Mere Gaadi Waale Dheere Gaadi Hank

The Form
Bharud is one of Maharashtra’s important folk forms. Its presentations are a source of joy all over Maharashtra. It is the second most popular folk form after ‘Tamasha’, and is an integral part of annual fairs, Jnaneshwari Paraayan (recital/presentation of Saint Jnaneshwara’s Gita), and Tukaram Gaatha (compilation of Saint Tukaram’s Abhangs). Bharud is not only entertaining, but also spiritually educative with its theatrical, witty and musical qualities. Sant Eknath is known to be the ‘Janak’ of this form.

The Play
The presentation begins with Gan Bharud which comprises of Ganesh Stavan. This is followed by Yedicham Barud i.e. various songs sung by the performers. Next is the Kabir Panth Barud – Mere Gaadi Waale Dheere Gaadi Hank. The act conveys that this body is like a bullock-cart which can move smoothly only if God resides in the heart of the driver. The presentation will end with Ambabaicha Jogra which will talk about the elimination of blind faith, through Araadheen Geet and Bhutancha Geet. This performance is unique in its ability to enrapture the audience with its songs, dances, dialogues, speeches & chorus.

Group Leader’s Note
Bharud is a folk form of Maharashtra that is saturated with dance, drama and music. It conveys the voice of Eknath Maharaj and Kabeer, denouncing the harmful rituals and traditions of the society. Along with these, it also hits hard on current social issues, using mythological and cultural tales, joyful melody, devotional music, and dramatic characterisation. It persuades the audience to self- introspect.

The Group
Shivrudra is an institute that has been actively involved in theatre and cultural activities. It has been working towards the revival, research and growth of the rich folk-art and traditions of Maharashtra. It conducts workshops for the youth. For the past 40-50 years Shri Sant Jnaneshwar Mauli, Bhajani Mandal has been constantly working towards eradication of social discrimination, through Bharud. Today, the youth is willingly participating in this art. The group has received many state and national awards.

Cast & Credits

On stage Sheikh Allamin Umar, Mali Phoolchand Rambhau, Ingole Mukund Anna, Ingole Ramkrishna Hari Mukund, Sawant Balaji Digamber, Shingate Datatreya Bhagwan,
Shingate Vibhishan, Babruvan, Sawant Kashinath Kalidas, Moorey Babasaheb
Bhagwat, Sawant Navnath Dattu, Shinde Vibhishan Shahaji, Barpe Madhukar
Tukaram, Sawant Sajrerav Dayal, Varpe Dagdu Ramling, Pawar Sadhu Narhari,
Varpe Nana Bhau Eknath, Sawant Jaggannath Dayal, Varpe Subash Khanderav,
Sawant Sachin Shivaji, Owhal Ramesh Buwaji 
Backstage Samir Habib
Light design Avinath Khedkar
Stage Chief Shrimant D.M.
Stage assistant Thorat Nanabhau Utreshvar
Team leader Sunil Ginhe

 




The Restaurant of Many Orders

The Play
The Restaurant of Many Orders, is a dance-drama which focuses on the relationship between human beings and nature. Inspired by Japanese fairy tale writer, Kenji Miyazawa's novel by the same name, Hiroshi Koike created this production where three performers play the role of human beings and the beasts in the forests. Three young men go to the mountain for hunting. The weather becomes bad and there is a storm. They try to take shelter from rain but they can't find a good shelter. Suddenly, they see a restaurant, The Mountain Cat Inn Restaurant. On entering the restaurant the hunters get many written ‘orders’. Feeling strange, they do what is written. Meanwhile, two of them realize that the third man is missing. They enter another room and find delicious food laid on the table. Eating greedily, they find a piece of cloth of the third hunter in the dish. They realize that they have eaten the body of their friend and run out of the restaurant facing the big storm.

Director’s Note
The Restaurant of Many Orders, is a comedy plus a tragedy. Some people think it is a scary story because the hunters open the hidden door of the forest continuously. However, what makes this fact scary? That’s my question. The world is human-centered, but is it of any benefit for us? This production is not the exact rendition of the story of the original novel by Miyazawa. I hope you not only follow the storyline, but see and feel the thought behind it.

