Play: PUNAR-JANI
Director: Sudhi Devayani
Group: Nireeksha Women’s Theatre, Thiruvananthapuram
Language: Malyalam
Duration: 1hr 30m
Date: 16th Feb 2015
Time: 3:30pm
Venue: LTG
The Play
Punar-Jani is a travelogue of a different
order. Punar-Jani (re-born woman) travels in and out of the stories of
three women who were killed at different places and time. The women were
killed by burning (fire), drowning (water) and strangulation (air)
after sexual violence, share their thoughts with the woman who is
Punar-Jani as she travels through their stories taking their place in
the narrative and trying to change the course of the narrative.
Punar-Jani of course is defeated in each case but comes out of these
narratives with the knowledge of matters hidden by narratives. She is
joined in the end by the men in the narratives.
Director’s Note
Punar-Jani came across as a very interesting script with
possibilities for innovative visual design. The script written by
Rajarajeswari was born out of discussions with a group of women that
included artists, writers, social workers as well as gender activists.
The woman protagonist is searching among the dead women, their thoughts,
desires and hopes hidden within the narrative of a ‘victim’. Is she
searching among the dead herself? Her self- a woman, trapped within the
immense structure of power and patriarchy, herself structured for her,
the living dead?
Every time she enters the story of the dead woman killed by greed,
corruption and lust, searching for the inner thoughts of these women and
trying to alter the ending of the story, she is defeated by the massive
structure that consumes her will and turns her into the same woman who
got killed by it.
I have tried out a central big structure in the set design as well as
big sized properties to bring out the oppressive massiveness of the
system. After each story the huge structure heaves up making it more
difficult for the woman to enter the next story. Songs that elaborate
on the thoughts and emotions of the dead women are used during the set
change. This, as well as elements of the set items of the upcoming scene
connect one story to the other.
The Director
Sudhi Devayani is an established actress and director who has been
involved in theatre for the past 20 years. Presently the Artistic
Director of Nireeksha, she has directed several plays for it. Her play,
Pravaachaka
was a part of the Kerala Sangeet Natak Akademi’s, Amateur Drama
Competition in the year 2008, where she won the ‘Best Actress’ award,
Devayani also received the G. Sankara Pillai endowment award in 1993 and Vayala Vasudevan Pillai award in 2011.
The Playwright
Rajarajeshwari Easwaran is the founding member of Nireeksha. She
started off as a script writer for several of the street plays by
Nireeksha in its initial days. Her interest in theatre combined with her
feminist identity motivated her to turn to playwriting and create
strong women characters with their own subjectivity. Her major plays
include
Kudiyozhickal,
Pravaachaka,
Aanungal illatha Pennungal,
Troll and
Punar-Jani. She has also translated and adapted ‘A Secure Home’ by Elaina Garo under the name
Oru Urappulla Vasadhi in Malayalam.
The Group
NIREEKSHA Women’s Theatre established in 1999 based at Aithikonam, Thiruvananthapuram, is the
only women’s theatre active in Kerala.
Nireeksha produces full-length plays that are scripted by women,
directed by women and have women in central roles. The group strives for
a new aesthetics for women’s theatre through play productions,
workshops, seminars and street plays.
Nireeksha has so far produced six major plays scripted by Rajarajeswari Easwaran and directed by Sudhi Devayani. Plays like
Pravaachaka and
Aanungal Illatha Pennungalhave been a part of several National & International festivals.
2.)
THE NUDE
Play: THE NUDE
Director: Baharul Islam
Group: Abastav Gosthi, Guwahati
Language: Assamese
Duration: 1hr 20m
Date: 16th Feb 2015
Time: 5:00 pm
Venue: Sri Ram Centre
The Play
A young and unclothed woman, Patachara, enters the place where The
Buddha was temporarily staying with his entourage. The Buddha, at once
understands her state of mind. He decides to bring her back to a
condition where she can recollect the events which had brought her to
this state of being. His most revered nun Gauthami too cooperates in
this process – Buddha’s psycho-analytic system of treating an individual
afflicted with deep mental trauma and the subsequent loss of memory. In
the process the sounds transcend to be words; and the words get into be
meaningful sentences.
