Karnnabharam @Kadavallur Anyonyam

Lokadharmi presents the play Karnnabharam at Kadavallur, Trichur, Kerala as part of Anyonyam at 7.00 pm, on 16th November 2009. There will be a talk on ‘Sankrit plays – text and stage’ by Chandradasan, before the play.

KARNNABHARAM (The anguish of Karnna), The Malayalam adaptation of the Sanskrit Classic Performed by Lokadharmi Kochi Kerala is based on the translation into Malayalam by Kavalam Narayana Panikkar. The Music is scored by Bijibal, Lighting by Gireesh Menon, art by Anup S Kalarikkal, and the Design & Direction is done by Chandradasan.

• This play has won the prestigious awards for Best play, best stage design & best costume design from Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards 2008.
• Also nominated for best Actor, best Ensemble and best Choreography in the festival

Lokadharmi had performed Karnnabharam widely all over in India including Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad and Vijayanagaram in Andhra Pradesh, Kolkota (Bengal), Mysore, Bangaluru, Gulbarga, (Karnataka), Jagdalpur (Chatisgad), Cuttack (Orissa), Patna (Bihar), New Delhi, and Kurukshethra (Hariyana).

This play is performed widely in major theatre festivals all over India including Bharath Rang Mahotsav New Delhi 2006.

This is the 321^st show of the play.

The artists traveling to perform the play are Sudheer Babu, VR Selvaraj, Sijin Sukumar, Madan Kolavil, Sebastian K Abraham, Charu Narayanan, Jolly Antony, Shyju T Hamsa, Vysakh Lal, Sumesh Chittooran, Santhosh Piravam, Ajaikumar Thiruvankulam, Sanosh Palluruthy, Aadarsh Madhav, Jebin Jesmes, Gireesh Menon, and Chandradasan.

LOST IN FAKE HEAVENS

This is the report that came in New Indian express daily Cochin edition on 3rd October 2009, as a curtain raiser to our premiere of the play Abhayarthikal. Photo Gireesh Menon

LOKADHARMI will present its new play "Abhayarthikal" on october 3 and 5 at Changampuzha Park,Edapally.Based on the drama written by G.Shankara Pillai,"Abhayarthikal" throws light on the disintegration of family and social structure.

      Designed and directed by Prof.Chandradasan,it will be a new experience for Kochiites as this  highly Ibsenesque play will be performed in open air.Though the drama was written in 1965,it has rarely been performed in Kerala.

      Three different plots are interwoven in this play and it depicts the social situation and concerns of the Kerala society at that period.The arrangement and structure look realistic in nature and the characters are often caricatures.The play is set in a village railway station in the darkness of night.All the characters are waiting for a train to come and have their own reasons for being there.The play looks into the refugee in every human and the sense of insecurity irrespective of "having a home'.There is the presence of some north-indian refugees settled nearby and there presence reaches the stage mostly through sounds and songs.

         The main characters in the play are Janaki,a woman in her 30s,Prabhakaran,a young man in search of his lady love and an old man waiting for his son to return from the army. There are also a bridegroom,a politician and Arishttam Kittan,an illicit liquor peddler.

         The play hints at the breaking up and disintegration of the social structure based on solid families.Janaki,the heroine,breaks the family and comes out.The encounter between Janaki and her husband in the final sequence is eloquent enough to suggest the falsity of the concept of a smooth and enduring family set up.

       The setting and atmosphere are more important than the characters in communicating the feel and meaning of the play.The rural railway station,the cement benches,the tree with flowers,the ground with a spread of fallen flowers,the lamp post etc enhance the significance of the whole enactment.The play takes place mostly in the dark and the characters have the tendency to merge into the darkness.

        The play breaks away from the proscenium and is performed underneath a tree.The treatment of the play is direct and simple,and avoids all the theatrical jargon,clichés and set models of blocking, and technique.

     The play will begin at 6:30 pm.

The blog world is his stage

This article is on the blog Spacing Theatre published in New Indian Express, Written by Asha P Nair.

Asha P Nair

First Published : 13 Oct 2009 01:12:00 AM IST

He is married to theatre. A director, actor and writer. Winner of various awards. But Chandradasan, the artistic director of Lokadharmi theatre company in Kochi, is also a strong presence in the blogosphere.

