Betty Bernhard Departed

After playing an illustrious career as a theatre director, teacher and mentor, Dr. Betty Bernhard passed away on 21st of March 2015. I am still not out of the shock this news gave me. Her sister told me that she was hearing Indian Music and had the scarf that I brought from India besides her in the last moments …

She was known to me from 1996, when she came first to Kochi and directed Roosters with Living Theatre. I have been closely observing her process of play making and rehearsals, and helped her wherever she wanted. And we met again and again as she frequented India looking for Indian traditional and classical theatre as well as to meet and interact with theatre activists in India. She was instrumental in getting me to Pomona College Claremont, as my host institution for the Fulbright Fellowship as my faculty associate here, in the research I am currently engaged.

She was working as a Professor of Theatre at Pomona College, Claremont California USA, since 1984. She was an expert in Acting, Directing; Contemporary Women Playwrights; American Theatre; Devised Theatre; theatre for social change etc. Bhavai the Folk Theatre of Gujarat, and the works of Women Theatre Activists of India were also in her academic and artistic concerns. She kept linked with activist theatre and Theatre for social change, theatre of the oppressed and community theatre all around America and India. Bernhard has researched political theatre, taught as a Fulbright Fellow and made documentaries in India since 1990.

She writes, “Focusing on India, I am interested in how theatre shapes and is shaped by society, particularly the marginalized groups and people in transitional situations such as immigration. Most recently, I completed a feature documentary on ways that Women Theatre Activists of India use theatre as a means to bring about social and cultural change. Many of the older women worked in the Gandhi “Quit India” movement against the British, using theatre as their means. I directed three plays in India and two classical Indian plays at Pomona College. I have also studied with Augusto Boal and the Theatre of the Oppressed: Theatre for Social Change. I have produced four documentaries and a CD-ROM on Indian folk, classic and political theatre.”

“In all her work, Betty was an outspoken champion for theatre by, about, and for women, minorities and other underrepresented groups,” writes Theatre Department chair James Taylor. “We will always remember Betty for her strength and sense of purpose, her goodwill and generosity of spirit, and her passionate love for the art form that we all share.”

She has produced more than 60 productions at Pomona College and in India, including two fully produced Sanskrit plays in English. They Include Sakuntalam, Mruchakadikam (The little Clay Cart) as well as other politically minded plays like Kindertransport, The Three penny Opera, The Love Song of J. Robert Oppenheimer, and A Piece of My Heart among many others. She choose plays written by women playwrights and plays that were speaking of subjects which were barely spoken off. Her last play was “In the next room or the vibrator play” written by Sarah Ruhl which was premiered on the 06th of this March at Pomona College.

IN THE NEXT ROOM OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY

In The next Room or the Vibrator Play turns out to be the last play Betty directed. The play takes place in the 1880’s when electricity is discovered and electric bulbs were coming into existence. The other first use of electricity other than bulbs that illuminated was to develop vibrators that enabled doctors to use ‘vibrator therapies’ on their female patients to bring to orgasm as a medical treatment to treat their so-called 'hysteria' a real diagnosis, and a quite common to women in the Victorian age.

The text has other layers and themes including Victorian ignorance of female sexual desire, motherhood, breastfeeding, and jealousy. Betty used this play to speak about frustration of women whose husbands are not at all aware of their sexual needs, and to establish sex as the natural right of women.

The vibrator play is a provocative, evocative and funny about a young doctor and his wife. Dr. Givings is obsessed with the marvels of technology and what they can do for his patients. His wife, Catherine, is only a bystander in her husband's world - listening at the door from the next room as he treats his female patients. The only woman whose problem is not helped by the doctor is his own wife who longs to connect with him - but not electrically.

Both Sabrina Daldry, the patient of Dr.Givings and Catherine Givings are sexually frustrated with their husbands, who creep quietly into their beds at night and only use the missionary position, which they endure but do not enjoy. Both are excited to have their first orgasms with the vibrator machine. Mrs. Daldry is content to continue having clinical treatments with the machine and suffer lifeless, boring sex with her own husband. When Mrs. Givings’s wet nurse, Elizabeth suggests that the feelings they undergo with the machine are the same ones some women experience in bed with their husbands, they responded with stupefied silence…

Catherine Givings wants more. Catherine convinces Dr. Givings to make naked snow angels with her and discovers the woman on top sex position, allowing her at last sexual satisfaction while the play ends.

Betty did handle this play quite openly and boldly. She could convincingly portray the situations in the play with pungency and also at times with riotous humour. One of the most hilarious moments in the play was when the electric power is gone amidst of the treatment. Quite innocently the nurse asks the doctor whether she shall try the ‘manual’ way and the doctor agrees … The nurse go ahead manually and brings out the orgasm!!

The writing as well as the performance looked authentic (of course a lot of research work and original thinking has gone into this work) and more than that honest. Application of that electrified wand in the doctor’s hand resulted in shuddering moans, guttural cries and exhortations but it stroked at the real spot.

The ideas underpinning the play, about the fundamental lack of sympathy between men and women of the period, and the dubious scientific theories that sometimes reinforced women’s subjugation, are grim. “In the Next Room” illuminates how much control men had over women’s lives, bodies and thoughts, even their most intimate sensations.

The set consisted of a parlour and consulting room of Dr. Givings, divided by a wall and door; which was dismantled at the end of the play to be converted into an open landscape where snow falls down for the couple to undress and go for a coitus of real orgasm.

The costumes with the corset, the form-disfiguring gown and the petticoats was also speaking about the suppression/manipulation/characterisation/viewing of the female body by the Victorian orthodoxy. (The costumes, by David Zinn, are both lushly pretty and witty in their elaborate construction.)

HE SHE IT (the play) and OUT! LOUD ! (the documentary film)

Betty had been travelling to India many times and had deep-rooted relationship with the practice and practitioners of Indian theatre. She had a profound interest in the aesthetics and practice modes of traditional Indian theatre, both the folk and classical heritage as well as in contemporary Indian theatre. She was specially connected to the female theatre practitioners and their work, and of course to the political theatre as well.

She was also interested in the gender and trans-gender issues and performances associated with. She made an outstanding documentary film named ‘Out Loud’ about the lives of contemporary Indian lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and trans-sexual young people and the representations of LGBT in sacred Indian texts. Betty says "this is a documentary that draws parallels between the present with ancient and sacred Indian stories, such as the Puranas and the Mahabharata, wherein representations of homosexuality, bi-sexuality, lesbianism, transgender and trans-sexual activity are clearly described. It shows the lives of contemporary LGBT persons in Pune, India, as they devise a play He She It. The film is comprised of interviews of the actors, clips from rehearsals and final production." The play He She It, an original play devised by the theatre company Pune is based on the true stories of the actors in the play and ancient Indian spiritual literature, such as the Puranas and the Mahabharata. The participants discuss their stories of sexual discovery, community responses to their sexuality and their struggle for self-acceptance. One individual elects castration, one becomes a sex worker, some are kidnapped and raped, and others are punished by their parents and subjected to shock treatments to “cure” homosexuality. Their stories are interspersed with clips from play rehearsals and the final production in the film. Bernhard says her aim is to show that LGBT is not an imported Western idea, but has always been present in India.

The mark Betty Left in Indian theatre in India and in California will remain in the memories of the people who were lucky to work with her, interact and share the performances. She was instrumental in connecting the West to the East, the classical to the contemporary, and aesthetics with the political. She dared to cut across the safe paths and dreamed new and dangerous projects.

For me, she was one of the motivations and reasons to pursue the Fulbright Fellowship, and her absence is leaving a vacuum. One of the dreams she shared in our last meeting was that she wanted to produce and co-direct Bhagavadajjukam with me in Los Angeles.

Metawards and Kerala Theatre

 

 

 

 

 

In the history of Ten years of Meta (Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards) which is undoubtedly the best recognition in Indian theatre, three Malayalam plays had bagged the best play award. Karnnabharam (2008 -Lokadharmi Theatre Kochi, INDIA, -Chandradasan); Spinal Cord (2010 - OxygenTheatre Kerala - Deepan Sivaraman ) and now Matthi (2015 - Malayala kalanilayam - Jino Joseph). Also productions of Kizhavanum Kadalum Sasidharan Naduvil), Macbeth Jyothish Mg), Moments Just Before Death (Liju Krishna), After The silence (Martin John Chalissery) has won accolades for direction, acting, scenic designing, lighting design etc.
It is great to see that KeralaTheatre is really going high.... I am proud and happy to be part of this.