The Director
Hiroshi Koike is a director, writer, choreographer, and the president of Performing Arts Institute. After working as a TV director, he established the performing arts group Papa Tarafumara in 1982. Since then he has worked on the production, direction and choreography of 55 works. In 2012, the following year of the big earthquake of 11 th March in Japan, he launched Hiroshi Koike Bridge Project. He had collaborative projects with three ideas of education, dissemination and creation based on creativity. He has produced 9 works until now. His shows have been presented in about 40 countries so far. He has conducted many workshops in Japan and abroad. He has served as the Artistic Director for Tsukuba Performing Arts Center; Chairman of the Asian Performing Arts Forum; and Committee Member of Japan Foundation (2005 – 2011).

The Group
Hiroshi Koike Bridge Project (HKBP) is a theatrical company started on June 2012 by Hiroshi Koike, after he had closed his former theatrical company Pappa Tarahumara, the forefront of performing arts of Japan for 30 years until it was disbanded on 31 May 2012. Not only does HKBP produce performing arts, but also makes use of various media, such as film, photography, installation works and essays. By means of events, lectures, workshops, and educational programs, it aims to educate people who can think through their body and create bridges between the world, time and culture.

Cast & Credits

On Stage Tetsuro Koyano, Ayako Araki, Akira Otsuka
Stage Manager Kazuki Nakahara, Noriko Ohashi
Light Designer Takayuki Tomiyama
Composer Toshio Nakagawa, Kensuke Fujii
Recording Musicians Toshio Nakagawa (Piano), Akikazu Nakagawa (Shakuhachi), Shitamachi Kyoudai (Percussion), Yumi Kimura (Voice)
Mask Designer WayanTanggu, Made Sutiarka
Set Designer Makoto Matsushima
Props Designer Seiichiro Mori
Company Project Manager Hitomi Akuzawa, Noriko Ohashi
Playwright, Director & Choreographer Hiroshi Koike

Based on the novel The Restaurant of Many Orders by Kenji Miyazawa




Deyal Likhon

The Play
The play is set in Berlin, Germany, in early thirties of the past century. Dr. Mamlok, an eminent Jewish surgeon, a patriot who had served in the national army, gets upset on finding the jeopardy of national unity in the name of caste-creed-religion and political beliefs, under the rising of Nazi regime. He and his daughter are molested by Nazi-hooligans, and he is barred from working in his own hospital. He is threatened by his subordinate Dr. Helpach, now a Nazi official, to be publicly molested with his whole family. Mamlok’s pride cannot take it anymore. He commits suicide in order to escape the life of endless torture.

Director’s Note
The play Professor Mamlok written by German playwright Friedrich Wolf, and translated in Bengali by Utpal Dutta inspired me to write and direct this new play Deyal-Likhon (The WallPost). I found this a challenging offer to handle such intricate shades of human emotions and relationships in the whirlpool of socio-political unrest. Its original realistic pattern doesn’t suit my current text, rather demands nearly an expressionistic Epic-Theatre style, with input of a lot of modern theatrical imaginations and innovations. With a great challenge I enjoyed it thoroughly as a director.

The Director & Playwright
The career of Asit Basu as a playwright and director spans over more than half a century in the field of performing arts in West Bengal. Being a close associate, assistant director, and leading actor of the late maestro Utpal Dutta, he established himself with a keen sense of socio-political awareness in his works. He presented legendary stage productions like Kolkatar Hamlet, Raangtar-Mukut, Mrtyuheen Praan, E-Maha Jagaran, Charandas Mla Evam Nautankilal, etc. in the group Theatre Movement. His directorial works like Kirat-Parva and Kusha-Puttalika and his designed production Jaan-E-Kalkatta enjoyed the honour of being showcased in BRM with great appreciation. He has also excelled in the field of Jatra (Traditional Theatre of Bengal), TV and Film, and as a documentary film maker.

The Group
Paikpara Akhor was formed in 2007 under the guidance of Guru Asit Basu. The group endeavours to practice theatre with national and regional cultural identity that is facing a fatal threat due to the world-wide invasion of ‘Global Culture’ in present times. Sri Basu has trained new directors, actors and playwright under his esteemed guidance. As a result Ms. Bhadra Basu has emerged as an eminent playwright-director since 2009 with productions like Jaan-E-Kalkatta, Preetilata, Mala-Chandan etc. This group is trying to bring theatrical awareness amongst children with proper training and practice. Since its inception this group has successfully staged Shiber Gajon, Pratirodh (a Street Play), Jaan-E-Kalkatta, Kathtaamrita, Preetilata, MalaChandan, Dukhiram, Meni(Binodini)-o-Kolkatar Theatre, Dukhiram, Manik, Rupmoti-Gatha, and recent production Deyal-Likhon. The group has performed hundreds of shows altogether, winning the hearts of the audience, all over the country.