Spacing Theatre, his blog, would not just let you know about his new plays, but also about theatre activities happening all around. The blogwww.chandradasan.blogspot.com is slowly turning into a theatre guide for connoisseurs of drama. “When I began, it was meant as a production diary of my plays. Then I started putting in reviews of the plays I liked, the important theatre festivals happening and about my new plays. Now, I receive umpteen comments, which kind of motivates me to frequently blog,’’ says Chandradasan from Kochi.

His latest play, ‘Abhayarthikal’, when staged recently, had three theatre lovers from Bangalore come down just to see the play. They had been following his blog ardently. This has happened with Chandradasan more than once. “It has become a source of easy communication and a platform where relationships are made,’’ he says.

When his popular play ‘Karnabharam’ travelled to Kolkata for an event, Chandradasan did not fill his blog pages with that. Instead,  he wrote about a puppet play by a Slovenian theatre group which had caught his attention there. Reading it would make one want to see a puppet play.

‘The girl in the photograph’, a play done by Mazhavillu (the children’s theatre wing of Lokadharmi), the rural theatre at Thampakamukku, the production journals of ‘Abhayarthikal’, a tribute written for master playwright Vijay Tendulkar, review of ‘Kalivesham’  directed by Narippata Raju... Chandradasan blogs about all facets of theatre and happenings, which he thinks are worth sharing.

“There is a limitation in news sharing in general media; in blogs,  there is a reach that touches international levels,’’ he says. True; for, the appearance of his essay in a book published by Routledge had received comments from across the globe, minimizing the world to a little computer screen. It may be the reason why Chandradasan writes his blog in English.

Language, after all, is only secondary in blogging. There is a community group in the name of Lokadharmi, which Chandradasan keeps active just like his personal blog. But, one day, he would like his blog also to be a community platform. “I don’t mind if somebody interested in theatre wants to post a well-written piece in my blog and make it a sharing space,’’ he says. Probably, this is what he meant by Spacing Theatre.

anil.asha@gmail.com

Courtesy; The New Indian Express 13 October 2009…

The many faces of alienation

 

ANAND HARIDAS

‘Abhayarthikal’ written by G. Sankara Pillai, which was staged in Kochi, has many parallels with Ibsen’s ‘Doll House.’

Photo:Vipin Chandran

Modern interpretation: ‘Abhayarthikal.’

Who is a refugee? The play ‘Abhayarthikal,’ written by G. Sankara Pillai in 1965, and directed by Chandradasan, attempted to answer this question. The play was staged recently at the Changampuzha Park, Edappally.

The language used in the play was old, at times archaic, Malayalam but the diction was contemporary. It seems that the director of the play stuck to the original text and the dialogue, but attempted to interpret the play in a modern context.

Disintegration of society

“The play has parallels to Ibsen’s ‘Doll’s House’ and its philosophy. It is about the disintegration of social structure and failure of the concept of family,” says Chandradasan. The play is set at night in a railway station, when three different persons await the train. It has Janaki breaking free of the family bondage. She takes the initiative to get her husband and his lover married and then leaves the family behind. She finds an old man who is waiting for his son to return. The endless waiting for his son, who died as a soldier, has taken the man beyond the world of reality. So is the youth who is searching for his love – the daughter of a porter at the railway station. The youth refuses to acknowledge that she has been married off to someone else. Janaki is shown empathising with these two. But Janaki’s problem is her clash with the real world and the struggle to leave it behind. Like Ibsen’s Nora, Janaki too refused to listen to her husband’s pleas to return. The similarities between the two characters were loud enough, making the sound of a door closing at the end of the play, an obvious reference to Ibsen’s play, redundant.

“The original text had a suggestion that Janaki jumped in front of the train, ending her life. But we used the sound of the door to signify that she is moving on with life,” says Chandradasan.

A significant presence in the play is a group of refugees. The director used the proscenium at the venue as the stage for the refugees, while the main performing area was shifted to among the audience. But with the gypsy group remaining alienated, with their gibberish and having no particular connection in the progress of the narration, it did not have much relevance as such. The play attempts to convey the message that even within a family, those who have lost the link with realities end up as refugees – though not physically.