Egle & Cleopatra @ Ekaharya Fest

Agleyum Cleopatrayum (Egle and Cleopatra) by Lokadharmi Performed by Pooja Mohanraj, written designed and directed by Chandradasan was performed in Ekaharya Festival at Tripunithura on 27^th December 2014.

Agleyum Cleopatrayum (Egle & Cleopatra), is inspired from the folk myth of Egle from Lithuania and William Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. The experience of the two characters Cleopatra and Egle are entwined together to probe into the different manifestations of love. Both Cleopatra and Egle were victims of Love; love with different facades and connotations. The experiences of these two characters from two different cultures times and spaces are reconnoitered so as to extrapolate and explore the contemporary female experience.

The love of Cleopatra the Queen of Egypt, seems to contain a venomous strain. Cleopatra, ‘the charming serpent of Nile’ remain a mystery; she cleverly uses the unparalleled sensuality of her body to make men kneel at her whims and fancies. Here love is highly sensual with ecstasies of physicality, wild streams of fantasy and extreme romanticism.

Why Cleopatra fell in love with all those men - from Caesar to  Antony - who came across her? Was Cleopatra a sexual maniac with infinite shades of lust? She identifies love as the ‘most delicious poison’, as ‘an excellent falsehood’ or a ‘riotous madness’. It seems that the love act of Cleopatra is not merely to satisfy her carnal instincts, but also is a defense mechanism to protect her country from enemies and invaders and colonizers. Cleopatra uses her unmatched talents and perspicacity in the art of love to conquer the conqueror. She calls herself as ‘Egypt’ and her desire is to be buried in the mud and waters of Egypt than taken to the royal courts of Rome; this reinforces that her act of love may be a political armor to defeat the invader. There is no escape for the invader from this enchanting queen, and her infinite scheme of seductions. But the tragedy is that in the end Cleopatra herself falls as the victim of her own prangs of passion, and emotional ecstasies. The hunt and prey merges to be one; and as always the ultimate loser is Cleopatra, the female.

On the contrary Egle the mythical character from Lithuania, who is forced to marry a snake is a simple farmer girl with all the innocence of a forest breeze. She had no choice to make, but marry Zilvinas, the serpent prince and go to his amber castle beneath the sea. She adapted herself to this alien environment and started living there happily. After few years she endeavors to visit her home to meet her folks. The condition to Zilvinas was that she shall not reveal the name of her husband; she should come to the sea and call his name to return to their abode. If he is alive ‘may the sea foam milk, if dead may the sea foam blood.’ But as she returns, he comes as a stream of blood, a sign that her promise had been broken. Brothers have got his name from the youngest child and they killed him to ‘save her from the clutches of a snake and save the family honor. Engulfed in inexplicable outpour of emotion which empowers her, she transforms herself into a deep rooted evergreen fir tree, instead of returning with her folk.

This performance do not narrate the whole story but is trying to portray the emotional experiences and ecstasies of both Cleopatra and Egle at three crucial situations each. Scenes chosen from Cleopatra’s story are the parting of Antony from her, her response to Antony’s marriage with Octavia and the final moments when she discerns about Antony’s death and her suicide. Egle scenes are the forceful acceptance of Zilvinas as her husband and travelling to the castle beneath the sea, her loneliness and desire to visit her parents and the journey back, and finally where she realizes the sad death of Zilvinas and her transforming into the fir tree.

The tormenting experience of these two characters are performed by a single actor to create a physical theatre charged with emotion. The performance and scenic design invokes a kind of ritualistic theatre; the tempo gradually increases, before reaching the peak. The actor shifts and transforms smoothly from the narrator, Cleopatra, Egle, and Zilvinas; the changes and shifts in time, space and character takes place spontaneously in a continuous harmonium as in the indigenous performance tradition of India. The intimate viewing in a sandwiched space adds to this immediacy of experience that provokes the spectator to complete the enacted poetry.

Egle grows from a simple country girl to a powerful person who can transform herself into an evergreen fir tree, while Cleopatra the all-powerful enchantress queen, falls down from the heights of a charming dreamy life and kills herself in the end using serpent’s venom. Though they live different terraces of experiences, they are knit together with the serpent motif; the living ritual practice of the serpent cult in Kerala in turn, merges the distance in time and space of fiction/ myth to the contemporary performance ethos. The performance takes place around a Sarpakalam, - the traditional/ritualistic practice of floral painting of Kerala, done with natural color powders. This Kalam drawn with motifs of stylized figures of snake gods, drawn in white, black, yellow, green and ochre give a rare vitality with shades of old-world magic, reminiscent with a primitive mystique drama of human passions and divine connotations. The knotted, twining serpents cast a spell to create an ambience of pulsating and evocative prelude to the ecstatic drama and links it to the depths of racial memory, both of the performer and the spectator. Towards the end of the performance the actress gets into a kind of trance with a swaying dance like movement, with white bunches of Arica nut buds in her hands and wipes off the Kalam. This culmination in a trance like situation lifts the whole scene/atmosphere to a voyage beyond space and time; the viewers are transported into a world of magic with the fragrance of myth, fact, and fantasy. The ambience of the design completes and compliments this ritual experience. Still, it is an actor’s theatre; love, anger, frustration, misery - all the feelings were expressed in the same purest form. Ritual itself is looked as a tool to connect the actors system and transform into a voyage to a stream of emotional flow.

The play is complemented by Salim Nair’s “Elegy for two Queens”, a composition in six movements that blends the classical Indian and western approaches to music.

Few visual artists will be painting their emotional response to the enactment while the performance is on, thus by adding to the wholesome experience. Well-known artists Asanthan and Devadas joined the premiere performance with live painting.

Painting, ritual, myth, enactment, dramatic text, music, lighting and design all supplements each other to create a multi-layered ambience/experience of viewing/performance.

Besides Pooja Mohanraj (actor), Bhanuvajanan (Set), Salim Nair (Music), Shobha Menon (art and costumes), Ajeesh Pulluvan (Sarpakalam), Madan Babu (Production in Charge), Sreekanth Cameo (Lighting), Selvaraj, Pradeep Sreenivasan, ShaijuT Hamsa (production Team) Sankar and Chandradasan (director) contributed to the show.

It is All Solo… Ekaharya Fetival at Tripunithura, Kerala, Dec 25-28, 2014.

Solo performances are becoming more and more common these days… Solo gives the actor to give him freedom to work alone so that the planning and scheduling of rehearsals can be done comfortably. Of course this trend is against the community and ensemble nature of theatre, but it gives the chance to do more experimentation. Many a times the format of solo is a challenge and test to the art and craft of the actor, to express without the other actors on stage. It gives challenges to the designer/director to find a suitable narrative mode so that suits one specific actor. It may be easier to travel and perform with one actor and less number of crew. It may make the budget, the cost of production and performance to come down, even if it is not the case always. It is also seen the current trend is to substitute the lack of other actors with technology and other devices…

Solo performances and its increased importance in the theatre scenario poses many questions to debate and discuss.

It is in this context the Ekaharya Performance Festival, a festival for solo performances conduced by Rajiv Varma Memorial Trust, Tripunithura, is being held during December 25 - 28, 2014 at Kalikotta Palace, Tripunithura.

A total of 14 plays will be performed during the four-day-long festival. Dr. Abhilash Pillai is the festival director.  The schedule is..

December 25

6.00  p.m.  Samjhoutha (Performer: Manwendra Kumar Tripati / Dir: Pravin Kumar Gunjan / written by Suman kumar based on the story of Gajanan MAdhav Muktibodh/The Fact Art and cultural society, Bihar / Hindi / 70 min)

Samjhouta presents the world as circus and showcases the story of a young man who is helpless in the circumstances and situations around him. The search for a job, the usual pain of running from one office to another is the plot of the play. He confronts the harsh reality of today –the changing face of today’s man, where the pain and sorrows of the clown are portrayed as a source of amusement and entertainment. Sometimes he is ready to compromise even with his own ideals and thoughts for his success or to be alive. In this blind race of globalisation, Samjhouta is an attempt to reveal the hard realities of life.

With the help of classical-traditional story telling style and theatrical devices, the story is performed as a modern and contemporary theatrical performance piece, where the actor is a bridge between the audience and the content of the story.

7.30 p.m.  A Bird’s Eye View (Performer & Dir: Choiti Ghosh / Tram Theatre, Mumbai / Non-Verbal / 60 min)

The story of a war pigeon during World War II is told with the help of objects, drawings/paintings and an actor who handles them. This form of theatre is a sub-genre of puppetry; it lifts everyday objects and lends them a persona. Objects work as metaphors; the entire show is created with metaphors like paintings, children's toys, games (“to show that war is finally a game”) and a pair of boots (“a symbol of power”).

