The auditorium at Thiruvalluvar University resonates with the voice of a girl narrating powerful lines from a Tamil poem dating back to the 1940s. While the issue the poem deals with is relevant in the present day, the narrative in itself will form part of a play production that a group of students learning theatre are attempting to do in their own way as part of a month-long workshop. “Veerayi Kaaviyam,” the narrative poem of Thamizh Oli, one of the leading poets in the 1940s and 1950s, deals with “caste killing.”
“Known as a short epic, it tells a story that deals with caste killing. This poem looks at caste chauvinism. This is one of the productions that we are doing as part of the one-month-long intensive theatre workshop at the university. It will be in the form of a modern play in the traditional vocabulary,” said Pralayan, adjunct faculty of National School of Drama Bengaluru Centre and course director.
As many as 27 persons, including Ph.D. scholars of the university and staff such as lecturers are taking part in the workshop that began on April 24. It was organised by the university in collaboration with National School of Drama Bengaluru Centre.
Various facets
“Acting is a natural skill that we have as children. But we lose it in the process of socialisation and as we go on to form inhibitions. Through this workshop, we want to create a passion and enthusiasm for theatre in the participants,” he explained.
The participants are exposed to various facets of theatre. They are being trained on tuning their body, mind and voice, on handling emotions, and acting space. As many as 28 persons, including leading theatre practitioners, teachers and alumni of the National School of Drama, are resource persons. “We are training them in developing imagination, dealing with challenges of theatre, acting and analysing the text,” Mr. Pralayan said.
This was not all as the theatre workshop was also trying to promote traditional art forms of the State. “We need to look at theatre languages and include traditional languages. We are exploring traditional vocabularies, and hence, we taught student art forms such as Kai silambattam and thappatam ,” he said.
Kai silambattam , an art form popular in the northern parts of Tamil Nadu, was introduced to the participants of the workshop. “In fact, we had traditional performers teaching the students. Kai Silambattam is performed even in Vellore during the worship of mother Goddess. It is learned and performed in the community. This is at least 300 years old,” he added. The pambai , a percussion instrument, is played during this performance.
Similarly, the participants are also introduced to thappatam that included both Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh styles, he said. At the end of the workshop, the participants will put up performances that include a modern play on “Veerayi Kaaviyam”, and also on kai silambattam at Auxilium College, Mr. Pralayan said.
