, sick and hungry. And certainly, the talk of Insha's arrival had no celebratory tone to it.
BAAGHIN MERI SAATHIN
Original Text: Dario Fo
Adaptation: Shahid Anwar
Director: Parvez Akhtar
Company: Natmandap
Country: India (Patna)
An inspired mono act from Dario Fo's 'Tale Of A Tiger', BAAGHIN MERI SAATHIN was not only a delight for its entertaining story-telling but also for its deep seated social relevance.
A wounded soldier becomes a burden for his regiment. He is eventually, and reluctantly left in the wilderness when the wounds start to smell toxically. In a daze of pain and hunger, the soldier is caught in a flash flood and is carried to the cave, but not any cave mind you. It is the cave of a tigress who lives there with her cub. The fun really starts now with the lactating tigress wanting to get rid of her milk and her cub refusing to drink (his tummy is full of water from the floods!). The only next option seems to be the soldier, who is surprised, scared but hungry too. He suckles it all in only to realize that a tigress has more than two nipples! Parvez sahab performs the most amazing description of this short sequence of the tigress forcing the soldier and the soldier relenting only to become nauseous of the milk.
The contrast of being hungry a few days ago and being over-full now is well established and thus, well perceived by the audience (who are in splits at times). As the story proceeds, the tigress and the soldier develop a bond with each other, but it is not an easy one. The tigress now yearns for the cooked meat prepared by the soldier instead of the raw meat she was earlier accustomed to. The soldier has to labour now to make cooked meat for the tigress and her cub. Covered in black soot, smelling of meat and yearning for human contact, the soldier calls it quits one day and runs away to a village.
The humans act as they usually do. They don't believe a word that the soldier says and consider him mad. Until one day when the tigers, with an upset stomach for eating raw meat after the soldier left, find him. The villagers are in awe.
After the reunion, calamity strikes. War approaches. The soldier suggests that the beasts be sent to scare away the enemy, and scare them they do, with their haunting roars and deathly eyes. The tigers train the villagers to masquerade as beasts themselves and the community survives happily on mutual co-operation. But this happiness is short lived as the word of these beast soldiers reaches the politicos and they come to force the tigers out of the village. These politicians do not succeed though and the villagers hide the tigers to end the story on a happy note.
This hour long performance was filled with emotional and physical energy. The NSD event organizers should have mentioned specifically that this play was suitable and recommended for children. Children should not be deprived of such theatre, especially when it's so rare to come by.
HUNGRY STONE
Original Text: Rabindranath Tagore
Director: Heisnam Tomba
Company: Kalakshetra, Manipur
Country: India (Imphal)
Capturing a Tagore story on stage has become a preoccupation for many theatre groups across India. What most of these stage adaptations lack is the interpretation. But this production by Kalakshetra Manipur was completely different in its understanding of the story. By Director Heisnam Tomba's own admission, 'I have revisited it (his earlier stage production of the same play) and destroyed the older version to create a new form of theatrical expression that is logical, sensuous and lyrical.'
A nobleman visits a small town for work and is introduced to a palace in ruins where dancing girls used to enchant audiences ages ago. He is advised to keep away from the palace as it is believed to be haunted by the sensuality of those girls (according to the local legend). One who stays back either dies, or goes mad. Obviously, the nobleman decides against the advice and is slowly gripped by the songs and dances of the beautiful girls. Until one day, he gets up, haunted to the end of his life, and runs back to his 'earthly' life, never to return again. The story lays emphasis on the eeriness of the palace and its enchanting magic.
But, this stage production was not about the palace at all. It was about the souls of those dance girls who once used to regale audiences. The stage was minimal, the girls were props themselves, turning into stone statues during the day and coming to life at night. And they weren't dancing lustily, they were crying desperately. In this cry too was a lure, a trap if you may, even more powerful than in all the dances. This was the pinnacle of this performance.
The production turns the story on its head and yet retains its spirit. The cries of the girls were incessant and underlined the pathos - sounds you want to get close to just to somehow urge them to stop. The girls weren't hungry at all. They were not looking for anyone to trap, they were trapped themselves. They belched on stage in the middle of their songs as they perhaps were too full of this routine and wanted out.