Director’s Note
The story of
Patachara-the Nude, comes to us as one of the
most striking examples of Buddha’s way of using the system of
psychotherapy to give relief to the people afflicted with mental trauma.
Patachara, a young woman developed an acute stress reaction
after she witnessed the death of her husband, two children, parents and
the only brother. She came to The Buddha weeping in a state of utter
delirium. After she became rational, The Buddha explained her true
meaning of suffering and the nature of impermanence. The story of
Patachara reveals
an excellent case study of trauma counseling, using the skills of
flashbacks, painful memories and anxiety. The Buddha used practically
most of the above mentioned avenues to resolve the grief reaction of
Patachara. I’ve tried to narrate the story of
Patachara employing lucid dramaturgical idioms so that the audience can understand the complicated antecedents that drove
Patachara into such a state of mind and Buddha’s way of giving relief to such individuals.
The Director
Born on 16
th August 1964 in Assam, Baharul Islam graduated
from National School of Drama, with specialization in Acting, in 1990.
He has acted in almost eighty plays in different languages like
Assamese, Hindi and English, and designed and directed almost thirty
plays. After graduating from NSD, he along with Smt. Bhagirathi formed
his own theatre group, Seagull in Guwahati. Mr. Islam is the recipient
of many prestigious awards like: Sanskriti Samman from Eka Ebong Koekjon
publication, Guwahati, Monohar Singh Smriti Puraskar from NSD,
Natyaprobor Award from Sharadakanta Bordoloi Smriti Committee, Nowgaon
and Bishnu Basu Smriti Samman by Bratyajon Theatre, Kolkata. He has
produced and directed documentaries like,
The Dhulia and Puppet Theatre in Assam (1998), Lokosanankriti (2005) and various fictions namely
Nishant (2007), Beyond The Obvious (2009) and
Meteka (2011). He has written and published four books namely
, Akanto Monere, Simar Sipare, Beyond the Obvious and
Khiriki Khuliyei. He is a regular columnist of Saatsori, an Assamese journal.
The Playwright
Mr. Karuna Deka, a renowned playwright, director, poet and novelist
was born in a small village, Doukuchi, of Nalbari district, Assam on 27
th December,
1947. An author of more than 100 books which include about ninety eight
plays , four poems , three novels, two songs , three short stories
and many more, Karuna Deka is the recipient if many prestigious awards
like,
The Literary Award from Government of Assam, The
Playwright Award from All India Drama Competition, Cuttack , Allahabad
Natya Sangh and Government of Assam. Recently, he was felicitated with
Basanta Saikai Natya Bota. His plays have acclaimed appreciation in
state festivals all over Assam and national festivals outside the state
and have fetched numerous prizes. His published books include
Suna Suna Sabhasada (2014)
Mamore Dhora Tarowal (2012),
Bondhu (2012),
Mouchumi Ahichil etc.
The Group
Established in 1986, ‘Abastav Gosthi’ has emerged as one of the
prominent theatre groups. The main objective of Abastav Gosthi is to
improve the existing style and form of Assamese theatre with systematic
practice and training. The group has been involved in many remarkable
theatrical activities in the past years and has participated in various
prestigious theatre festivals. Some of the major productions of Abastav
Gosthi are:
Upor Moholar Bandhjon,Metaka,Sabaho Asaro, Buddhu Ram, Moniram Dewan, Alankar ,Paruar Processionot Urohor Uuh etc.
- GAM SERENG
Play: GAM SERENG
Director: Sourav Poddar
Group: NSD Student Prod
Language: Multilingual
Duration: 1hr
Date: 16th Feb 2015
Time: 9:00 pm
Venue: Open Lawn
The Play & Director’s Note
Indian government has been at war with the people of Kashmir and the
North East for decades. In the name of safeguarding ‘national security
and integrity’ and ‘national interest’, Government has been trying to
crush the democratic aspirations of oppressed nationalities with state
terror. Operation Green Hunt has brought its war against people to the
heart of India. The total number of government forces presently engaged
in this operation, including paramilitary forces and state police, is
close to a quarter of a million (2.5 lakh). This is more than double the
US forces presently deployed in the occupation of Iraq.