Object theatre is a relatively a new art form and is an offshoot of puppetry. It involves the use of everyday objects that we take for granted. These objects though, are capable of speaking to us quite powerfully and taking us right into the heart of deep emotional experiences; a form of theatre which does away with actors, speech and costumes. The object theatre form has the potential for crunching several narrative conventions, making imaginative leaps and staying in the realm of the abstract.

9.00 p.m. Pandvani (Traditional Performing Art Form from Chhathisgarh / Performer: Teejan Bhai / 60 min / Hindi)

Pandwani is musical form of storytelling of Indian mythological stories. This form is very famous in Chhattisgarh, was mainly used for Mahabharata Stories. Teejan Bai started performing this male dominated form from the age 13. Now she is the embodiment of this unique traditional form and is performing all around the globe with her charismatic stage presence, singing, impromptu dance, and matchless performance. She has been awarded with Padma Bhushan, Sahitya Akademi award etc.

Pandavani, literally means stories of Pandavas, and involves enacting and singing with instrumental accompaniment of an ektara or a tambura in one hand and sometimes a kartal in another. Interestingly, as the performance progresses, the tambura becomes her only prop during her performances, sometimes she uses it to personify a gada, mace of Arjun, or at times his bow or chariot, while others it becomes the hair of queen Draupadi, allowing her to play various character with effective ease and candour. She at times is improvising and offering critique on current happenings and brings forth new insights to the story by giving commentary and interjections and enhances the dramatic effect of the performance…Gradually, as the story progresses, the performance becomes more intense and experiential

December 26
6.00 p.m.  C Sharp C Blunt  (Performer: M.D. Pallavi / Dir. Sophia Stepf / Text Collaborators Swar Thounaojam, Irawati Karnik /Flinn theatre / English / 70 min)

Winner of three META Awards (Mahindra Excellency in Theatre Awards) 2014 in Delhi for Best Original Script, Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Innovative Sound/Music Design.

Meet Shilpa, an attractive, interactive and user-friendly mobile phone app that has been projected to be the most popular app of 2013. Created using the latest technology, Shilpa will sing for you - in the flesh. She will sing the songs you want to hear with her sugary and husky voice, and shake her hips when you want her to dance to your favourite tune. Best of all, she behaves exactly the way women are supposed to behave in the eyes of men; until the next update is released. Singer-actress MD Pallavi in her first ever solo performance is excelling in this witty, humorous and satirical interrogation of what it is like being a woman in the entertainment industry today.

The Indo-German collaboration explores the realms of digital dramaturgy, repetition and user choices to create a new hybrid form of theatre-meets-performance art, a funny, sarcastic and political rendition of the latest App in the market.

7.30 p.m. Josephinte Radio (Performer: Jayachandran Thakazhikkaran / Dir: K.K.Ramesh / Thespian Theatres, Kochi / Mal / 50 min) 
‘Josephinte Radio' was written for stage presentation by K.R. Ramesh with 10 characters. Jayachandran adapted it into the mode of a street play with only one character.

The play revolves around a simpleton named Joseph for whom the radio is very important. It is his best friend who sang songs for him, gave him good news and above all, connected him to the world outside. All of a sudden, he finds that it has stopped working, upsetting the balance of life. He goes from mechanic to mechanic and even to scientists to get it repaired, but in vain. They all fail him, citing one reason or the other. At the end of the play, Joseph cries out to the audience, “Those who are marching towards polling stations, listen, Joseph's radio is damaged.”

9.00 p.m.  – To Kill or Not to Kill (Performer: Jilmil Hazarika / Dir: Ovlyakuli Khodjakuli / Arnav Art, Delhi / Multilingual / 65 min)

In the fall of 1830, Alexander Pushkin - the 19th century Russian author stayed on his farm in Boldino while recovering from Cholera where he wrote the "Little Tragedies", 4 thematically related one-act plays in verse, aimed at creating tragedy within the framework of an ideological artistic unity. Each of the main characters faces intense Inner conflict which determines the plot and structure of the play. Pushkin focuses on human passions and the interplay between free will and fate: though each protagonist could avoid self-ruin, he freely chooses it. 
Ovlyakuli Khodjakuli, from Turkmenistan, known from his dynamic sets and artistic theatre dramatizes the first 3 stories in his production of Little Big Tragedies; In Mozart and Salieri, Salieri is a hardworking, but not very creative student whose jealousy of Mozart's genius drives him to murder Mozart. Don Juan in The Stone Guestlusts for Dona Anna, so he kills her husband and then tries to woo her. In The Feast during the Plague, a plague survivor struggles with the conflict between the loss of lives (which include his wife and mother) and to live his own life to the fullest.

10.15 p.m. If it be Now - Fragments and Impressions of Hamlet (Devised and performed by Arka Mukhopadhyay / The Arshinagar Project, Kolkata / English &Bengali / 40 min)

The piece is based on works by Boris Pasternak, Heiner Muller, Jan Kott and others, as well as original writing and Shakespeare's play. Combining elements of structured action and improvisation, it looks not for meaning or a message, but at experience - at an utterly human Hamlet, trapped inside a prison of words; responding as much to the physical space and the presence of the watchers, as to the universe of Hamlet. In effect, this is a passion play that tries to find illumination out of darkness. 
The performance has violent images and explicit content, hence viewer discretion is advised. It is open only to those above 18 years of age…

December 27
6.00 p.m.  Unseen (Performer: Kalyanee Mulay / Dir: Vishnupad Barve / Process Theatrez, Porvorim, Goa/ English / 60 min)

This play seems to interrogate a letter of Rabindranath Tagore and the poet’s misconstrued notion of womanhood as represented in the letter written with reference to a lecture of Pandita Ramabai, which Mulay recites and then goes on to depict inevitable like menstruation, child birth, motherhood, pain and surrender, a woman’s life in a patriarchal society. The play looks into the invisible and key practises like beautification of the female body and its subsequent commodification that lead to an awareness as a sexual object, mostly through instances of sexual harassment. This non-verbal performance was accompanied only by the sound installation in a setting of a house depicting all the rituals a woman has to go through in her life, thoroughly examines aspects like woman’s body, the male gaze on a female body, biological cycle of a woman, et cetera. Choreographed, rather than scripted, the play employs archetypical postures and gestures usually kept hidden and private—a woman giving birth, having an abortion, being harassed by unwanted physical attention, or even a submissive being pulled about by her hair—and movements that resonate with daily middle-class urban rituals like shaving bare legs, drying hair with a hair dryer, relishing a Cadbury chocolate by herself. Her body steps into the realm of material metaphor as she assumes the role of Woman everywhere and of all time, weighed down by her social roles and cultural burdens.
The entire play used a pressure cooker on a burning gas stove, gas cylinder, dustbin and other utensils as props. The whistling of the cooker along with other sounds created through different utensils (that seemed like sound installation) created coherence with the performer’s actions and objects used as props.

7.30 p.m. Moment Just Before Death (Performer: Manoj Omen / Dir: Liju Krishna / Saga Entertainment, Kochi / Mal / 75 min)

The play “Moment Just before Death” pivots around an old man, whose body sweeps through evanescent memories, pleasant smell of tender toddy, wild flowers drenched in longing and the endless waiting for his own coffin. Bereft of joy and hope he prepares himself for death, the only gate of deliverance for him. Years of waiting on the threshold of death is depicted as a prolonged curse. He prepares his body with the sanctity of rituals associated with the ceremony of death. The coffin is the seminal image which gives life to events and characters and the old man is shaping up his coffin day by day. The girl with flowers, Old man as a florist in the cemetery and the cult of Muthappan, intensifies the tragic posture of humanity in the bleak and macabre backdrop of the play.

The play attempts to represent graphically the old man’s views to the spectators straight away theatrically when he attempts to reorganize his layers of reveries lauded with love, gruesome realities of life and thoughts. The play is in a nonlinear narrative with eruptions of events and fluidity of situations and characters, the inter relationship between local cultures and languages and the trauma of alienation. The play brings home the Old man’s passage through various facets of his life by incorporating props, images and dimensions of visual plane to envisage a theatre of experience and interrogation.

Liju Krishna won the META award for best stage design and best actor award for Manoj Omen.