Madhuben performed well as Janaki, supported ably by Harikrishnan S. as the porter and Sajeer Khan as the mentally-challenged youth. Chandradasan also attempted special lighting to highlight the play of light and shade. “Only spot lights were used to accentuate the expressions of the actors,” says Chandradasan. Prof. Sankara Pillai pioneered experimental theatre in Malayalam. The play was staged in association with Changampuzha Samskarika Kendram and Vyapari Vyavasai Ekopana Samithi, Devankulangara, Edappally, with financial support from Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi.

Note. Courtesy Friday Review of The Hindu Thiruvanathapuram, o9 cotober 2009

Premiere of Abhayarthikal (Refugees) on 3rd and 5th October.

My new play Abhayarthikal by G.Sankara Pillai is premiered on the 3rd and 5th of October at Changampuzha park Edappalli, at 6.30 pm. The play spotlights on the disintegration on the social structure based on the notion of a ‘happy family’ which is truly based on a heap of lies and betrayals. The play has parallels with Ibsen’s Dolls House and its philosophy.

G SANKARA PILLAI (1930-89) – PLAYWRIGHT

Prof. G.Sankara Pillai was one of the most versatile and towering personalities of Indian literature and the theatre scene. Belonging to a generation of eminent Malayalam writers deeply rooted in the rich soil of Kerala, he ascended great heights and imbibed the cultures of other regions. A pathfinder and leader of great stature, he was committed to create bridges between the theatre of the Earth and Contemporary sensibility through his writings, theatre direction and teaching. He initiated a new movement in Kerala and elsewhere.

He was a pioneer of experimental Malayalam theatre and founder member of the Nataka Kalari movement and later the founder director of the School of Drama at Calicut University in 1977. He combined in him several roles such as playwright, actor, director, theatre historian, orator, writer, and trainer of theatre enthusiasts, folklore researcher, and editor. He became a prophet of the Malayalam theatre heralding a new era in theatre practices, play-writing and play appreciation.

Prof. Sankara Pillai was Chairman of the Kerala Sangeet Natak Akademi, and recipient of several national and international awards.
G. Sankara Pillai’s main plays include Snehadutan, Vivaham Svargattil, Mrigathrushna, Puja-muri, Bharata vakyam, Bandi, Manaltharikal, Avataranam Bhrantalayam, Karutta Daivatte Tedi, and Kiratam.

DIRECTORS NOTE

Abhayarthikal (Refugees) is a play written by G. Sankara Pillai in 1965 that is rarely performed.

Three different plots interwoven in this play depicts the social situation and concerns of the Kerala society of that period. The arrangement and structure of the play looks realistic in nature; but realism transcends to deeper layers of understanding about human condition and life.

The play is set in a village railway station in the darkness of a night. All the characters are waiting for a train to come for various reasons.

The play looks into the refugee in every human and the sense of insecurity irrespective of ‘having a home’. There is a socio-political rationale that exemplifies the story. The play hints on the breaking up and disintegration of the social structure based on solid families. Janaki, the heroine, breaks the family and comes out. The encounter between Janaki and her husband in the final sequence is eloquent enough to suggest the falsity of the concept of a smooth and enduring family set up. This unit reminds on the parallels between Nora in Ibsen’s Doll’s House with Janaki. Towards the end, in both the plays, the wife talks directly into the face of the husband for the first time in their life, and dare to break out of the marital bondage to ascertain freedom. In both the plays the husbands are shocked and plead their wives to return to the warmth and safety of the home, which the woman denies and walks out.

There economic reasons for this social transition is evident. The porter married his daughter to a better alliance on financial reasons. Appu, the son of the old man has to join the army who is eventually killed, is also out of economic compulsions. The peddler of country-liquor and the ‘leader’ are also the outcome of the deplorable economic and social situation. The reason for the refugees to migrate to an alien land may also be the lack of survival prospective in their birthplace.

The most important presence in the play is that of the refugees- the metaphors in the text and performance; the links and threads that connect the refugees and the characters of the play are attempted in the production. Their presence, song and utterances in gibberish adds to the meaning of the play.