Cast & Credits

Dr. Hans Mamlok Asit Basu
Frau Ellen Mamlok Bhadra Basu
Frauline Ruth Mamlok Shubharupa Chatterjee
Rolph Mamlok Tayhagata Caudhuri
Dr. Inge Ruyof Shipra Mukherjee
Dr. Helpachk Shubhankar Ray
Dr. Harsch Asit Baran Mitra
Dr. Karlsen Partha Mukherjee
Ward-Boy Simon Indrajit Midye
Nurse Frau Hedwik Sudakshina Cowdhury
Nurse Shraboni Halder
Frau Ruyof Swapna Bhowal
Verner Djidel Prasenjit Ghosh
The Injured Worker Anup Das
Nazi-Guard Bidhan Halder
Ernst Biswajit Das
Martin Priyanath Mukherjee
Papen Madhukor Guha
Light Design Dipankar Dey
Sound Operation Somnath Das
Script, Design & Direction Asit Basu

 




Ab Aur Nahi

The Play

Ab aur Nahi has been inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The play begins with a fight between Wi-fi and Hi-fi gangs. They are always fighting for their land, their existence and their identity with each other. Finally, Blue Ray explains to both the gangs that what they have been doing all these years is futile. The gangs realize that fights, hatred, ego is all meaningless and worthless. At last, in this play, Time unites everyone.

Director’s Note

In the 21st century, which celebrates Globalization, people have been given the choice to live in a boundary-less world. Yet they are divided by insignificant aspects of religion, culture and community. The futile argument over the superiority of a certain community or caste over the other, has led to a huge setback on the overall development of the nations and humans. It has been the most detrimental to the youth of this world. The youth is equipped with a lot of potential to achieve greater goals, but is held back due to the myopic mind-set and cultural barriers instilled since childhood. It is hoped that it would eventually realise the impediments caused by these petty issues, and approach it in a more radical manner to achieve higher goals.

The Director

The Group

Sikkim Theatre Training Centre is the first centre of the National School of Drama outside Delhi. Situated in the lush green picturesque valley of Gangtok, the centre offers one –year of extensive training in theatre. The first phase of the course is devoted to training and grooming of the participants. The second phase focuses on technical training, Set design, Lighting, Make-up and other aspects of theatre. In the third phase, the participants experience a series of professional tours in and around Sikkim and other places of India.

Orkut  Lapchen Lepcha Hacker  Bikram Lepcha Format  Hasta Chettri Blue Ray  Ranjana Manger Julie  Tila Rupa Sapkota/Chandrika Chettri Search Engine  Nitlesh Chhetri Torrent  Prem Kumar Pradhan Dongle  Uttam Gurung LCD  Tashi Lepcha Floppy  Birbal Subba
Xender  Buddhiman Rai
Instagram  Anil Kumar Manger
Pintrest  Satyam Gurung
Linkdin  Suman Rai 

Samay

Deepjyoti Kalita, Ripam Bhardwaj

Mannequin

Balsrame A. Sagma, Indira Devi

Aerial Dancers

Buddhiman Rai, Prem Kumar Pradhan, Satyam Gurung

Costume Design  Dipankar Paul
Assistant  Anil Kr. Manger
Light re-design   Himanshu B. Joshi
Assistant  Chakra Bdr. Chettri
Lyrics  Kajol Ghosh
Background Music  Nilotpal Bora
Music Operator  Umesh Thapa
Assistant  Uttam Gurung
Singers  Uttam Gurung, Birbal Subba, Remanti Rai, Nikita Century
Set Design  Dipankar Paul
Assistant  Chakra Bdr. Chettri, Nitlesh Chhetri, Tashi Lepcha
Set (Art Work)  Dhiraj Pradhan
Sisir Thapa
Nepali Translation  Hasta Chettri

Hasta Chettri, Bikram Lepcha

Translation English  Gyurmila Bhutia, Dorjee Ghumpu Bhutia.
Props Making  Jeewan Limboo
Assistant  Prem Kumar Pradhan, Buddhiman Rai, Satyam Gurung
Choreography  Kishore Sharma
Assistant  Chandrika Chettri
Aerial  Deb Kumar Paul
Make-up  Sanjoy Samanta
Assistant  Ranjana Manger, Hasta Chettri
Assistant Director  Pabitra Kumari Gautam
Writer  Asif Ali Haider Khan
Bipin Kumar