9.00 p.m. Agleyum Cleopatrayum (Performer: Pooja Mohanraj / Dir: Chandradasan / Lokadharmi, Kochi / Mal / 60 min)
Agleyum Cleopatrayum (Egle & Cleopatra), is inspired from the folk myth of Egle from Lithuania and William Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. The experience of the two characters Cleopatra and Egle are entwined together to probe into the different manifestations of love. Both Cleopatra and Egle were victims of Love; love with different facades and connotations. The experiences of these two characters from two different cultures times and spaces are reconnoitered so as to extrapolate and explore the contemporary female experience.
The love of Cleopatra the Queen of Egypt, seems to contain a venomous strain. Cleopatra, ‘the charming serpent of Nile’ remain a mystery; she cleverly uses the unparalleled sensuality of her body to make men kneel at her whims and fancies. Here love is highly sensual with ecstasies of physicality, wild streams of fantasy and extreme romanticism. 
Why Cleopatra fell in love with all those men - from Caesar to Antony - who came across her? Was Cleopatra a sexual maniac with infinite shades of lust? She identifies love as the ‘most delicious poison’, as ‘an excellent falsehood’ or a ‘riotous madness’. It seems that the love act of Cleopatra is not merely to satisfy her carnal instincts, but also is a defense mechanism to protect her country from enemies and invaders and colonizers. Cleopatra uses her unmatched talents and perspicacity in the art of love to conquer the conqueror. She calls herself as ‘Egypt’ and her desire is to be buried in the mud and waters of Egypt than taken to the royal courts of Rome; this reinforces that her act of love may be a political armor to defeat the invader. There is no escape for the invader from this enchanting queen, and her infinite scheme of seductions. But the tragedy is that in the end Cleopatra herself falls as the victim of her own prangs of passion, and emotional ecstasies. The hunt and prey merges to be one; and as always the ultimate loser is Cleopatra, the female. 
On the contrary Egle the mythical character from Lithuania, who is forced to marry a snake is a simple farmer girl with all the innocence of a forest breeze. She had no choice to make, but marry Zilvinas, the serpent prince and go to his amber castle beneath the sea. She adapted herself to this alien environment and started living there happily. After few years she endeavors to visit her home to meet her folks. The condition to Zilvinas was that she shall not reveal the name of her husband; she should come to the sea and call his name to return to their abode. If he is alive ‘may the sea foam milk, if dead may the sea foam blood.’ But as she returns, he comes as a stream of blood, a sign that her promise had been broken. Brothers have got his name from the youngest child and they killed him to ‘save her from the clutches of a snake and save the family honor’.  Engulfed in inexplicable outpour of emotion which empowers her, she transforms herself into a deep rooted evergreen fir tree, instead of returning with her folk.

10.15 p.m. If it be Now - Fragments and Impressions of Hamlet (Devised and performed by Arka Mukhopadhyay / The Arshinagar Project, Kolkata / English &Bengali / 40 min)- Repeat Show.

December 28

5.00 p.m. Dr!Vikadan (Directed and performed by Vinu Joseph/ Theatre Lab Palakkadu/ 30 min)

This impromptu performance is a theatre clown show…

6.00 p.m. Majuli (Performer: Silpa Bordoloi / Brahmaputhra Cultural Foundation, Assam)

Majuli, a river island in Brahmaputra in Assam, inspired movement artist Shilpika Bordoloi to create a performance, combining dance and physical theatre. “The performance includes motifs representative of what Majuli means to me, and is based on the Vaishnav, Deori and Mising communities. Every other element also plays a role, including the costume, music and light design,” says Shilpika.

Majuli is part of Katha Yatra, a multi-media project that researches cultural practices along the Brahmaputra River, where the many moods of water are central to the performance and the sinuous movements of her lithe body resemble a river slowly meandering along its course. Shilpika alternates between the slow and fast pace to take us to a climax where the annual floods leave the island ravaged and torn and then is reborn again in a renewal of the cycle, which has been continuing for ages.

7.30 p.m. Notes on Chai (Performer: Jyoti Dogra / Mumbai / English, Hindi, Punjabi / 100 min)

Tea is synonymous with Indian lifestyle and “Notes on Chai” features a collection of thoughtful and entertaining excerpts of everyday conversation one has over tea, interwoven with abstract sound explorations that attempt to relocate our relationship with the mundane. Interspersed with these portrayals are abstract, guttural sounds inspired by Tibetan chanting, western harmonics and extended vocal techniques that seeks to stretch the limits of spoken language. With basic light and costume, Dogra holds her own on stage through extended vocal techniques providing unconventional sonic textures, to her world of conversations over tea.

Dogra says. “As I began working with sounds, the idea of working with language followed – exploring language as a way of keeping the mask, keeping the distance, and how these distances and masks often reveal more than we would care to show in conversations.”

9.00 p.m.  Jeevit ya Mrit (Performer: Seema Biswas/ Written by Geetanjali Shree/ Dir: Anuradha Kapoor / Vivaldi Cultural Society, New Delhi / Hindi / 60 min)

Rabindranath Tagore’s Jeevit-Ya-Mrit is said to be his most outstanding short story about Kadambari, a widow who came back from the dead only to die again because everyone thought she was a ghost. Kadambari wakes up in the crematorium, unsure of whether she is dead or alive. In this weird ambience in the dark night in a hallucinatory mood she recollects her past and as if in dream leaves the cremation ground and moves to the house of her childhood friend for shelter.

Seema Biswas rants and raves, questions and critiques the society that left her for dead and when she returned alive, refusing to accept her statement that she was alive. Biswas shifts from one character to another, intercutting it with Kadambari’s questioning, scathing and incisive voice soaked with an electric chemistry and an energy challenging for a character — submissive, surrendering and affectionate when alive. The props, setting, lighting and the ‘look’ Kadambari is given invests the ambience with the pall of death which creates from within itself, the anguished cry of a woman begging the world to let her live. Through her monologue and a variety of tones ranging from a whisper to loud delivery and intensity of emotions, she imparts insights into the traumatic, insulted and humiliated world of a Hindu widow.

Out of Crèche

 

DIWAN SINGH BAJELI

As Jashn-e-bachpan comes to a close in New Delhi, a look at plays that stood out in the 12-day festival of theatre for children.

Jashn-e-bachpan, the National Theatre Festival For Children, organised by Theatre-in-Education, National School Of Drama on its campus ended with the staging of two plays – “Hum Ek Hain” and “Swami Vivekanand” – this past week, which marked a great leap towards coming of age of the children theatre movement in the Capital.

Arguably, for the first time on Delhi stage a record number of several thousand audiences witnessed 12-day festival featuring 30 plays in different languages at three venues – Abhimanch, Bahumukh and open-air lawns. What is most heartening is the presence of children belonging to different social strata. Special arrangements were made to bring children from schools to the venue of the festival.

The NSD campus, which was given a festive look by Bansi Kaul, eminent stage director and designer, was full of life and colour. One of the laudable aspects was even the plays in regional languages were staged to a capacity hall, thanks to their aural and visual charm and brilliance of the direction. If creative efforts like Jashn-e-bachpan are made on a large scale, covering regions across the country, it will make children theatre a cultural and educational force. This was also an occasion to celebrate the silver jubilee year of TIE – Bal Rang Toli, which has been striving for artistic excellence in plays for children and building up audiences for these dramatic arts.

The plays marked a variety of presentational styles and genres. Though some were specially tailored for children, the majority of productions were sophisticated and some dealt with serious issues that plague Indian society. The dominant impression one had after seeing most of the plays with the child audience was one of the thematic variety reflecting the change in Indian theatre for children, moving from folktales and fantasy to socially relevant themes that children theatre practitioners earlier used to avoid.

Directed by Danish Iqbal and presented by Sada Arts Society, Allahabad, “Hum Ek Hain” deals with communal violence that affects every aspect of social and economic life of the people, especially rupturing the life of the children and women, giving way to living in ghettoes. An adaptation from “Par Humein Khela Hai”, the play contains some of the situations depicted in the production of the original directed by Mohan Agashe for Theatre-in- Education about three decades ago which was inspired by Grips Theatre, Germany. It’s a kind of a theatre for children that is bold enough to present sharp social antagonism by adult performers for children. This theatre aims at not only to entertain young people but make them aware of social ills that are eating into the vitals of social fabric.

Iqbal’s production enhances its emotional appeal with the use of lyrics set to lively music score by Gagan. The lyrics were written by Iqbal. The production is neat, aptly acted and admirably mounted.

One of the highlights of this year’s festival was the presentation of “Swami Vivekanand”, a puppet play produced by Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandal, Udaipur, Rajasthan founded by Devilal Samar, folklorist and exponent of folk theatrical art and its aesthetic values. Jointly directed by Dr Laique Hussain and Shyam Mali, the script is imaginatively written with focus on the most important episodes from the life of Vivekanand.

Instead of following the usual chronological order of Vivekanand’s life, the play enacts episodes in the form of storytelling by a grandfather to his grandson. The action shifts from present to the past and again to the present. The script is written by Dr Hussain with economy of words, focusing on visuals.

