A sunny musical play about overcoming the tsunami is how Finnish theatre group ISIS has tag-lined its upcoming tribute to the Tsunamika, the mini-doll that turned into an emblem of hope and empowerment in the aftermath of the tsunami of 2004.
With several sea symbols as props, characters such as the water-mother, starfish and the sun, and bright music, ‘Tsunamika-Daughter of the Ocean’ is one of the highlights of the 10th birthday celebrations of the Tsunamika scheduled at Auroville for January 10.
“The style of the play is very playful with the set and music elements,” says Liisa Isotalo, Art Director, who has led a team of artists to Auroville for the performance.
The play is inspired by ‘Tsunamika meets friends,’ a story written by Manoj Pavitran in Auroville, which Liisa came across during her previous visit to Auroville, where Upasana Design Studio, founded by Uma Prajapati, had launched a doll-making unit engaging womenfolk whose lives were uprooted by the tsunami of 2004.
“Finland is far away from Asia, but the tsunami touched us too. It was a big sorrow. There are hundreds of Finnish people who lost their family members and friends in tsunami in Thailand. One of my Finnish students lost his life in India to the tragedy,” said Ms. Isotalo.
The storybook, like the doll, was meant to inspire hope and cheer and told the story of a girl who was granted a wish by the sun to escape a life consigned to the dark depths of the ocean and make friends all over earth.
“Five years ago, I faced hundreds of children in the fifth anniversary of the Tsunamika here. I told the story of Tsunamika to some of them, and decided to make a play of the story. Also I met personally some friends who faced the tsunami, and heard some touching stories,” said Ms. Isotalo in an e-mail to this newspaper.
The play premiered at Suomenlinna Island, Helsinki, Finland, on November 25, 2011. It was performed by Susanna Haavisto and Suvi Isotalo, who also composed the music for the play. It has since been seen by 4000 children and adults in different venues in Finland, in theatres, in music halls, in schools and at cultural houses in different cities in Finland.
For the play, the dress of the sun was designed and made in Upasana, India. All other dresses and stage design came from recycled materials in Finland.
The theatre group, which takes its name after Egyptian Goddess Isis, whose productions “not only change according to the venue, but also according to the size, culture, age and languages of the audience,” has brought in some modifications for their Auroville performance.
ISIS theatre’s Tsunamika story “combines different cultures and ages, and sends out a message that “there is greater good behind the apparent disasters and difficulties in life.” In the original 50-minute play, the plot is woven around a narrator whose life is entwined with the sea’s bounty, its scent, its sounds and the gifts and surprises that it brings every day. One day, a girl rises from the darkness of the sea bed with a desire to see the sun. A big tsunami wave takes her to the shore where she meets her new friends as suggested by the sun.
“These two key roles we have in this play. Two actresses are normally playing all the roles in the play, but now in Auroville, we have a third in Parthasarathy Krishnan as a Tamil-speaking person we have woven into the play,” the director said.
The soundscape for the Auroville show has been composed by Finnish musician Soili Perkiö, along with Suvi.
