Can modern theatre bridge gaps in different art forms and bring people together? “Yes,” says renowned theatre expert Anuradha Kapur. “It is a collective exercise. As a live art medium, theatre has the power to integrate all art forms,” she says.
Here to inaugurate the Nigazh National Theatre Festival, she feels that modern theatre is contemporary and relies heavily on the inter-disciplinary dialogue. “Theatre is a visual poetry, involving various art forms. Also, technological advancement in the field of theatre enhances the performance,” she says.
A former director of the National School of Drama, Anuradha Kapur believes in the dialogue between the audience and the actor. She is the director of Jeevito Mrito , the inaugural play of the three-day festival. It is an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore’s short story Jibito O Mrito . The play, presented by Vivadi, showcases the inner monologue of Kambini (performed by popular actor Seema Biswas) to the world. “There is hardly any women soliloquy in Hindi literature. The play revolves around the life of a widow who thinks she is nonexistent in this world. The central character travels into interior landscapes inhabited by memory hallucination, dream and desire,” she says.
Maranayaka, A Parable , directed by Suresh Anagalli and performed by Aneka, Bangalore, is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth into Kannada by the well-known poet and playwright Prof. HS Shiva Prakash. The play begins like Macbeth but takes a different turn and reaches denouement very different from the source-text. Apart from depicting how violence can backfire, this adaptation contrasts the violence-ridden world with the world of dispassion represented by a Jain monk who is a counterpoint to Macbeth-figure. It also suggests how human violence spreads to nature, only to destroy its own self.
Samjhouta by The Fact Art and Cultural Society, Begusarai, Bihar, is a story of a helpless youth confronting the modern world, where the pain and sorrow of the clown are source of amusement and entertainment. The play portrays harsh realities of life where one has to compromise a lot to become successful in life. The play is directed by Praveen Kumar Gunjan and performed by Manwendrakumar Tripathy.
Next on the schedule is a play from Switzerland, Luftibus presented by Experi Theatre. It is a Greek epic story Icaras Daedalus . The play is about air and how to make audience feel the invisible and silent air and possibly see, hear and smell on stage.
The last play is Nigazh Theatre Centre’s Land of Pongo . Directed by Shanmugaraja, the play is from an old tale Stone on the Road . It is a political satire of present day Government policies and the fast spreading freebie culture.
“Our main objective is to develop better understanding and appreciation for theatre arts among viewers in Madurai,” says Shanmugaraja, festival director.
“Our job is to showcase the cultural values of Madurai city and create a multi-cultural experience to our viewers, besides introducing theatre and techniques to younger generation,” he says.
Besides performances, the organisers are also conducting a theatre workshop introducing different art forms to the participants. In an effort to keep age-old theatre traditions alive, Shanmugaraja has invited all disjointed small theatre groups from rural areas to the festival thereby renewing their hopes for performance. “This festival will be an annual feature. I hope theatre activities like these will add more value to the cultural heritage of the city,” he says.
Festival details:
Venue: Kadambavanam
December 26, 2014
Jeevito Mrito (7 p.m.)
December 27
Maranayaka, A Parable (6 p.m.), Samjhouta (7 p.m.)
December 28
Luftibus (6 p.m.), Land of Pongo (7 p.m.)