The not-so-hidden objective behind this unprecedented military
offensive is to pulverize all forms of people’s struggles and
revolutionary movements so that giant multinational companies, with whom
hundreds of MoUs have been signed by the Government, may make a clean
sweep. Any movement, organisation or individual that fights for people’s
demands is being branded a Naxalite or a Maoist. Only an unceasing wave
of mass resistance can stop this assault on democratic struggles of the
most oppressed and exploited millions.
The Director & Playwright
Sourav Poddar, a graduate of National School of Drama, is currently
engaged with a collaborative platform of visual artistes named ‘Spelling
Mistake’. As an initiating team member, digital part in live
performances has been his area of exploration. He takes special interest
in creating spatial elements and scenography through real, virtual, 2D
images and video projection devices.
The Group
This play is being presented as part of the National School of
Drama’s Graduate Showcase (Class of 2014), which aims to provide a
platform for emerging theatre practitioners, while allowing them to
share their work with a wide audience.
4.)
GHAZAB TERI ADAA
Play: GHAZAB TERI ADAA
Director: Waman Kendre
Group: NSD Repertory Co., Delhi
Language: Hindi
Duration: 1hr 40m
Date: 16th Feb 2015
Time: 6:30 pm
Venue: Kamani
The Play
Ghazab Teri Adaa is inspired by Aristophanes’
Lysistrata.
The action of the play takes place in an imaginary time and place. It
revolves around the never ending aspiration for the expansion of kingdom
and is a constant battle for the continuous fights in the battle field.
The groups of performers make the king aware about the future of the
war. The fearful king rejects to see and understand the situation. All
the women, with fear and pain get together to stop the war under the
leadership of Laya. They think of various alternatives to stop the war
and finally decide that they will not allow their husbands to maintain
any physical contact with them until the war stops. The
violence-appreciating king and his war-loving soldiers break down in
front of this unique, peaceful and non-violent protest by the women.
Director’s Note
While I was studying at NSD, I read Aristophanes’
Lysistrata
in which the unusual idea of women in opposition of the war left a
great impact on me. The thought of doing this play came across my mind
many times in the last thirty years but it remained only an aspiration.
The recent change in the global scenario, especially in the last two
decades, in the name of war saddened me. So, the thought of doing this
play re-occurred. The central idea of the play i.e. the revolt of the
women folk against the king’s ambition of ruling the world and emerging
as a supreme power, led to the initiative of creating a new play. Gender
equality is another important aspect of the play. Even after sixty five
years of independence, the women reservation bill has not been passed
in the Indian parliament.
The form of dialogue is poetic, as this play is stylized, not
realistic. The language is guided by gender. In various rural dialects
of the country, women often speak like men. There is no room for women
in the language. Specially, in the plural construct the language remains
masculine. While speaking the gender dignity shatters. Besides the
narrative style, the audience will experience a varied audio-visual
design.
Director & Playwright
Prof. Waman Kendre is the Director of National School of Drama.
Earlier he served as Professor and Director, Academy of Theatre Arts,
University of Mumbai. His plays have participated in innumerable
national and international festivals, and he has written, adapted and
directed many plays, has conducted workshops on varying aspects of
theatre Known for doing theatre that is innovative and meaningful,
and for his sensitivity towards social, cultural and political issues.
Prof. Kendre has turned theatre into a potent platform for projecting
his concern for the suffering of those sections of society that are
often ignored and rarely talked about.
Much awarded Prof. Kendre received the Sangeet Natak Academi award in
the year 2012 , the first Manohar Singh Smriti Puraskar in 2004 for
outstanding multifaceted contribution to the field of theatre arts The
Mumbai Marathi Granth Sangrahalaya award 1989, Natya Gaurav puraskar
1989, 1996, 1997, 1999, Sahyog foundation award 1999. Marathwada Gaurav
Award 2002 and Padmshri Daya Pawar Smriti puraskar 2007, to mention
just a few.