There is a mystical and philosophical component in being a refugee. A refugee is almost a gypsy, a group of people sharing the space, sufferings and possibilities; but not bonded to each other strongly as in a conventional family; they may be blood- relatives, or unfamiliar and has come together on the demand of time and state of affairs -- a group of people abandoned and living together with its own laws of ethics and customs. They live in temporary arrangements and are always in a threshold to move and that gives immense freedom to make life lighter for them.

We could observe the same slackening of bonds in present day families too, where migration is the order of the new global situation. It is normal that children migrate to other countries and places far away in marriage, job, business etc and the notion of a single family with grandparents, husband, wife and children living together as a unit is already broken; what remains is the skeleton structure of the edifice. Thus contemporary life has made all of us into refugees irrespective of the status and other amenities, and this play is speaking exactly the same bizarre fact. The revealing of this unpleasant reality may be emotionally shocking and at the same time a purgative action. Thus the play is spotlighting on the disintegration and rupture of a conventional social structure.

The characters in the play are depicted as typical caricatures. But to communicate the depth of the situation and its gravity, the actor has to carry the characters beyond caricaturing and that is going to be the challenge for the actor.

The setting and atmosphere is more important than the characters in communicating the feel and meaning of the play. The rural railway station, the cement benches, the tree with flowers, the ground with a spread of fallen flowers, the lamp post, the darkness surrounding, the moonlight filtering, possibility of a fence of cactus etc enhance the significance to the whole enactment. The place is almost dark except the moonlight. The characters have the tendency to merge into the darkness than the pool of light.

The play breaks away from the proscenium and is performed in an open space preferably underneath a tree. The treatment of the play is direct and simple, and avoids all the theatrical jargons, clichés and set models of blocking, and routine play-making techniques. A group of new actors who are naïve, but instilled with energy and passion to theatre is trying to create this unique transition with their body, mind, experiences and emotion, to travel to the multiple layers of meaning spread under the surface of the written text. The performance is devised discussion, Improvisations, and by sharing of experiences. The process of preparation of this play was a special one to all involved, the artists and the director, where mutuality of meanings/experiences where reciprocated, an occasion for learning and comprehension.

THE ARTISTS

Onstage we have Sukanya Shaji /M Madhubhen • Shaiju T Hamza /Sajeer Khan • TR Jayasankar / Anilkumar • Johny Thottunkal / Thomas Koshy • Harikrishnan S • Vysakh Lal • Ajikumar Thiruvankulam / Madan Kolavil and Antony TA along with Selvaraj.V.R • PM Vijayan • Charu Narayanan • Sree Parvathi Prasad • Ammu • Karthika and KN Meenakshi . Most of them are making a debut with Lokadharmi and is set to make a lasting impression on the stage with their histrionics and stage presence.

Among the technical crew I have a mix of experience with debutants. On lighting Jolly Antony is making his first independent work with a challenging play. Vinod B Gangadhar who does costumes and Charu Narayanan who does choreography are also new faces.

Set, Art & Properties are shouldered by Anoop S Kalarikkal with the assistance from Harikrishnan S. Prasanth Madhav is at the sound control, with Madan Kolavil doing the production works, documentation and Public relation. The gypsy songs and music in gibberish are devised by PM Vijayan and VR Selvaraj.

The sound and music direction is by the much experienced Bijibal who has established his presence in the theatre and film music of Kerala.

Anne Dubose from France has contributed by the workshop to arrive at movements that lead to the choreography of the play.

The production is acknowledging the Courtesy of Changampuzha Samskarika Kendram, & Vyapari Vyavasai Ekopana Samithi, Devankulangara, Edappalli for their support . The production is done with the financial support from Sangeet Natak Akademi New Delhi.

Noted screen writer John Paul will be the chief guest on 3rd, and prof M Thomas Mathew on 5th eve, to speak on the play Abhayarthikal and G Sankara Pillai.