Balladyna

The Play
Balladyna and Alina are sisters who live with their mother in a poor hut in the middle of a forest. A nymph Goplana – the queen of the Gopło Lake – is in love with Balladyna’s beloved, Grabiec, and because of her jealousy she intervenes in peoples’ lives and changes their destiny. To the sisters’ hut comes a rich prince Kirkor, who was led there by Skierka, Goplana’s servant. Goplana wanted Kirkor to fall in love with Balladyna so that Grabiec could be just hers. However, Skierka made a mistake and Kirkor fell in love not only with Balladyna, but also Alina. In order to get a husband, the sisters compete with each other in collecting raspberries; the one who fills a pitcher first will marry Kirkor. When Balladyna finds out that Alina is winning, she kills her with a knife.
Director’s Note Balladyna becomes the Polish queen (“against contradictions and history,” as the author says). Her career is a band of crimes and lies, but also a hell of remorse and horror. She is constantly accompanied by the
belief that someone else controls her life. It was the enraged Goplana, the malicious sister, the possessive, the primitive mother, and in the background men obsessed with power. Although Slowacki’s work is almost 200 years old, the question of whether to stop the machine of evil and live honestly after reaching one’s dream destination remains as up-to-date. The world is changing: instead of legends, we have a virtual reality, instead of a sword, sophisticated tools of crime, but human feelings, ambitions, hatred and jealousy remain the same.

The Director
Katarzyna Deszcz is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at the Jagiellonian University and the Faculty of Direction in Drama at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow. In 1982, together with her husband Andrzej Sadowski, she founded the Mandala theater group in Cracow, which exhibited nearly twenty experimental shows on stage in thirty-four countries. In the repertoire she has been directing since 1991, initially with her husband. In 1995, she collaborated with the Scarlet Theater in London, where she has been working on projects in England, Ireland and Scotland. She conducts workshops for directors and actors in theater centers in Poland, England, Egypt, India, Ireland, Japan, Germany and the USA. In 1993-94 she was a lecturer at the English Dartington College of Art in Devon. In the years 1999-2008 she was a lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow. The Playwright Juliusz Słowacki was a Polish Romantic poet. His works often feature elements of Slavic pagan traditions, Polish history, mysticism and orientalism. His style includes the employment of neologisms and irony. His primary genre was the drama, but he also wrote lyric poetry. His most popular works include the dramas Kordian and Balladyna and the poems Beniowski and Testament mój. The Group The Aleksander Węgierko Drama Theater, in Białystok, is the only facility of this sort in the Podlaskie Voivodship. Its main stage can hold as many as 500 audience members. Along with mainstream
productions, the group also has a selection of performances for young viewers i.e. adaptations of classic
literature for children as well as staging of contemporary fairy tales.

Cast & Credits

Woman III Danuta Bach
Balladyna Justyna Godlewska-Kruczkowska
Woman I Arleta Godziszewska
Widow Krystyna Kacprowicz-Sokołowska
Alina Urszula Mazur Goplana KatarzynaSiergiej
Woman II JolantaSkorochodzka
Sparkfire Monika Zaborska-Wróblewska
Von Kostrin Bernard Bania
Chancellor Andrzej Sadowski
Impling Patryk Ołdziejewski
Servant, Man II Sławomir Popławski
Gralon, Man I Piotr Szekowski
Hornbeam Marek Tyszkiewicz
Hermit Franciszek Utko
Kirkor Leszek Żukowski
Costumes Andrzej Sadowski, Elżbieta Wysocka
Music Katarzyna Deszcz, Patryk Ołdziejewski
Visualizations Krzysztof Kiziewicz
Stage manager Jerzy Taborski
Scenography Andrzej Sadowski
Playwright Juliusz Słowacki
Direction Katarzyna Deszcz

 




ATTENDS, ATTENDS, ATTENDS… (POUR MON PÈRE)

The Play
In Attends, Attends, Attends… (Pour Mon Père) the son has an imaginary exchange of thoughts with his father… a dialogue in which he bids his father to wait and be patient. He asks his father to open himself up to his son’s time. He asks his father to withdraw into his son in order to become a child again and prepare for death. The son reveals himself as Charon, the ferryman that prepares the father for the last passage. He knows death like none other. Like the performer he’s become, he’s a specialist in dying. Every night again he allows death and birth to come. Every night again he crosses the Styx, he is after all the accomplice of the spiritual, he awakens phantoms and sends them back to their heaven and hell from which they were born. He knows his role well, it is on, he has played it so often. Father will you join me?
For this solo, Jan Fabre was inspired by the life of Cédric Charron, a dancer with whom he has worked closely since As Long as the World Needs a Warrior’s Soul (2000). In this performance Jan Fabre explores the art of postponing. The postponement creates a reserve, an instant in which everything is still possible, in which you don’t have to make
choices yet. You reserve yourself in time, as well as in space: respite will also create a distance, will retreat upon itself in a movement of patience. There is something erotic even about postponement: opening oneself up for what is yet to come. But not quite yet.