Apart from the powerful moral lesson that the production conveys without being didactic, the fascinating aspects of the play was the creative use of traditional kathputli-puppetry theatre of Rajasthan. The colourful costumes, the finely carved out characters from wood and the dialogue rendered by the puppeteers, perfectly synchronising with the movements of the puppet characters who move with remarkable agility. The production also is an innovative theatrical piece to present a serious play through kathputli which is mostly known for providing entertainment to the children evoking laughter through various antics the puppets perform.

“Kalakar Kee Khoj”, which was staged by Kaladham, Jharkhand under the direction of Goutam Gope, highlights the need for entertainment for children and brings out the inherent creativity in a child by providing him or her a platform. It also shows the necessity of art in social life. The most thrilling sequence of the production is the one in which the children performers present vigorous and lyrical dance, a folk form, in colourful costumes.

Beautiful stage compositions, soulful live music, aesthetically designed costumes and narrative blending folk elements with contemporary concerns make “Thathamaram” (The Parrot Tree) a joyous theatrical experience. Directed by Chandradasan and produced by Lokdharmi-Mazhvillu, Kerala, the production is remarkable for its aesthetic beauty and director’s ability to provide its large cast an opportunity to act in a spontaneous way recreating varied situations which are at once serious and amusing, griping the attention of the audience. The way the story of parrot tree is revealed is fascinating.

Yet another group from Kerala, Rangachetana featured its splendid production “Manthrika Kannadi” that depicts the interesting folk tale to convey the complex message of the necessity of communication between the outer self and inner self of an individual through the metaphor of magical mirror, beautifully rendered songs, performers’ movements, formation of visuals which creates stunningly expressive situations. The production thrills, amuses and makes aware the audience to explore the inner moral self to protect oneself and society from the onslaught of vulgar materialistic forces. It is directed by K.V. Ganesh, the script writer and artistic director of Rangachetana.

Nandikar, Kolkata presented “Kanu”, which is based on a Vietnamese short story entitled “A Manly Boy” (Kiem) by Ma Van Khang which is directed by Swatilekha Sengupta. Intensely dramatic, imbued with vitality, the play is cantered round the life of Kanu, a young boy who loves his freedom and his trials and tribulations in the course of life’s journey through a world full of violence, apathy and faceless vindictive forces.

Entertaining, educative and playful are the words that convey the essence of Bharari (non-verbal) presented by Natyashala Charity Trust, Mumbai under the joint direction of Bharat More and Anvay Ashtivikar. Though the play depicts the evolution of man from primitive stage to modern one through movements, mime, stage compositions, the serious account is revealed with liveliness. A lyrical undercurrent runs throughout the show projecting different stages of the development of human civilization. The mime part is enacted by hearing-impaired performers, displaying remarkable agility.

One of the best productions of the festival was “The Boy Who Stopped Smiling” presented by Working Title, Mumbai and directed by Jaimini Pathak that has striking relevance to problems of youngsters and a satire on an insensitive society unable to understand the psyche of young people. The production is sleek, highly educative offering hilariously funny moments to the audience. It has all the elements – lyrics set to lively tunes, simple and delightful dance movements, suspense, pathos and happy ending – the children simply love to enjoy. The moments of acute anxieties are juxtaposed with light-hearted hilarity and the acting style ranges from realistic to farcical. The writer is Ramu Ramunathan of Comorade Kumbhkarna fame who deserves praise for his significant dramatic piece.

“Unity is strength” is the message conveyed by Apundna Pangalni with animal characters. Directed by N. Jadumani Singh, the most impressive feature is colourful costumes, variety of masks to represent different variety of animals, including lions and birds. The illusion of a dense forest is created with the creative use of glossy satin in lush green colour illuminated by skilful lighting. It transcends language barrier because of its highly expressive visuals and dramatic action performed by actors in the costumes and masks of wild animals which are favourite with children.

“Geete Gathe Milan Mala” directed by Bhagirathi and presented by Seagull, Assam captures the village life of Assam focussing on an elderly couple and people of the village that assemble daily near a well in front of the house of the couple. It is remarkable for delightful music and delicately rendered dances by women narrating a story with twists and turns.

Mayur Rangmanch, U.P staged “Laakh Ki Naak” under the direction of Shashikant Sharma. A moral parable, it offers the children thoughtful and delightful moments

Courtesy - The Hindu - FEATURES » FRIDAY REVIEW -November 20, 2014

Updated: November 20, 2014 18:10 IST

Seminar on Childrens Theatre at NSD, New Delhi

Sankar Rang Toli (Theatre in Education Co) of National School of Drama is celebrating 25 years of its existence with children. Along with ‘Jashne Bachpan, The National Theater festival for children at NSD, that takes place from 2^nd Nov to 14^th , a drama seminar entitled Theatre for Children: Whose need is it?’ is organized. The seminar is from 12 Nov to 14^th. The schedule of the seminar is given below.

12.11.2014

OPENING SESSION

Time : 10.00 to 10.50 am.

Presided over by: Waman Kendre

Welcome address: Abdul Latif Khatana

Key note: Rudraprasad Sengupta

GRIPS THEATRE: FUNDAMENTALS & AREAS OF EXPERIMENT.

Time : 11.00 to 1.00 pm.

In Chair : Kirti Jain

Speakers: Mohan Agashe , Jayati Bose and Sanjana Kapoor

BETWEEN THE FAMILIAR & THE IMAGINARY: PERFORMANCES BASED ON FABLE/FANTASY

Time : 2.00 – 3.00 p.m.

In Chair : Dadi Pudumji

Speakers : Raja Bhattacharya  and K.G. Krishnamurthy

CHILDREN’S VOICE IN PERFORMANCE

Time : 3.10 – 4.10 p.m.

In Chair : Tripurari Sharma

Speakers : Shaili Sathyu and Chandradasan

13.11.2014

PARTICIPATORY THEATRE: NATURE, NEED & OBJECTIVES.

Time : 10.00 – 11.25 am

In Chair : Faisal Alkazi

Speaker : Suwaran Rawat, and V. K Sharma

ACTING FOR CHILDREN.

Time : 11.35 – 1.00 pm

In Chair : Ms. Swatilekha

Speaker : Walter Peter,  Kiran Sharma and Manish Saini

THEATRE WITH DIFFERENTLY ABLED CHILDREN

Time : 2.00 to 4.00 pm

In Chair Asha Singh

Speaker :Bhagirathi, Kanchan Sontake and Mridul Singh

14.11.2014

BRINGING THEATRE INTO CURRICULUM

Time : 10.00 – 11.25 am

In Chair : Kirti Jain

Speaker :Sandeep Sethi, Pawan Sudhir and Asha Singh

FUTURE VISION OF THEATRE FOR AND WITH CHILDREN.

Time : 11.35- 1.10 pm

In Chair Bansi Kaul

Speaker :Vani Tripathi and G.S. Channi

Thathamaram (The Parrot-Tree) travels to Delhi.

Thathamaram (Parrot-Tree) performed by Mazhavillu the children’s theatre of Lokadharmi travels to New Delhi to participate in Jashne-Bachpan, the national children’s theatre Festival of India organised by NSD. The play will be performed in Abhimanch at 05.00 pm on 06^th November 2014. This is one of the 25 plays invited for this festival.

Thathamaram is written, designed, choreographed and directed by Chandradasan, with Bijibal M doing the music, Set & Properties by Bhanuvajanan, Costumes by Rema K Nair, Lighting design by Srikanth, Art by Shobha Menon, Live music by, Subrahmanian, and Niranj Madan, Sound by Jebin Jesmes, Direction Assistance by Shaiju T Hamza, and Media Management and group leadership by Madan Kolavil.

This is the Fourth performance of the play

This play is developed from a folk tale which is extrapolated to throw light into contemporary reality. The story is about a parrot tree which is mysterious in many ways; it speaks in unknown languages, whispers and cries, and has flowers with an incandescent smell that penetrates deep into the human cell. The tree says “I am a tree, am a bird, am the smell, and am the sweetness. Dreams of this native land are buried deep beneath me.” This tree epitomizes the archaic myths about a tree that grows in the far deep forest with its fruits used as medicine that cures all sorts of illnesses. It has a rhythm that ticks the natural cycles to vibrate and resonate mutually and keeps the life moving ahead. This tree is visible only to the wisdom of birds.