Production & performance • Lokadharmi, Kochi

Design & Direction • Chandradasan

Children's Theatre Festival and workshop at Rangaprabhath opens with ‘Girl in the Photograph’

Rangaprabhath organizes a five day Children's Theatre festival and workshop to commemorate the second death anniversary of its founder President Kochunarayana Pillai from the 27^th of September to the first of October 2009. The festival will take place at the campus of Rangaprabhath Alunthara Venjaramoodu, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The festival is organized with the help of South Zone Cultural Centre Thanjavoor, and Sangeet Natak Akademi New Delhi.

The inaugural function will be attended by Prabhakaran Pazhassi the secretary of Sangeetha Nataka Academy Trissoor, S Ramanujam, and Chandradasan among others.

The 5 day workshop will start at 10 am on the 27^th with the veteran director S.Ramanujam as the director, and Asok Sasi, S Anilkumar and KS Geetha as assistant directors.

The Festival will start with the show of Girl in The Photograph, performed by the children of Mazhavillu, the children's theatre wing of Lokadharmi, and is directed by Shirley Somasundaran. This festival is important as all the active Children's theatre groups are of Kerala is performing here.

The Schedule of the festival is

27^th September 7.30 pm Girl in the photograph - Shirley Somasundaran - Mazhavillu Kochi,

28^th September 7.00 pm Joseph Neenal Vazhatte - Gopi Kuttikkol - Sunday theatre Kasargod

8.00 pm Nizhal - S Anilkumar;Rangaprabhath

29^th September 7.00 pm Kalippattangal - KV Ganesh –Rangachethana, Trissoor

8.00 pm Kunjichirakukal - KV Ganesh - Navarang Palakkadu

30^th September 7.00 pm Padapadam Pappadam – Aluntrhara G Krishna Pillai - Aruma Childrens theatre, Ayirooppara

8.00 pm Raksha Purushan – Prof. N Rajan Nair - Kalavedi Trivandrum

1^st October 7.30 pm Nidhiyum Neethiyum - S Anilkumar - Rangaprabhath.

It is natural to expect the presence of G Sankara Pillai in Rangaprabhath and its activities since it is one the dream projects the great theatre missionary dreamt and worked for. Among the plays performed in the festival three are penned by him, Nizhal, Rakshapurushan and Nidhiyum Neethiyum of which Rakshapurushan is an adult play. One play –Kunjichirakukal- is written by Kavalam Narayana Panikkar. Both the children's plays of G Sankara Pillai are performed by Rangaprabhath, the playwrights dream-place with/for children and both are structured around a grandma narrating stories to kids.

‘Nizhal’ (Shadow)

The play throws light on to the foolishness of King and his courtiers. They follow the shadow of the queen’s lost Diamond necklace. There comes a prophet and he helps them to find out the truth behind the shadows. He invokes them not to follow the shadow, but the truth. “Men are blind,” the sage prophet says, “they go after shadows and reflections forgetting the real treasures of life.”

‘Nidhiyum Neethiyum’ (Treasure and Justice)
The play is a fight in between good and evil, meant to purify the heart of the students audience and highlights the importance of adopting truthful means in life.

‘The Girl in the Photograph’

The girl is Kim Phuc, the little nine year old, running naked down a road, screaming in agony from the jellied gasoline coating her body and burning through skin and muscle down the bone, running through the burning streets of Vietnam.

And the photographer is Nick Ut who won the Pulitzer Prize for capturing the collective conscience of the whole world against the brutality of war, through this single picture, – the one photograph that captured the horrific nature of Vietnam War.

Her village in the Central Highlands of Vietnam was napalmed that day in 1972. It would take many years, and 17 operations to save her life. And when she finally felt well enough to put it behind her, that very photograph would make her a victim, all over again.

This play in Malayalam, enacted by 25 children, narrates the story of agony and survival, pays a floral tribute to the war victims, and sends out a strong message that the prey of war is always the children,- the next generation. The play was also about John Plummer who dropped the bomb and about the trauma and guilt-feel he undergoes.

The end of the play suggests the possibility of sparkling of lights from the stars in the dark sky, a ray of hope when Kim pardons John and they join together to dedicate their life in bringing some illumination in the lives of the war victims, as symbolized by the lit candles, shared by the actors on stage and the audience.