The Director & Playwright
Jan Fabre is a graduate of the Municipal Institute of Decorative Arts and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. He is well known both at home and abroad as one of the most innovative and versatile artists of his generation. Over the past 30 years, he has produced works as a theatre maker, author and visual artist. Jan Fabre is renowned for expanding the horizons of every genre to which he applies his artistic vision. In the late 1970s, still very young, Jan Fabre
caused a furore as a performance artist.
He makes a clean break with the conventions of contemporary theatre by introducing the concept of ‘real-time performance’ – sometimes called ‘living installations’ – and explores radical choreographic possibilities as a means of resurrecting classical dance. Fabre has been writing his own plays since 1975, although it was not until 1989 that they were first performed. His recent 24-hour project Mount Olympus, to Glorify the Cult of Tragedy is
internationally praised as one of the most outstanding theatre productions of the last decade.

The Performer
Cédric Charron, born in Bretagne, France, completed his MA, and decided to study performance and dance at P.A.R.T.S in Brussels, in 1997. He started to work with Jan Fabre in 1999, and has performed many of Fabre’s works. He also collaborated onPreparatio Mortis, a solo for Annabelle Chambon, and dances in Pierre Coulibeuf’s filmLes Guerriers de la beauté. He founded the Label Cedana, together with Annabelle Chambon and collaborated with artists such as Boris Charmatz, William Forsythe, Thierry de Mey, Michèle Anne de Mey, Fatou Traoré, Filip Sangdor etc.

The Group
Troubleyn is a theatre company with an extensive international practice, and home base is Antwerp. Troubleyn's mission is two-fold: creating and presenting the stage work (theatre, dance …) and by extension coordinating research projects, book publications, films, lectures and giving shape to the working of the Troubleyn / Laboratory that houses both the rehearsal studios and the offices. This building not only functions as a rehearsal room and as a workplace for emerging talent, but also as a laboratory for independent research into body and language.

Cast & Credits

On Stage Cédric Charron
Music Tom Tiest
Dramaturgy  Miet Martens
Light Jan Fabre, Geert Van Der Auwera
Costume  Jan Fabre, Andrea Kränzlin
Translation to French Michèle Deghilage
Production Troubleyn / Jan Fabre
Co-Production Festival Montpellier Danse
Text, Direction & Choreography  Jan Fabre

 




Across The Sea (Puppet Play)

The Play
This is a non-verbal musical puppet performance for children aged 4 +. Across the Sea, as the title suggests, is about an adventure that takes a baby penguin from Antarctica across the sea to Africa. In this journey the baby penguin meets many new & strange creatures, and makes friends fearlessly and without judgment. This is a story of friendship between diverse people in today’s global world. This play addresses issues like being separated from family, adjustments and being free of prejudice and judgment. It celebrates diversity, differences and the spirit of childhood.

Director’s Note
This piece was created over a month of devising with the actors of TIE (Theatre-in-Education) Company. The story of a little lost creature emerged and became the story of a lost penguin baby, separated from his family but determined to survive and make new friends. The story emerged in pieces as the actors responded to stimuli like story-telling without words, playing with material and with different forms of puppetry. The little penguin has all the qualities of little children, and lives their fantasies of travel and adventure while learning about Africa and Antarctica. We hope that with this play would make the children in the audience fall a bit in love with theatre and puppets.

The Director
Anurupa Roy is a Puppeteer, Puppet Designer & Director. She has trained at the Marionette Teatern, Dramatiska Institute, University of Stockholm, and at the Scoula De La Marionette. In 1998 she started Katkatha Puppet group which was registered as the Katkatha Puppet Acts Trust in 2006. Anurupa has been an artist-in-residence at Rote Fabrik, Zurich; APPEX, Bali, Indonesia; University of California, Los Angeles; Deutches Forum for Figunrenteater, Germany; and Charleville Mezeires, France. She is a recipient of the Bismilla Khan Yuva Puraskar (SNA) 2006.