Once, the King of the land is infected with a mysterious illness, and somnambulism. As he dwells deep into sleep, malicious, evil and vicious spirits and creatures that were buried for ages underneath the earth are reborn and resurrected. They craw into the dreams of all and one and disturb the balance of life processes. Everyone else including the princess loses sleep… “The evil species danced around in ecstasy; hunger and famine spread all over. New diseases sprang up. Untimely downpour of heavy rain and incessant storm; holes appear in the sky…Earth gets sunburns … Seasons loses their rhythms; all calculations go off the track…Rainwater tastes bitter… Severe summer of tragedies…

Princess could not sleep… The evil creatures danced around the princess day and night… she could not close her eyes for a moment… Suddenly, song of a little parrot that flew from the forest soothes the princess… The evil species cannot stand the bird’s song and they fly away from it. After a few days the parrot returned to the forest to visit her parents. Little parrot told her parents about the misery in the palace in her absence. To put an end to the wretchedness in the kingdom, the wise father parrot went deep into the forest and brought the mysterious mythical fruit that can heal any illness, sacrificing his life in this act. The little parrot has to gift this fruit to the King and on eating this; the trauma that had filled him and the nation will be cured.

On its way back to the castle with the fruit, the little parrot gets tired and dozes off for a while on a leafless tree. The evil species residing on the same tree spits venom and poison into the fruit. Then they rush to the palace and inform the king that the parrot is coming with a poisonous fruit to kill the king. The king in turn asks the little parrot to taste the fruit first, before he eats it. The parrot tastes it and dies. On the King’s orders, the dead parrot and the poisonous fruit are buried in a distant desert.

After a gap of many years, it rained continuously for three days in the desert, and then the parrot tree sprouted. It grew into a Tall Tree with enchanting flowers and fruits; but the people shy away as they are afraid of the poison...

Finally an old couple depressed by loneliness and many diseases, arrives there, they decide to end their lives by eating the fruit of the tree. But to the dismay of everyone, the fruit did not kill them, but they were rejuvenated and freed from their agonies.

The play connects the experiences of the present day as well as of the past with the myths, hearsay, folklore, tradition, legends, cultures and the flora and fauna of Kerala. It reinforces the rhythmic continuity of human life with trees, birds, and other living and non-living entities. The story creates a world which flows between real, surreal and mythical; all fused together to form a plasma of magical, dream like fantasy. The story is narrated direct and simple in a transparent, poetic and candid style to create a cosmos of exuberance, earthiness, and fantasy, where various elements co-exist, mutually complementing and completing.

The performance uses music, songs, movement and choreography accentuated by the use of simple properties and a narration with simultaneous enactment and characterization. Use of imaginative sets, properties and music suggests the space, characters, time, as well as the cultural/ political implications of the play. The performance language is designed so as to give space for creativity and expression of the histrionic talent of the children, the whole process of rehearsal providing an exhilarating experience to the little actors; the scheme of rehearsal and play making being equally important as the final product.

The Artists Traveling To Perform are Gowri Murali , Gouri Krishna A , Jeyasuriyaa M.A , Anju Joan, Malavika Murali , Krishna Radhakrishnan, Rose Sherin Ansary , Arun A , Hemanth Menon , Unnimaya Edanilath , Jayabhami Jayachandran , Ramakrishnan Lokanathan , Chelcy Johny , Unnimadhav Edanilath , Yedhukrishna K.V , Niranjana Kishan , Saswath Gopan, Bhanuvajanan , Subrahmanian, Niranj Madan, Jebin Jesmes, Shaiju T Hamza, Anu Gopinath, Madan Babu and Chandradasan.

Pooja wins Scholarship for young artists in Theatre from Department of Culture.

Pooja Mohanraj of Lokadharmi Theatre Kochi, INDIA is selected for the award of Senior Scholarship in for the year 2013-14 under the scheme of Award of Scholarship to Young Artistes in drama/Theatre. The scholarship is for an advanced training in physical theatre under Chandradasan, director of Lokadharmi for the next two years.
Pooja was getting their training in theatre from Mazhavillu, the children’s theatre wing of Lokadharmi when she was 11 years old and later continued in Lokadharmi.  She was part of the productions Panjarasala (by BV Karanth, dir. Chandradasan), Alibabayum 40 Kallanmarum (by Chandrasekhar Kambar, dir Chandradasan), girl in the photograph (written and directed by Shirly Somasundaran ) and Tom and Jerry (by Arun Pr Pr, dir Sudheerbabu Sankunni ) for Mazhavillu
She has decided to continue with theatre and is pursuing MTA in Schoolofdrama Thrissur after completing B.A. Economics Honours from Lady Shri Ram College for Women. She was actively involved in Delhi college theatre circle, on-stage and off-stage. Have performed street plays in various public spaces in Delhi and also directed for Goethe Institute/ max Mueller Bhavan collegiate theatre festival organised as an Indo German collaborative project.
Her major production include Egle and Cleopatra (a one actor performance based on Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra and a Lithuanian myth written designed and directed by Chandradasan for Lokadharmi Theatre Kochi, INDIA, Andorra (by Max Fritz directed by Kumara Varma ), reflections (by Mahesh Elkunchwar) accidental death of an anarchist (by Dario Foe), butter and mashed bananas (Ajay Krishnan, Neel Choudhury), burn (based on Ibsen’s works directed by Neel Choudhury for Ibsen festival), Ubu Roi (by Alfred Jarry, directed by Chandradasan for Lokadharmi etc. She did Workshops: David Zinder (Israel), Prof. S. Ramanujam, Kumara Varma, Kalamandalam Prabhakaran , TM Abraham, Ramesh Varma, Gopan Chidambaram, Venuji, Anne Dubos (France), Neel Choudhury, Anirudh Nair etc.
She had in many festivals including NIPA international children’s theatre festival (attended twice), Ibsen theatre festival, old world theatre festival, Soorya festival, Sam festival (NSD), Rangaprabadh festival etc.
She was hospitality coordinator for itfok2014.
With this Scholarship Pooja is are joining the band of Lokadharmi actors, Premdas AT, Sudheer Babu, Zumesh Chittooran , Joseph Tito, Pradeep Sukumar , Soumya CP, Priyaraj Govindraj G, Vinay Forrt, Nandini R Nair, Harikrishnan Sanu , Sukanya Shaji ,and Shaiju T H Sh who had won this scholarship earlier.

12th Edition of NSD's Jashne Bachpan Set to Enthral Children from all Walks of Life

 

New Delhi: The rainbow, the fables and the drama were all part of the reality which one could not wean ourselves from as children. Many a plays of TIE (Theatre in Education Co.) have also become a part of the same fantasy world for children who have been exposed to it. Have you forgotten, the colourful characters of ‘Pyaas Lagi Hai Mercury Piyo’ or the honest Alibaba of ‘Khulja Sim Sim’ or the ingeniously naughty worms of ‘Kitabon Mein Hulchul’ – all these are TIE productions that has stirred and shaken some of the most confined human emotions in the audience, more so for children.

T.I.E. Co has staged over 1200 shows, 350 workshops catering to more than 11 lakhs children apart from college students, teachers, parents and theatre lovers across the world with their plays celebrates its glorious 25 years. It has not only educated and entertained audiences in India but has also captured hearts in Poland, China, Philippines and Japan. 34 plays by renowned directors like late Shri B.V. Karanth, Shri Barry John, Dr. Mohan Agashe, Mr. Wolfgang Kolneder, Prof. Tripurari Sharma & many more had a long haul and an impactful journey with children theatre through TIE Co.

Celebrating some of the best children’s flavours and a distinct palate back on stage, every autumn National School of Drama (NSD) organizes a festival of theatre for children. This year, the 12th edition of Jashne Bachpan, from 2nd to 14th November, will make sure that children are treated to the best through theatre for children. Jashne Bachpan 2014 will be featuring various performances in 8 languages – Assamese, Bengali, English, Kannada, Marathi, Malayalam, Manipuri, Hindi and 1 non-verbal from 14 States/Union Territories at the National School of Drama Campus, Bhawalpur House, New Delhi.

This year NSD has invited the participation of Zonal Cultural Centres to get involved and extend encouragement and support to the various participating groups for increasing regional participation. In its Silver Jubilee year, TIE Co. is also organizing its first ever three-day seminar during the festival. This three day educational seminar, titled, ‘Theatre for children; who’s need is it?’ from 12th to 14th November will have known theatre personalities like Rudraprasad Sengupta, Feizal Alkazi, Kanchan Sontakke, Bansi Kaul and many more.

T.I.E. Company’s this year’s edition of Jashne Bachpan envisages maximum participation of child performers, adult performers and experts in the field. In its journey of 25 years, T.I.E. Company has emerged as an international body which has enticed, educated and empowered many young minds through its performance, workshops, Sunday clubs and festivals. Moreover, NSD this year has embarked on an initiative to not only include the children of the privileged strata of the society as audiences but also to include the underprivileged children. For every show, National School of Drama will invite maximum number of children with the help of various NGO’s from Delhi NCR.

