To commemorate the centenary of the Russian Revolution of 1917, Samudaya–Mysore will be staging Thayi , a Kannada adaptation of Brecht’s The Mother at Ranga Shankara on August 19. Brecht’s play is based on Maxim Gorky’s novel by the same name.
SR Ramesh, who has directed over 50 plays, has directed Thayi, translated by KP Vasudevan.
Vasudevan and Ramesh have earlier come together in Maagiya Hoovugalu (Checkov's Uncle Vuanya ) and Ili Hottina Daahagalu (Miller's Death of a Salesman ).
Janardhan, former director of Rangayana, also popularly known as Jenny, has provided soulful tunes to the songs that galore in the play as any Brechtian drama.
Ramesh with a troop of young and enthusiastic actors has tried to portray more than a 100 year old incident around which the play has been designed with a contemporary freshness and modernity.
In making a huge Brechtian attempt to make people think, he has also tried to create a concert of visuals and ideas that echo for a long time.
About the play
Pelegea Vlassova, confined to her kitchen, is worried only about the diluted soup, because of periodical wage cuts.
She jumps in to the foray only to protect her son Pavel. She slowly grows out from her secluded and apathetic life with the stirring desire for change.
Her native cunning makes her handle situations to become statements against the system. Her activism shines with a zeal. One of the most attractive scenes is the one where she and her friends demand the teacher to teach them words like class struggle and exploitation which are part of their existence. There will be two shows at 3.30 and 7.30 pm