The Group
The Theatre-in-Education Company (Sanskaar Rang Toli) of the National School of Drama was established on October 16, 1989, and is one of the important educational resource centres in the country. The TIE Co. consists of a group of actor-teachers working-with and performing-for children. The major focus of the company is to perform creative, curriculum based, and participatory plays in school, designed and prepared specially for children of different age groups. The company holds a one month long intensive Summer Theatre Workshop for Children organized in May-June every year. TIE Co. also participated in the International Theatre Festival at Warsaw (Poland). Participated in International Symposium on Actor’s Training Theatre Showcase at Beijing (China), Manila (Philippines) and also performed in International Theatre Festival at Shinzouka (Japan). Jashn-e-Bachpan and Bal Sangam are biannual festivals organised by the company where it invites plays by and for the children from different parts of the country. Bal Sangam is a festival of Indian performing folk and traditional arts presented by children practicing these arts from different regions of the country.

Cast & Credits

Baby Penguin Soumita Kundu
Penguin’s Parents Aparna Kapoor, Manoj Sharma
Penguin  Manoj Kumar, Nidhi, Mahesh, Soumita, Manoj Sharma, Aparna, Mridul, Jayotsna
Egg  Soumita, Jyoti Bala, Piyush
Fish Manoj Sharma, Aparna, Mridul, Nidhi
Ants  Aparna, Mahesh, Jyoti, Piyush
Ostrich Aparna, Mahesh
Giraffe Tasabber, Nidhi, Mridul, Manoj Sharma
Flamingo Jyotsna, Piyush, Aparna, Jyoti, Kaleem, Mahesh
Crab Manoj Kumar
Baby Elephant Tasabber Ali
Crocodile Nidhi S Shashtri
Bird Jyoti Bala
Mother Elephant Jyotsna, Mahesh, Kaleem
Hunter Mridul
Tourist Manoj Sharma, Aparna
Mountain & Water Set- Up Tasabber, Piyush, Manoj Kumar, Jyoti, Mahesh
Shadow Jyotsna, Piyush
Light Operation Meeta Mishra
Light Assistant Dhirendra
Music Operation Vikramjeet Singh
Stage Manager Tasabber Ali
Director Anurupa Roy
Chief of TIE Co. Abdul Latif Khatana

 

 

                                        

                           




Crossings : Exploring the facets of Lady Macbeth

The Play

Four performers represent the facets of Lady Macbeth, in constant conflict, to create a fluid performance, bringing together elements of Indian classical dance, movement, the original text of Macbeth, Hindustani classical, folk and tribal music.
Crossings mirrors the journey of Lady Macbeth through Shakespeare’s original play. She receives a letter from Macbeth telling her of his encounter with three witches who foretell that he will be King. This plants the idea of killing King Duncan in Lady Macbeth’s mind to further her husband’s ambition. Battling her own conscience and femininity, she plans and executes a gruesome murder. She is consequently haunted by the images of blood even as she plays a gracious hostess at the coronation banquet where the guests become suspicious of the truth. Bereft of support and company from her equally guilt-ridden husband, her world crumbles towards a lingering death.

Director’s Note
Poetry, lyricism, allegory, metaphor, repetition, imagery, rhythm, representation, symbolism – all imbue both Shakespeare and classical dance. Lady Macbeth is arguably Shakespeare’s most complex and layered female character. When I watched a Schezuan Opera actress in a riveting solo rendition of the character, I asked – could one interpret Lady Macbeth through Indian classical dance?
We embarked on this remarkable journey in December 2003, with text, music, movement and design responding to each another in a myriad different ways, encountering parallels in Indian mythology and iconography, finding fresh possibilities in rendering both text and dance. The performance, as it stands today, has been distilled through several versions since the first workshop production in April 2004, and presents Lady Macbeth in all her magnificent complexity.

The Director
Vikram Iyengar is a dancer, choreographer, theatre director, performing arts researcher, writer and curator based in Calcutta. He is the co-founder and artistic director of Ranan and project initiator of The Pickle Factory – a hub for dance and movement work. Noted for the conscious bringing together of kathak dance, movement, spoken drama and design, his production work spans choreography for stage and film, dance and theatre explorations, and performance collaborations. His international credits include co-choreography with Helena Waldmann for the Faust Prize nominated Made in Bangladesh. He also works regularly with contemporary choreographer Preethi Athreya. He was the co-editor of India Theatre Forum’s web-based e-Rang from 2009 to 2015, and is a guest lecturer/ presenter at several universities in India and abroad. He is an ARThink South Asia Arts Management Fellow (2013-2014) and Global Fellow of the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA), 2017. A member of Kick Start – an international platform for arts entrepreneurs, Vikram is currently one of the four Asian participants in the International Arts Leaders programme of the Australia Arts Council. He was awarded the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for contemporary dance by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in December 2015.