As one of the major highlights, all the genres of theatre for and with children will be included in the current edition of Jashne Bachpan in terms of performances. Jashne Bachpan 2014 will have performances at venues including Abhimanch, Bahumukh and NSD Open Lawns and will include works of such Directors as Swatilekha Sengupta, K.G. Krishnamurthy, Laique Hussain, Bhagirathi, Jayati Bose, N. Jadumani Singh, Dr. Sripad Bhat, Mandya Ramesh, Manik Roy, Chandradasan, Joy Sankar Bhattacharjee, Jaimini Pathak, Radhika Ingle, K.V. Ganesh, Dr. Danish Iqbal, Goutam Gope, Parthapratim Deb, Dinesh Kakoti , Rajkumar Raikwar, Gagan Dev Riar, Chakresh Kumar, Binod Roy, Neeraj Gahlot, Tathagata Chaudhuri & Anirban Bhattacharya, Bharat More & Anvay Ashtivkar whose performances have been chosen from the 127 plays that came to the screening committee from all over the country.

In addition to these performances a director’s meet is scheduled to take place every morning from 4th  November to 11th November daily from 10:30am where play directors, group leaders and group members of Jashne Bachpan and media can interact to absorb energies, skills and processes in order to gain inspiration for their future work.

Shri Ratan Thiyam, Chairperson NSD Society, reiterates, “Mega Events of children theatre should happen regularly on the national level. By organizing such theatre for children of today we are preparing a generation which will be more creative, responsible and sensitive to their environment. NSD’s TIE Co has been instrumental in training the young minds for thinking out of the box and it has also introduced motivational aspects in creativity in Indian education.”

Prof. Waman Kendre, NSD Director, says, “It’s a proud moment for NSD as TIE Co. has completed 25 years now. TIE has been instrumental in educating and empowering young minds in Rang Sanskar who have achieved fame in theatres, films and television. Children theatre is the need of the hour as it is important in shaping up a child’s personality, confidence, vision and sensitivity as an artist and also a healthy citizen. Children theatre is a very important part of theatrical experience and its time we should include theatre as part of the curriculum.”

Shri. Abdul Latif Khatana, TIE Co. Chief, says, “Completing 25 years of Sanskar Rang Toli has been a fascinating and problem solving journey for all of us who have worked as performers, directors, teachers and students. Working with and performing for children in unusual spaces and conditions have taught us to explore new ways of achieving our objectives through various activities and settings. The T.I.E. Co has so far, created multiple" Educational, Dramatic and Theatrical Practices" for children ideating a vision for few more decades to come.”

Jashne Bachpan 2014 will be inaugurated by Shri Shripad Yasso Naik, Honorable Minister of Tourism and Culture on Sunday, 2nd November 2014 at 6 pm at Abhimanch in New Delhi Campus of National School of Drama. The inaugural ceremony will be followed by “Bal Rang”, a performance of various artists which will be guided by Sh. Laique Hussain.

Jashne Bachpan was started in 1998 by T.I.E Co., NSD in order to contribute to the growth and development of children’s theatre across the country, and has now come to be regarded as one of the largest and most important theatre festivals in India for Children.

About Sanskar Rang Toli (T.I.E. Co)

Sanskar Rang Toli (T.I.E. Co.) of NSD was established on October 16th 1989, and completed 25 years of its existence. It consists of adult actors performing and working with children round the year. The Toli began with an objective of bridging the gap between passive education and an active method of learning by doing through its performances of varied plays, Summer Workshops on self-development and social integration, Sunday Club for devising original performances with children, workshops with teachers on effective teaching-learning process. All these activities are practiced round the year.

Courtesy INDIA EDUCATION DIARY.COM

National School of Drama Sanskar Rang Toli Presents "Jashnebachpan"- the National Theatre Festival for Children.

 

The national Children's theatre festival will be organised by NSD from November 2 to November 2014 at New Delhi. 25 different plays from different parts of India in different genres including adaptation of children's plays, performances based on new scripts, texts developed from  folk tales and short stories from Tagore to Ronald Dahl, solo performance, mime, puppetry, performance by special children and socially deprived kids, performance for children by adults, etc are included in this years fest.

2 Nov. 2014 Sunday

Inaugural Ceremony: at 6 pm followed by a performance.

3rd November:Monday

5:00 pm: At Bahumukh -SAKAL DESHER SERA (Bengali) Dir. Joy Sankar Bhattacharjee Group: Patabhumi, Agartala, Tripura Duration: 48 mins.

6:00 pm: At Abhimanch JAMES AUR EK GAINT PEACH (Hindi & English) Dir. Gagan Dev Riar Group: Rangbaaz, Maharashtra Duration: 1 Hr. 40 mins.

Adapted By: Saurabh Nayyar and Gagan Dev Riar /Writer: Roald Dahl

James Henry Trotter`s Parents Were Eaten Up By A Rhinoceros, Because Of Which He Lives With His Two Repulsive Aunts. One Hot Day, Something Peculiar Happens And An Enormous Peach Grows In Their Garden. Soon, James And The Giant Peach Are Rolling Away From His Horrible Aunts, Towards A Marvellous And Wonderful Place.

4^th November:Tuesday

3:30 pm: At Bahumukh JI AAYA SAHAB (Hindi) Dir. Chakresh Kumar Group: Alankar Theatre, Chandigarh, Duration: 1 Hr. 10 mins.

Writer: Sahadat Hasan Manto

The play on child labour depicts the story of a 10 year child 'Kasim' who works at the home of inspector and because of work load he doesn't get the time to take rest. One day his finger cuts from knife and because of that wound he gets two days' rest. Now whenever the workload exceeds he searches some sharp thing to cut his finger to get rest. But one day he cuts his finger deeply to get long days' rest, but he loses the job even his hand.

5:00 pm: At Abhimanch REKKE KATTUVIRA...? (Will you add wings…?) (Kannada) Dir. Dr. Sripad Bhat Group: Chinnari, Karnataka Duration: 1 hr. 10 min.

Written by B.Suresh

 

6:30 pm At NSD Open Lawn RATNA PAKSI (Kannada) Dir. Mandya Ramesh Group: Natana Mysore, Karnataka Duration: 1 hr. 10 min.

Playwright: Kotaganahalli Ramaiah

5^th November:Wednesday

5:00 pm: At Bahumukh KALAKAR KI KHOJ (Hindi) Dir. Goutam Gope Group: Kaladham, Jharkhand Duration: 1 hr. 10 min.

Kaldham is a group which mostly works with destitute children and troubled kids, school drop outs, and fights against social evils using theatre as a medium. They produce plays and street performances, mostly utilising Chau and other folk traditions of the region.

6:00 pm: At Abhimanch MANTHRIKA KANNADI Magical Mirror (Malayalam) Writer and Director. K.V. Ganesh Group: Rangachetana, Kerala Duration: 1 hr.

Rangachetana is one of the leading Theatre Groups in Kerala, working mainly in Thrissur. Rangachetana has the working experience of more than 34 years.

6^th November:Thursday

3:30 pm: At Bahumukh MAHABHOJ (Bengali) Dir. Parthapratim Deb Group: ALAAP, W.B. Duration: 30 min.

Based on The short stories of Rabindranath Tagore

A short Tagorean collage, Alaap’s Mahabhoj, takes bits and pieces from his farcical skits, but by drawing mainly on Bini Paysar Bhoj, manages to retain a strong core. Also, by featuring a solo performance, it provides one actor plenty of scope in multiple roles, and young Sagardweep Deb does not disappoint.

5:00 pm: At Abhimanch THATHAMARAM (The Parrot Tree) (Malayalam) Written and Directed by Chandradasan Group: Lokadharmi / Mazhavillu, Kochi Kerala Duration: 1 hr. 15 min.

The play is all about the ever increasing distance between man and nature. It is developed from a folk tale which throws light on contemporary reality. The story is about a parrot tree which is mysterious in many ways; it speaks in unknown languages, whispers and cries. The play connects the experiences of the present day as well as of the past with the myths, hearsay, folklore, tradition, legends, cultures and the flora and fauna of Kerala. It reinforces the rhythmic continuity of human life with trees, birds, and other living and non-living entities. The story creates a world which flows between real, surreal and mythical; all fused together to form a plasma of magical, dream like fantasy. The story is narrated direct and simple in a transparent, poetic and candid style to create a cosmos of exuberance, earthiness, and fantasy, where various elements co-exist, mutually complementing and completing.

6:30 pm: At NSD Open Lawn NAMASKAR JI NAMASKAR (Hindi) Director: Binod Rai Group: Killkari Bihar Bal Bhawan, Patna Duration: 50 min.

