Chugging along the memory lane

‘Indian Steam’ kicks off the third edition of ‘Remembering Veenapani Festival’

Performers in action during the staging of ‘Indian Steam’, a play enacted on the occasion of the third edition of Remembering Veenapani Festival.

The ‘Indian Steam’ parked its ‘skeletal steam locomotive’ at Adishakti Laboratory for Theatre Art Research right on time to pay tribute to the theatre legend.

Attired in their casuals, the Urban Playground team from the U.K., along with Chennai-based Parkour Circle, with a combination of parkour, dance and theatre opened the third edition of ‘Remembering Veenapani Festival’ on Friday evening by telling the stories of train journey.

In memory of the theatre legend Veenapani Chawla, Adishakti Laboratory for Theatre Art Research celebrates ‘Remembering Veenapani Festival’ marking her birth anniversary every year in April. This year, the festival was advanced to February.

“The change in schedule allowed us to open the show. It is our privilege. Since the dates of the festival changed, we realised we had the possibility to perform in the festival,” said Alister O’Loughlin, Company Manager of Prodigal Theatre and the Urban Playground Team.

The ‘Indian Steam’ touring team comprising five Indians and six performers from the U.K. met the Adishakti team last year. They have performed at Coonoor, Coimbatore and Namakkal before reaching here. “We realised we share the principles in the work we do. They offered to share their resources and to host our work for the festival,” he added.

The Urban Playground team from the U.K. is a performance-parkour company which combines French free-running with dance and physical theatre. Collaborating with Chennai-based Parkour Circle, they recreated the fascinating journey in a steam train on the first day of the festival.

They also made a residency for the special children at the Satya Special School before their performance in Adishakti. Supported by the Arts Council of England’s Reimagine India Fund and the British Council, the team strives to democratise art.

Miranda Henderson, Artistic Director, says: “Through our show, we don’t need to dress in a particular way or have an expensive set to perform. Everyone is equal and we are all the same.”

She adds: “The whole process of the tour is to inspire children to make their choices and to make an informed choice. When we have time and speak to young people, we like to tell them. We are from the working class and we made it for ourselves and that is a possibility. The project is about letting young people know that there are many choices.”

The performance is about journeys through time and its journeys through different countries as well.