The Group
Ranan is a kathak-based performance company with the express desire to demystify classical dance and make it accessible and enjoyable for a range of audiences. Its work is committed to sharing the magic of the arts, and spans three areas: practice, production, promotion. The group works with kathak dancers, actors, and designers, creating connections between different performance languages, and keeping kathak at the centre of our experiments.

Cast & Credits
Created With / Performers Anubha Fatehpuria
Dana Roy
Debashree Bhattacharya
Jayati Chakraborty

Original Music and Vocal Nageen Tanvir
Percussion Siddhartha Bhattacharyya
Stage and Costume Design Vikram Iyengar
Lighting Design Sudip Sanyal
Production Amlan Chaudhuri

Concept, Design, Direction Vikram Iyengar




Badi Bua Ji

The Play

Set in the 1960’s, this play moves from comic relief to comic relief…! The relief, however, one shall realize, is from the rather serious determination and steadfast passion that a fairly large crowd of young theatre enthusiasts nurtures in its attempt to stage a play that is meant to open in two days’ time. Their dream of doing well is hindered by an aged matron who also happens to be the aunt of the heroine of the play. Theatre or no theatre, acting or no acting, lies or no lies, this generation or that generation – you shall join these dilemmatic crossroads with the characters of the play to partake in a roller coaster ride of love, unity, traditions and passion for the stage. And yes…they finally staged the play successfully!

 

Director’s Note

Can a language have what has come to be called ‘purity’? Is accent a part of one’s identity or does it exists outside an individual’s personality, therefore demanding avoidance, removal, extermination? Is language necessary for communication, to build one’s identity? Our body carries its culture with it – a fact that no one can escape. I wanted to incorporate our multifarious cultural codes entwining and entangling with each other within the context of the play. Dealing with this concern seemed exciting and through the process a Garbha Nataka i.e. a play within a play, could generate. You shall find, like in our lives, that many events take place simultaneously throughout the play. This simultaneity is what I see as an important characteristic emerging within my performance-making process. The structure of the play, and the structure of the space-design for the play, both carry strong threads of simultaneity. Do not be disturbed by it! One does not get to witness everything happening around one’s life! Maybe, one does not need to. Let’s be as realistic as possible! So…. Lights, Sound, Make-Up, Costume … Action….!

 

The Director

Sagnik Chakraborty has done the three-year diploma course with specialization in Design and Direction from National School of Drama, New Delhi. He has been an active theatre worker from Siliguri, West Bengal. Now he is working as a freelance designer and director.

 

The Playwright

Badal Sircar was a dramatist and theatre director from Bengal. He was the founder of Shatabdi, a theatre company founded in 1976. His plays Ebong Indrajit, Basi Khabar and Saari Raat are regarded as classics and are timeless. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1968, Padmashri in1972, and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in 1997. His real name was Sudhindra Sircar, and he was born on July 15, 1925 in Kolkata. Badal studied Engineering and Literature. His earlier works were comedies, and later he wrote on serious subjects. After writing the landmark play Ebong Indrajit, he wrote a series of extraordinary plays like Baaki Itihaas (1965), Pralap (1966), Tringsha Shatabdi (1966), Pagla Ghoda (1967), and Shesh Naai (1969).  

 

The Group

This play is being presented as a part of National School of Drama’s graduate showcase (class of 2017), which aims to provide a platform for emerging theatre practitioners, allowing them to share their work with a wider audience.   

 

Cast & Credit

Badi Buaji                       Rukmini Sircar

Yogin                              Manohar Pandey

Anu                                Suman Purty

Shambhu                       Vivek Emmaneni

Nitai Da                          Niranjan Nath

Phuphaji                         Rohit Jain

Ananth                            Abhinav Lucky Pateriya

Pratima                          Jina Baishya

Munni                             Pallavi Jadho

Dhruvesh                       Lanuakam

Shashaank                    Ujjawal Yadav

Mr. Sen                          Baljeet Singh

Mrs. Sen                        Swati Dubey

Girl                                 Abhilasha B. Paul

Set Design                    Sagnik Chakraborty

Light Design                  Ujjawal Yadav

Operation                      Aruja Srivastava

Music Composition       Sayan Chakraborty, Abhinav Lucky Pateriya

Lyrics                            Divyangana Sharma, Sayan Chkraborty,

Vocal                            Shruti Sahu, Sukanya Chattopadhyay

                                     Lanuakam, Sayan Chkraborty

Percussion                     Sayan Sarkar

Sound Engineer             Sukanya Chattopadhyay

Costume Assistance      Goge Bam

Stage Manager              Greeney Francis, Debarati Sikdar

 

Playwright                Badal Sircar

Translator                Pratibha Agarwal

Director                   Sagnik Chakraborty




KARTIK?!

