Samashti organised 3 days Theatre Festival at ADA Rangamandira from 4th March, 2022 to 6th March 2022.
Friday, 4th March 2022
KENDONIANS
About Play :
Kendonians is a play that depicts the suffering of the people caught in an illusionary world of brands, materialism, hypocrisy, and unemployment.
‘Damanna’, the protagonist of the play, a simply Tea stall owner, living happily in his village with his family, enjoying the cultural and religious harmony, was allured by a visa agent with a high salary to go to a country called Kendonia. Only after reaching the strange land, he realizes that he is duped, and he can’t come back. Once in an unknown land, of no return, he had no choice but to work like a monkey in a Circus Company. The events that turn out there, the people he meets, make him realize the irony of this developmental world.
Adding to the simple yet deep story line, the characters, the scenes, the set and properties add a whole new dimension to the understanding of the play. Each of these, individually contribute to the wholeness of the play.
This play has been performed at various occasions in languages, Tulu, Kannada, Konkani and Malayalam winning hearts of numerous people, helping them to see the mirror image of progress.
About Director:
Mr. Arun Lal has been an active theatre practitioner for the past 20 years. He has organized multiple theatre workshops across the globe. He was awarded the “Best Director – 2015” award in the amateur theatre competition held by “Kerala Music & Theatre Academy”. The plays directed by him have been performed at national & international theatre festivals like BRM, Jashna Backpan, ITFOK & META. Currently he is the artistic director at Kerala’s ‘Little Earth School of Theatre’.
Photo Gallery – Kendonians
Saturday, 5th March 2022
WE TEACH LIFE…SIR!!!
About Play :
“We teach life.. sir!!!”, is an experimental theatre work about war effects. Stories & poems about the Palestinian war have been converted to prose form here. This work apart from being about the result or travails of war is also about the pressure of the inevitability of war. The poetic-story format is fundamental to this play. Hence, instead of just being verbal, the play takes shape with visuals & physical movements.
Stories & poems selected for this play:-
- “We teach life sir” – Rafeef Ziyaad’s “Poetry Performance” has been used as the prologue.
- “The Dog of Titwal”, a selected story from Saadat Hassan Manto’s collection of stories, “Kingdom’s end and Other Stories” has been presented
- “Frozen Rose” is an Iranian story. A story that very intensely & sensitively portrays the result of war through a mother & daughter without glorifying the dreadfulness of war.
- “Palestine Maguvige Laali” (A lullaby for the Palestinian kid) – This poem of Faiz Ahmed Faiz is a progression of the kid from Frozen Rose.
- “GaDi” (Border) – A beautiful love story that blooms in a war trodden land. A story about how the love between an Israeli boy & a Palestinian girl gets destroyed due to the anxiety created (between war & power) by a political society.
- “Shades of Anger” – Rafeef Ziyaad – This poem gets presented as part of the pain of adversity of the girl from the story, “GaDi”.
All these poems & stories have been translated to visuals & metaphors. It is a play that uses both contemporary dance & contemporary theatre.
About Director:
Prashanth Udyavar has been active in theatre since the age of 7 years. A post graduate in Kannnada, he is currently working as an actor and technician with Sanagama Kalavider. He has directed many children plays such as Galileo, Belakinondu Kirana – Marie Curie, Jeevayana Mathu, Chadurida Chitragalu etc,.
Prashanth participated in Rangashankara’s most ambitious workshop “Making Theatre – Preparing Young Directors 2017”. Under this project he directed “We teach life…Sir!!!”. Proficient in both painting and dance, he is in search of same kind of active and creative expression in theatre too. As a result of his love with contemporary dance and abstract art, he founded a dance school named “Yana Dance Theatre”. His latest directorial venture is Girish Karnad’s “Rakshasa Thangadi”.
Photo Gallery – We Teach Life…Sir!!!
Sunday, 6th March 2022
VALI VADHE
About Play :
This play has been created from two poetic portions of Kuvempu’s “Shri RamayaNa Darshanam” called “PooNden agni saakshi” & “nIm satyavratha nEdiTam”. In this age where English is becoming the primary communication channel, “Vaali Vadhe” comes forth as a metaphor of love in an age of tumultous relationships & aids in ensuring that today’s generation can taste the beauty of an iconic Kannada poetry. Here, Kuvempu portrays the evil ‘Vaali’ of Valmiki’s RamayaNa as the brother who is ashamed of his arrogance, repents for it & yearns for love in his dying moments. Certain aspects of “Yakhsa Gaana”, “KaLari” & “Manipuri” art forms have been incorporated in this musical play. With the agitation between philosophical & emotional thoughts at its core, an old Indian tale takes the form of a play here for the sake of deep love.
About the director:
Ganesh Mandarthi originally from Udupi, is a Yaksha Gaana artist. A NeenaaSam graduate, he has worked as a technician & actor with “JanamanadaaTa”, “AaTamaaTa” & “Neenaasam Maru TirugaaTa”. He has been a teacher at RangayaNa Mysore’s Indian Theatre Education Center. He has directed plays such as “Chomana duDi”, “Panchavati”, “Nere”, “Satru andre saaytaaraa?”, “Aalivara”, “Raamadhyaana Charithe”, “E thaayE neladavva”, “NaLa damayanti” & “Satya Harischandra”. He has earned appreciation for catalyzing a love for theatre by directing a play in haLeGannada (old Kannada) and gaining praise for directing the same play in TuLu as well, in an age where haLeGannada is almost extinct.
Photo Gallery – Vali Vadhe
