An attempt to retell ‘Hamlet’ seems as challenging as trying to comprehend the crestfallen Prince Hamlet’s dilemma and distress in his famous soliloquy.
An adaptation of the Shakespeare original, “Hamlet-Avataar” is an Indo-Korean theatre production which manages to find its own niche while re-telling the classic. This was evident from the seamless fusion of Korean and Indian theatricals, along with the standing ovation it received from the packed audience in Ranga Shankara. The production also included performances by acclaimed contemporary dancer, Astad Deboo and leading Baul singer, Parvathy Baul.
Directed by Hyoung-Taek Limb, Artistic Director of the Seoul Factory for the Performing Arts and Professor at the Seoul Institute of the Arts; he is considered to be a dynamic force in the contemporary Korean theatre scene. Limb speaks to us about his personal journey of self-discovery, reason behind this unique collaboration and which Indian art performance impressed him the most. Excerpts from the interview:
How did the collaboration with Astad Deboo and Parvathy Baul happen?
I was invited to India in 2008 and the producer at InKo Centre (Chennai), Rathi Jafer, liked my production. While discussing the possibility of a collaboration project, I decided on Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet . I visited Chennai again, two years ago and that got me thinking about the possibility of working with Indian artistes. Incidentally, I got a chance to watch dozens of concerts and performances during an art festival. I watched Astad Deboo’s dance performance, which excited me and Parvathy Baul’s concert as well. I felt that their performance and existence itself was very spiritual. Spontaneously, I had a feeling that they might be the soul of Hamlet. So, I asked them to be a part of the project. While Astad was courageous and readily agreed to do so, Parvathy was a bit reluctant owing to her busy schedule. But later, once she saw the workshop I had conducted, she agreed. That was the beginning of our journey.
You describe the Indian concept of avatar as a guiding light in this journey which is routed through Indian spiritual culture fused with the Korean art form. Has this been some kind of a personal journey of self-discovery?
I remember watching the Hollywood blockbuster movie ‘Avatar’, directed by James Cameron, and was quite disappointed with the result. Back then, I was already thinking of doing the ‘Hamlet Avataar’ project.
I also read that avatar in India means incarnation of a God or an ideal figure in one’s imagination. It got me thinking on what is our own avatar in our real life? We wear masks all the time, disguising our own identity. Sometimes, I feel that we become quite true on stage as an artiste because I can’t really tell a lie to myself or to the audience members. Hence, the theme of avatar is kind of arousing to my mind. Maybe there is a Hamlet present in our real life or maybe it just could be our imagination. I have to function as a matured person and have a certain attitude when I am working as a teacher. But I often realise that when I work on stage, I can be crazy and be myself. Through art or theatre, you can’t hide your true self or be someone else.
What was the inspiration behind this collaboration?
I have been doing many multicultural collaboration projects. But it’s quite a coincidence that I have met many Indian artistes in other countries. I met a few Odissi dancers in Poland and an Indian theatre person in Romania. Later, I invited a few Odissi dancers to Korea and had my actors learn from them. I also sent my actors to India to learn the principles of the dance form.
After winning the award for Best Direction for ‘Medea and its Double’ at the Cairo International Festival Experimental Theatre in 2007, I was invited by the InKo Centre to perform in India, which received a very good response here. By then, I wanted to know more about this country and this fascination took me to many Indian cities.
Your thoughts on the theatre scene in India? Do you find any similarities between Indian and the Korean theatre?
I have been discovering a lot of similarities between theatre scenes in India and Korea.
I also found something very interesting in India, which I have not seen in Korea. When I visited Chennai during a theatre festival, my Indian friends recommended me a list of about 40 productions to watch in ten days, which sounded almost impossible to do! But, I later found out that there were many early morning performances as early as 7 a.m. I found out that these morning performances are kind of a ritual that awaken people to start a new life each day. This tradition really struck me because that is the function of real theatre. It is not just entertaining. It is about showing a kind of spirituality which we can imbibe in our daily lives. And watching a performance in the wee hours is like doing morning yoga or starting a day with a prayer.
Your unique theatrical style was praised in ‘Medea and its Double’. How do you combine elements of music, emotions, dance and martial arts so beautifully?
I don’t put those elements from my head, but through my body and soul. I have learnt Korean traditional martial arts and mask dance (my paternal hometown is a Korean traditional mask dance town) and even though I am not a good singer, I have tried to learn Korean traditional singing. I have sometimes used the Pansori (Korean genre of musical storytelling) technique, not just because I am a Korean, but it is a really good singing tradition which sometimes evokes human emotions and I have grown up watching these various elements being used in performances.
Any Indian play or production which impressed you?
I have watched many Indian plays and concerts. But, what really impressed me were the Carnatic music concerts which looked similar to a Jazz improvisation. They have a very unique freedom and I think that is what we need in art; not set ideas. They do have certain rules, but yet they have freedom.
Which category do your productions belong to? Traditional, experimental or popular? Do you feel the pressure to maintain a balance while performing to an international audience?
My production actually has all the three elements. The majority of critics call my productions very experimental. I don’t tweak anything to suit a certain audience because it comes from my heart. That’s essentially the way I see people and our society. I have been working in New York for 10 years and that way I have been exposed to a very diverse culture. I am a Korean and most of the times I feel that we have many similarities as human beings across the whole world. Thanks to my extensive travel, I am a little bit free in borrowing a lot of things from other cultures.
What is the most valuable feedback you received for Hamlet Avataar so far?
There has been some criticism about the production, which was valuable. But, there is this one person, whose name I don’t remember, who said, “Shakespeare might have been really happy, if he’d watched your play. It was like watching a rediscovery of Hamlet.” Someone else told me that it made him ponder about the real and imaginary world and if whether there is a boundary between the two or are we simultaneously possessing both the worlds. This is what I actually wanted to share with my audience.