The Play & Director’s Note

This play has a storyline that could have been based on tomorrow morning’s newspaper headlines. Using the wonderful theatrical device of three actors playing the central character of Kartik, we are able to enter his fractured world. We simultaneously see him as he was before the accident that changed his life; we also see him as he is immediately after the accident, recovering in hospital, at home and in school; as well as when he is an adult. The play brings together the present, past and future in a seamless whole. It has been a fascinating journey with the actors and my own team. We have interviewed teenagers, their parents and teachers; watched their interactions in school, home and on the metro; created improvisations; spent hours mastering the intricate choreography; enjoyed the shopping for clothes that capture today’s Delhi; and worked hard at creating over 36 characters, played by just 14 actors!

 

The Director

Educationist, theatre director and activist, Feisal Alkazi lives and works in New Delhi. Over the past forty years he has carved his own niche with his group, Ruchika. He has directed over 200 plays with adults in Hindi, English and Urdu. Most recently, two plays, Noor and A Quiet Desire, written by him have been produced. In addition, he has directed over 100 productions for schools all over India. Ruchika also runs a training program in theatre for children since 1997. Feisal has written 24 books as well and is a counsellor with Sanjivani. In the field of disability, he has directed 30 films and produced several plays.

 

The Group

The Theatre-in-Education Company (Sanskaar Rang Toli) of the National School of Drama was established on October 16, 1989, and is one of the important educational resource centres in the country. The TIE Co. consists of a group of actor-teachers working-with and performing-for children.  The major focus of the company is to perform creative, curriculum based, and participatory plays in school, designed and prepared specially for children of different age groups. The company holds a one month long intensive Summer Theatre Workshop for Children organized in May-June every year. TIE Co. has participated in many international theatre festivals and symposia in countries including Poland, China, Philippines and Japan. Jashn-e-Bachpan and Bal Sangam are biannual festivals organised by the company where it invites plays by and for the children from different parts of the country.  

Cast & Credits

Sutradhar Kartik                                       Manoj Kumar

Old Kartik, Gym Teacher, Shashank        Manish Saini

New Kartik                                                Mridul Anand

Mummy                                                    Aparna Kapoor

Papa, Changezi, Bhaiji                            Mahesh Kumar

Raghav                                                    Manoj Sharma

Himanshu, New Dancer                          Tasabber Ali

Nancy                                                      Jyoti Bala

Doctor Fatima, Rubina, Announcer        Jyotsana

Inspector, Nurse1                                    Nidhi S Sasthri

Anshika, Nurse2, Vicky                           Soumita Kundu

Anthony, Shiny                                        Piyush Verma

Drug Peddler, Teacher                            Kaleem Zafar

All Street Voices & Dancers                    Jyotsana , Aparna Kapoor, Soumita Kundu, Piyush Verma,                                                                                            Mahesh Kumar, Manoj Sharma, Nidhi S Sasthri

 

Choreographer                                        Vishwa Kant Singha

Assisted by                                             Sandeep Kashyap

Costume Design                                     Shaik Sheeba   Assisted by Jyotsana

Set, Poster & Brochure Design               Jagan Shah  Assisted by Kamal Kumar

Light Design                                            Mona Chawla  Assisted by Joginder Singh, Dhirender Kumar

Light Design                                           Mona Chawla   Assisted by Joginder Singh, Dhirender Kumar

Music Operation                                     Sheel/Vikram Jeet Singh

Stage Manager & Property                    Nidhi S. Sasthri

Tailor                                                      Saroj Silswal, Akhtar Ali

Sound                                                    S. Manoharn, Pratap Singh, Subhanjan

Photography & Videography                 Deepak Kumar

Assistant TIE                                         Co. B.S Rawat

Administration Staff                               Pirat Singh Negi, Darmiyan Singh, Shailender Kumar,

                                                               Neha Bhatt

Attendant                                               Md. Rashid, Pawan Kumar

Chief of TIE Co.                                   Abdul Latif Khatana

Asst. Director Mona Chawla

Translation & Adaptation                   Kiran Deep Sharma

Design & Direction                             Feisal Alkazi