The cultural characteristics of Vietnam and nature of the backdrop of the story were depicted in a suggestive level, as the priority of the production seemed not on the authenticity or the specificity of the culture, backdrop or the environment; but on the historical facts that were well researched and authentic. At the same time the little fluidity in the depiction of the background, atmosphere, costumes, rituals, properties, music, etc helped to transport the premise into a universally valid experience, beyond time and place of the incident.

The play used the projection of the photograph of Kim which served as the key motif behind, scenes depicting napalm bombing, and a depiction of the famous reply speech of Kim on her selection as the goodwill ambassador of UNESCO. The production is an amalgamation of the facts with fiction and these projections provided the needed link. In the last scene Kim breaks open the screen and comes to John Plummer saying “I am a victim of war, I was a victim of many things, but Life is beautiful”.

The production was trying to be simple, direct, and matter of fact, devoid of any pretentious stuff and this transparency helped the communication of the basic idea quite successfully.

The children who acts in the play are Nikitha, Krishna, Pooja, Vijaykrishnan,Sarath, Clint, Amar,Krishnanunni, Govind,Ashwin,Aparna,Sree Parvathy, Ramakrishnan,Lakshmi,Dhruvakumar, Meenakshi,Sreenandini,Aravind,Sabareesh, and Ammu.

The credit goes to Jolly Antony & Manoosh (Set) Jolly & Unni (Sound), -Aarsha & Aadarsh (Music), Vibhu, Gayathri, Vijaykrishnan (Singers) Santhosh & Ayyappa Thejas (Orchestration), Namitha & Francis (Costumes), -Zeena,& Usha (Art & Properties ) Charu & Pradeep (Make Up-) Rema.K.Nair (Associate Direction-) Chandradasan (Lighting and Creative supervision).The play is scripted and directed by Shirly Somasundaram and produced and performed by Mazhavillu,Kochi

An Elegy for the Displaced

 

Express News Service

First Published : 15 Sep 2009 12:04:00 AM IST

Last Updated : 15 Sep 2009 09:40:18 AM IST

KOCHI: Soorpanakha is the rereading of the story of Soorpanakha based on ‘Thaykulam’, a short story written by Sara Joseph.

The theatrical interpretation presents the main character as a representative of femininity who is mutilated in response to her plea for love. The play tries to find the meta-mindset of Soorpanakha within all feminine premises. It tells the story of pain and loss that blocks all organic routes of humankind.

The story finds a modern day interpretation in the tales from Sri Lanka, Muthanga, Moolampilly and Chengara.

The play employs stage and screen technology to present past and future events on stage making use of primeval characters from myth and placing them against the backdrop of modern reality.

The play also explores the scope of Kurathi, one among the strongest poetic interpretations of femininity, by the late Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan.

The new twist in the dramatic plot adds to the enigmatic style of visualisation and the play becomes a theatrical expression of social interaction.

In the play Soorpanakha becomes a martyr and the victim of a strange legal morality that leaves the earth and woman wounded forever.

She comes back from the world of long forgotten primordial forms to repeat the Ramayana. And to represent the mutilated nature and ousted tribes the undeniable social metaphors of Muthanga, Moolampilly and Chengara are used.

'Soorpanakha' is conceived and directed by Ullas Mavilayi, a post graduate in Malayalam literature and a graduate from School of Drama, Thrissur. Actively involved in amateur theatre activities in Kerala, he has worked on many plays performed all over Kerala and Delhi. Director of many plays including 'Soothakodeeram', 'Othello', 'Dharmakshetre Kurukshetre' and 'Innalthe Mazha', he has acted and assisted in directing in the Tamil film In the Name of Buddha.

Pradeep Chittor, the actor who plays the role of Soorpanakha has been active in amateur theatre for the last eleven years.

He has performed for popular theatre attempts like 'Karnabharam', 'Poranadi', 'Media', 'Innalathe Mazha', 'Pattabakki' and 'Chayamukhi'. He was the winner of the central government scholarship for theatre performance in the year 2005 and an active member of Lokadharmi, theatre group of Prof Chandradasan.

'Soorpanakha' will be staged on September 17 at Edappally Changampuzha Park at 6 30 pm.

Courtesy New Indian Express Kochi, 15 September 2009