7 Nov. 2014 Friday

6:00 pm: At Abhimanch GOSHTA SIMPLE PILLACHI (Marathi) Dir. Radhika Ingle Group: Maharashtra Culture Center, Maharashtra Duration: 1hr. 45 min.

8 Nov. 2014 Saturday:

3:30 pm:At Bhumukh KYA HUA HAAL, JAB CHALE NAINITAL (Hindi) Dir. Neeraj Gahlot Group: Purvabhyas Cultural & Education Society, Delhi Duration: 40 min.

Purvabhyas is a national organization that comprises of experts who have been working in the area of ‘creative arts in education’ for more than 15 years. They have the experience of working with the children of all ages and social backgrounds across the country. They have also worked with the children of different nationalities and have collaborated with many international theatre organizations.

5:00 pm: At Abhimanch KANU (Bengali) Dir. Swatilekha Sengupta Group: Nandikar, W.B. Duration: 90 min.

Nandikar’s new play Kanu is inspired by a Vietnamese short story A Manly Boy” (Kiem) by Ma Van Khang. However, Swatilekha Sengupta places this in our soil and imaginatively evolves an original play. Kanu, a boy of 12 or 13 summers, has a hen-pecked father, a tyrannous step-mother; Kanu’s mother has been turned out who presently is married to a truck driver, leading the life of a maid, wife, nurse, all combined in one, an existence of unending drudgery. Kanu loafs about often battered, oftener half-fed. A neighbouring family, however, takes care of Kanu as far as possible.

The tale of Kanu is simple and couched in the time-old mould of “a boy’s journey through poverty and penury”, tyranny and trauma and of course, with the silver lining of ‘goodness’, ultimately prevailing.

6:30 pm: At Abhimanch BHARARI (Non-Verbal) Dir. Bharat More & Anvay Ashtivkar Group: Natyashala Charity Trust, Maharashtra

Duration: 1 hr. 15 min.

A mime play by hearing impaired students

9 Nov. 2014 Sunday

3:30 pm : At Bhumukh BHO-KATTA (Bengali) Dir. Tathagata Chaudhuri & Anirban Bhattacharya, Group: Sarabhuj, W.B. Duration: 30 min.

A socio cultural institution from Rangamati, Midnapore (West Bengal), has been playing an intrinsic part of the movement for the revival, propagation and appreciation of traditional Folk Culture since, 1986, under the able guidance of Sri Tamn Pradhan. The organisation is able to function meaningfully by adhering to the values and ideas of Indian Art aesthetics and deriving its strength and inspiration from the warmth and fragrance of the earth. Sarabhuj has preserved to uphold the true essence of Indian Culture - Dance, Theatre and Mime.

5:00 pm: At Abhimanch THE BOY WHO STOPPED SMILING (English) Dir. Jaimini Pathak Group: Working Title, Mumbai, Maharashtra Duration: 1 hr. 30 min.

Written by: Ramu Ramanathan

Malhar, a little boy is a chess prodigy, but he never smiles. Malhar wants to beat the chess champion, Vishwanathan Anand. Will that make him smile again? This is a play that has songs, dances and lot of fun

6:30 pm: At NSD Open Lawn APUNBNA PANGALNI (Manipuri) Dir. N. Jadumani Singh Group: Blooming Cultural Academy of Performing Arts, Manipur Duration: 1 hr.

This group undertake research in the field of various performing art forms to arrange for performance and spread of knowledge of cultural heritage, dance, drama, music modern and folk songs, street theatre and puppetry including children theatre, etc.

10 Nov. 2014 Monday

6:00 pm : At Abimanch Garjana Gadhmandle Ki (Hindi) Dir. Rajkumar Raikwar Group: Rang Prayog, Sagar, M.P. Duration: 1 hr. 20 min.

11 Nov. 2014 Tuesday

6:00 pm : At Abhimanch KHEL-NA (Hindi) Dir. Manik Roy Group: Guwahati Sishu Natya Vidyalaya, Assam Duration: 1 hr.

Shri Manik Roy started working in drama and working with children became his passion. He established Guwahati Sishu Natya Vidyalaya in the year of 1998 with a view to promote children theatre in Assam. In this Vidyalaya he started giving training to very young children on acting, creative writing etc. He has already written, produced and directed more than 12 children play with these children. Presently he is doing different workshops as well as doing classroom theatre with adult actors in different schools in and around Guwahati.

7:15 pm: At NSD Open Lawn OBBANOBBA RAJANIDDA (Kannada) Dir. K.G. Krishnamurthy Group: Kinnara Mela Tumari, Mysore, Karnataka Duration: 1 hr. 5 min.

Based on William Shakespeare's King Lear Written by: Vaidehi

12 Nov. 2014 Wednesday

3:30 pm: At Bahumukh LAAKH KI NAAK Director: Shashikant Sharma Group: Mayur Rangmanch, U.P. Duration: 55 min.

Writer; the late Sarveshwar Dayal Saxena

The play "Lakh Ki Naak" has a very large cast of courtiers, corrupt officials hand in glove with dishonest traders and manufacturers of swords. The main characters in the play are a corrupt minister who compromises the safety of the country by buying badly made swords from those who bribe him, and then of course there is an honest blacksmith and his wife who are never able to sell their swords to the corrupt minister. All is well that ends well, the corrupt minister and his stooges are exposed and the honest blacksmith who makes good swords is at last able to sell his swords.

6:00 pm: At Abhimanch GEETE GAATHE MILAN MELA (Assamese & Hindi mixed) Dir. Bhagirathi Group: Seagull, Assam Duration: 1 hr.

Seagull Children's Theatre is Northeast's first theatre academy for children which is the brainchild of Baharul Islam, one of Assam's reputed theatre directors, and his national award-winning actor wife Bhagirathi, Academy was launched in Guwahati in 2005. The academy, is conducting workshops, produce plays with kids in the age group between six and 12. Bhagirathi, who heads the academy, says the idea of setting up one germinated during a short summer workshop. 'The workshop was an experimental project that paved the way for a new beginning in the world of Assamese theatre. We discovered some young talents and thought of a full-fledged academy.'

13 Nov. 2014 Thursday

5:00 pm: At Bahumukh PARUAR PROCESSIONOT URAHOR UUH (Assamese) Dir. Dinesh Kakoti Group: Abastav Gosthi, Assam Duration: 1 hr.

The play is written by Anjan Bhuyan.

Before embarking on his journey to the famed National School of Drama (NSD) in 1979, eminent actor–director Baharul Islam formed the drama group ’Abastav’, But now the group has become active once again under the leadership of his student and drama activist Dinesh Kakati in Jajori, Morigaon. Besides staging plays, ’Abastav’ is playing an active role in organizing drama workshops and acting classes in this remote area.

6:00 pm: At Abhimanch AAMIO SUPERMAN (Bengali) Dir. Jayati Bose Group: Sutrapat, W.B. Duration: 1 hr. 30 min.

Sutrapat’s Amio Superman, a Grips play (a play for children by adults) directed by Jayati Bose, is an Indianised version of Roy Kift’s Stronger than Superman. It tells the story of a boy on a wheelchair and his sister and their world of fun, pain, mischief, dreams and innocence as juxtaposed with the sometimes-insensitive adult world.

14 Nov. 2014 Thursday

5:00 pm: At Bahumukh SWAMI VIVEKANAND (Puppet Play) (Hindi) Dir. Laique Hussain Group: Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandal, Udaipur, Rajasthan Duration: 1 hr. 13 min.

’Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal’ from Udaipur in Rajasthan, presents a puppet show based the life story and messages given by Swami Vivekananda. The troupe uses powerful narrative technique to deliver the conservation between a grandfather and his grandson, focuses the life and message of Swami Vivekananda. In the show, Grandfather explains the lessons of courage, integrity and conviction of Vivekananda to his grandson Naren through various episodes of Vivekananda’s childhood as Narendra or his youthful days or his address at the Chicago world parliament of religions giving a message of moral to the young minds.

6:00 pm: At Abhimanch HUM EK HAIN (Hindi) Dir. Dr. Danish Iqbal Group: Sada Arts Society, U.P. Duration: 1 hr. 5 min.

Written by Shrirang Godbole.

The plot of the play revolves around children and their rights. The play demonstrates how children can think independently of adults and in situations of stress actually show them the way. So it is adults that learn from the children. The play will address issues of unity along with religious diversity and protection of the rights of children. The play is set in the backdrop of riots in the city. The adults panic but children lead with their assertion of rights and teach the adults to deal with the situation rather than squabbling amongst themselves on issues that are not important.