The Group
Established in 1964 with a membership of only four persons, the
Repertory Company is the regular performing wing of the School. It was
set up with the dual purposes of establishing professional theatre on
one hand and continuing with regular experimental work on the other.
Over the years it has produced a variety of plays ranging from stylized
musicals to realistic contemporary Indian drama to translations and
adaptations of foreign plays. In addition, several eminent persons of
national and international repute have worked with the Company, and it
has performed over one hundred and fifty-five plays by ninety-eight
playwrights and has worked with seventy-five directors. Quite a few of
its actors have emerged as celebrities in theatre, cinema and
television. The Company has toured extensively in India and abroad. It
celebrated forty years of its existence in May 2004, and continues to
create new work and travel extensively.
5.) AGAMEMNON
Play: AGAMEMNON
Director: Chrysanthi Avloniti
Group: Monamas Theatre Company, UK
Language: English
Duration: 1hr 15m
Date: 16th Feb 2015
Time: 8:00 pm
Venue: Abhimanch
The Play
Agamemnon is the opening play of
Oresteia, by Aeschylus, followed by
The Libation Bearers (Choephoroi) and
The Eumenides.
Although the three tragedies are independent in their plot, the overall
storyline is continuous and they all share a common theme.
In
Agamemnon the action begins just after the fall of Troy
and Agamemnon’s capture of Cassandra, whom he brings to Argos as his
mistress. Before the day of his return is over, his wife, Clytemnestra,
murders them both and she then establishes herself and Aegisthus, her
lover, as rulers of Argos.
Director’s Note
Is it fate or free will primarily responsible for the suffering in
the hero’s life? What distinguishes the hero from the crowd? Though
fated, the hero makes his own choices that bring about his destruction.
On the contrary, an individual, as member of a crowd often loses his
sense of responsibility and remains passive. Most of us fall in that
category. A hero acts against the shape of things that degrade him, and
in the process of action, everything we -the crowd- have taken for
granted, because of fear or impassivity or ignorance, is shaken before
us and scrutinised.
This production aims to be a challenge and a trap, an endoscope to
make us more aware of what takes place within us and a mirror that
reflects what surrounds us. I want my audience to realise that by living
a more conscious life, we allow ourselves more choices in creating or
responding to everyday circumstances.
The Director
Chrysanthi trained at the Greek National Theatre Drama School and
graduated with a BA in acting in 2005. She performed for the National
Theatre of Greece and the Epidaurus Festival with the productions Medea,
Prometheus Bound, The Persians, The Oresteia, Exodus and Hippolytus,
and toured China, America, Germany, and Greece. Further credits include
leading roles in public regional and commercial theatres, participation
in Greek television series and short films. Along with her professional
partnerships as an actress, she was the director of the student’s
cultural society of the National University of Athens for two years. In
2011 she moved to London where she formed Monamas Theatre Company and
studied devising theatre and performance at the London International
School of Performing Arts (LISPA). Monama
s signifies a fascinating new development for her as an emerging director and producer.
The Playwright
Aeschylus was born in Eleusis, a Greek town near Athens, in 525 B.C.
He was the first of the great Greek tragedians, preceding both Sophocles
and Euripides, and is credited by many as having invented tragic drama.
Aeschylus wrote nearly 90 plays. However, only seven have survived to
the modern era, including such famous works as
Prometheus Bound and
The Seven Against Thebes.He
was bold and innovative, while his work has a strong moral and
religious emphasis. No poet has ever presented evil in such stark and
tragic terms yet he had an exalted view of Gods, and a faith in progress
or the healing power of time.
The Group
‘Monamas’ is a London based theatre company founded by Chrysanthi
Avloniti. The company is committed to finding new, experimental and
exciting ways to make theatre by presenting innovative performance
practices to the audience thus making theatre a unique experience. It is
extremely interested in reconstructing the classics as well as
exploring new writing. We place a strong emphasis on collective working
process and we like to work with movement and music, particularly
exploring how these elements derive from the text.