Superb performances by the three girls and a likeable one by the man added to the pleasure of watching this production. The language was Manipuri with out-of-sync subtitles but the visual pleasure and its disturbing aural landscape more than compensated for the lack of following the language. If you want to read the translated text, visit http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2518/2518-h/2518-h.htm
RAVANAMA
Writer and Director: Maya Krishna Rao
Company: Vismayah
Country: India (Delhi)
Theatre, some say, is meant for the audience. And when you think about it, an active art form has to be for the audience. It has to make sense in some way or at least it has to be unique in its experience in the audience's space. On the other hand some are of the opinion that art should be (or is) for art's sake. The debate will go on and this solo performance by Maya Krishna Rao reinforces the debate.
The actor was searching to begin her character development of Ravana. She was looking for an opening from where to build the character. Exploring all avenues available (after all Ravana had 10 heads) was time consuming and unforgivingly redundant. Rao used short phrases to explain certain acts and was often in front of the laptop (googling Ravana perhaps). The identity of the evil mythical character was brought out just once when the dance leads to a revelation that Sita was Ravana's daughter. This epiphany was interesting but not explored further. The reference of a Greek tragedy was wanted but was missing. Any other important aspects, if any, just went by without impacting.
An expecting audience was hooting when the actor, in her bid to explore the evilness of Ravana, started jiggying to the tunes of Michael Jackson's Bad. To be abstract is one thing, to be incomprehensible is another.
Rao is a respected figure in Indian theatre. And should be too, for everything that she has accomplished (http://mayakrishnarao.blogspot.com/p/about-maya.html). But let's just say that this performance wasn't her best.
LET'S UNPACK
Director: Meenal Kapoor
Company: Saarang
Country: India (Mumbai)
Six characters in search of a script. That's what one could call this theatrical presentation. This was a script-less performance but had a definite plot and a few pre-rehearsed sequences. To put it simply, when an actor acts out a character on stage, he has his own thoughts packed in his head. How is it best to unpack those and hence blur the line between the real and the unreal, between living and acting.
Too predictable by the middle of the play, the scenes seemed dull and all impromptu acts lacked energy. In fact the actors forgot about 'unpacking' their minds and continued without coming out of character for a good half hour. Some of the props were pointless like the bag brought on stage initially by the director (suggesting packed emotions wanting to be unpacked) but was never used or even thought about. Also a clock with time running backwards was probably a gimmick as well (the director might elaborate on this but it truly didn't make sense).
In a post play discussion, there was a suggestion to not have any plot but to just have characters who are not as random but somehow related. This would probably mean more unpacking and hence crossing into the surreal. Overall, the production just provided an interesting concept that called for more discussion.
AAJ RANG HAI
Writer: Poorva Naresh
Director: Gopal Tiwari and Poorva Naresh
Company: Tea Pot and Aarambh
Country: India (Mumbai)
The play starts with a man adjusting the antennae (the aluminium mesh that adorned our roofs before the ugly dishes were about) on a balcony, and audiences are taken on a nostalgic trip in the by lanes of cities (now, old cities). The background music is a qawwali by Hyder Baqsh and group. The music beautifully supports the transitions in the play.
The story is a flashback seen through the eyes of a young girl who is probably visiting an old memory herself, and in effect is one of the protagonists of the story. The story is about two old women living across the street from each other, happily, as the best of friends and as grand old know-alls of the entire neighbourhood. They are two lovable characters; one of the old women is a retired singer (Trishla Patel) who now trains young girls and is a fan of the great poet Hazrat Amir Khusro, and the other (Ahlam Khan- one of the best actors that we have today) an immobile, expletive shouting yet lovable old lady who is constantly busy worshipping her gods.
Respected by the youngsters around, these women are their bridge to the history of a bygone era and its traditions. The women tell stories about Amir Khusro, of their own childhoods and inset themselves as catalysts of humour. Their stories are designed as dance and music ensembles by the talented Poorva Naresh. These interludes are carefully crafted to set the mood as the play progresses.
Another interesting thread in the narrative, is the young love story brewing between a Muslim boy and a Brahmin girl. This is paralleled with the rising tension in the city as communal strife is imminent. Oblivious to the environment of hate developing in the city, the two women act insular, as if sure that violence in their neighbourhood that echoes with the poetry of Khusro, is impossible. The lovers go through the usual routines of courtship with coded messages being passed through two little girls (Prerna Chawla and Nishi Doshi). But the city has started to burn.
The inevitable denouement is reached when the Brahmin girl is raped and the neighbourhood erupts in flames with news of rioting and death. The once insular devotees of Khusro, coloured with yellow (the colour of Basant) are now seeing red. The rioters end it all.
The secular notes hit the spot with the audience and strong performances enhance the play's script. With a fine music score and a tight direction, this play was one of the best received by audiences at the festival.
THE LITTLE PRINCE
Original Text: Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Director: Arash Absalan
Company: Azdar Theatre
Country: Afghanistan
Not one soul sitting in the audience would have anticipated what was about to play out. It wasn't about atrocities and deaths. It wasn't about the politics of the land. It wasn't about religion and any fanaticism thereof. It wasn't about the history and its misrepresentation. But yet, not surprisingly at all, this production from the Azdar theatre group under the direction of Arash Absalan, was about love and innocence. It was about humanity.
The language of the play being Dari (honey to the ears), was lost in translation. A theatre piece is not all about the text though and here is where this production leaps ahead of the routine. It was a treat to watch the actor, Homan Wesa portraying the little prince in a minimalistic setting. The fantasy demanded by the text was brilliantly enacted on stage using interesting theatrical devices. In Afghanistan this play has always been performed in an open theatre with massive set pieces and detailed choreography, even more reason to laud this festival production as it was effectively adapted to a smaller indoor set-up.
The actors do well and get the nuances of the story across effectively. Finally, when the prince meets the narrator stuck in the desert, their emotional bond strengthens as the prince helps find a well and quenches the narrator's thirst. But now it's time for the prince to head back. He is missing his rose and is sure that the rose is missing him. And yet this new friendship formed is most compelling. Tears in their eyes, the two bid farewell and the narrator is left all alone in the land of foolish adults.
TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA
Original Text: Jules Verne
Director: Pino Di Buduo
Company: Teatro Potlach
Country: Italy
This is a trip with Captain Nemo to the fantastic depths of the seas, one which you could imagine in a 3D film perhaps. But experiments with visual tricks and lighting have taken the theatre to another level. Teatro Poltach's 30 years of working towards establishing the actor's interaction with digitally created spaces was generously shown in this production.
The narrative was pretty much the same as that of the original text. But the fun was all on the stage. Two screens hung parallel to each other and projected upon by two different projectors. But the actors for the most part were ingeniously acting from within the space created between the two screens! Imagine, projections of the sea in front and behind the actors, and them playing with the alien looking fishes and creatures. Very unusual to the eye but very captivating because of it. There was this one scene where the actors appeared as if floating in water. The lights, coupled with the projections, created an illusion of them floating. Simply superb to watch.
If one looks at the details, this is easier said than done, and no wonder these guys have been at it for 30 years now. When an actor is between two screens, he is just partially visible. So, the movements, voice and expressions are all reduced. With these constraints there is an added challenge of interacting with the video images (out of which the one in front is a mirror image of the actual, from the actor's perspective). But they did it. How one might ask? First and the most obvious was the sound enhanced by an audio output, with voice-overs and mics. Second, the movements; it was a case of exaggerating everything and adding elements of choreography to represent simple actions like bringing in food on a tray. Subtlety was a strict no-no. Next in line are the expressions. Resolving this must not have been easy. The painted faces of the artists with white being the base colour or at least the predominant one, helped. But this alone was not enough though and had to be further enhanced by LED and UV lighting, thus creating a majestic experience for the audience. Using lights on a projection covered stage is also an issue and even with LEDs (less spill) the actors had just a width of a meter to move (As told by the director in a chat post the show). An impossible feat but somehow managed. Now the final hurdle was the actors' interaction with the video. Only one explanation for this is possible and indeed true. And that is Practice.
In many ways, such a modern act of theatre is also rooted in its original theatre pre-requisites. Coming full circle was inevitable. Contemporary theatre practitioners might disagree but going back is essential to move forward. New forms and techniques must evolve from the roots. Just imagine a Kathakali performance in all its elaborate make-up and choreography, interacting with some designed video art in a suitable context. Exciting!
* The article has been written and compiled by ArtView. ArtView is a group of artists eager to experience, critique and collaborate to create art in all its glorious forms. Visit http://artviewblog.wordpress.com/ to know more.
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