The Jagriti Revue May Issue
WHO’S THIS? Send your answer to [email protected], by May 15 and the rst THREE correct answers will win two passes for an upcoming play. Last Month's winner is Abhinav Kimothi. Congratulations! It's Dario Fo. Picture taken from Google. Newsletter Vol 1. Iss 2. May 2015 THE JAGRITI COLUMN QUICK QUOTES THEATRE SPEAK THE JET CORNER tête-àtête GLOBAL IN FOCUS CONNECT Summer Carnival 2015 Akarsh Khurana Vandana Prabhu OVER HEARDS UNSEEN UNSUNG Mind Map AUDIENCE SPEAK CHASING SHADOWS Why are so many theatre practitioners afraid of the dark? THE JAGRITI COLUMN So why is there so often a need on stage for what I call the “full-frontal nudity” of lighting—the unwavering glare of FoH kilowattage that leaves little to the imagination? Why this demand that speaking faces always be bathed in even, bright light? An idea, I believe as outdated, irrelevant and downright wrong as the junior school censure that “only Bad Actors turn their backs to the audience.” A proscenium arch relic. It's true that as a lighting designer, I err on the side of darkness, and sometimes have to be reminded: 'Hey, can we please see what's going on?' But, so often the criticism isn't that a shadow played too long or out-of-context on thespian visage, but that there was a shadow there at all. THEATRE SPEAK HOW COW NOW COW KEEP CALM & #ASHTAG After all, consider how mutable and fractured our daily communication is. You converse with a friend over and around a mountaineering toddler. You look away at scenery or passing people as you listen. The pub lighting alternates between near darkness and lurid pink. You chat while driving. You are able to understand someone over the telephone, though you can't see them at all. 2. Next at the carnival is Keep Calm and #ashtag at Jagriti, on May 18. The director duo of Rituparna Bhattacharya and Shabari Rao explores how gender is constructed and reinforced in real and virtual public spaces. Sophia Stepf and Jehan Manekshaw designed the concept while looking into the absurd, funny, and sometimes painful episodes of life, which are connected through hyperlinks to a fast-paced ride into the violence of gender construction in teenage years. The play seeks to provoke a healthy dialogue around the complexities that young people face in dening who they are as men and women, and the ways in which they navigate real and cyberspace in their everyday lives. Produced by: Theatre Professionals, Mumbai SARASWATI’S WAY I recently watched a production of Julius Caesar at A Noise Within, a theatre for the classics based in Pasadena, California. It was great to see how uidly actors and designers played, not just with the physical challenge of a thrust stage, but the lit space as well. Faces moved in and out of light, texture was everywhere, and at one point, an actor had a strong shadow of a steel pipe from the set draped across his face as he spoke. Far from being distracting, it added to the mood, especially since the play depends on a dark and stormy night to reect the political and personal turmoil that eventually lets slip the dogs of war. How Cow Now Cow is the rst play at the kids carnival at Jagriti, from May 15 - 17. Produced by: Sandbox Collective, Bangalore Gautam Raja Gautam Raja has designed lights for numerous Jagriti productions, including Dead Man's Cellphone, Inherit the Wind and all the plays of Jagriti Season 2012. Picture: Fizz as the whore in The Monologue of a Whore in a Lunatic Asylum by Franca Rame and Dario Fo, Jagriti Season 2012. People, drawings, paintings, objects and other things turn into animals and men in this story. Crazy rhythms and stupid songs add a sense of wonder and magic as the shaggy mop turns into a... okay that's a secret! “HoW CoW NoW CoW is a play that talks about a quarrelsome and cranky cow, although but what I love about the play is its openness and its non-judgmental tone. I think it allows the children (and hopefully the adults) to take the story in and make their own conclusions." - Vinod Ravindran, Director. "How Cow is about many things, it's about a farm, about animals, about anger and resolution, it is also about the magic of the unknown." - Shiva Pathak, Producer. Once, a director worried at me about an actor who delivered a line in the semi-dark spill before entering a bright acting space. Not only was it a short moment, but it suited the inner movement of the character to step into the light as it were. Yet, there was so much concern that for two whole seconds, a face couldn't be seen. We all understand the power of the unseen. We don't criticise scary movies for not revealing the monster to the end. Or erotic scenes for starting with clothes on. We exhort our playwrights to show, not tell. We speak for hours of sub-text, and create sets, costumes and movements that celebrate contrast. Then we ask our lighting designers to rain down irisclenching re, chasing and killing every shadow, every subtlety. Full-frontal nudity. JAGRITI KIDS SUMMER CARNIVAL 2015 MAY 11 - 24 Saraswati’s Way will close the carnival. Written by American international school teacher, and novelist playwright Monika Schroder, it is being showcased at Jagriti from May 22 - 24. Schroder writes novels for middle-grade readers. This play is a simple and a beautiful story of Akash, a young scholar who loves maths. The play has stimulating performance along with song, drama, and dance. “This rare combination of math and culture is a boon for discussions and makes this stand out.” - Kirkus Review, October 15, 2010 Produced by: Akvarious Productions, Mumbai Published by Jagriti Theatre Ramagondanahalli Varthur Road Bangalore 560 066 Printed at Printo Document Services Pvt Ltd Editor Mahasweta Pal Concept & Layout Design Rakhi Bose Cover Photo by Gautam Raja Illustrations by Shunky R Chugani Copyright © Jagriti Theatre 2015 , All Rights Reserved Jagriti reserves the right to edit comments or choose not to publish selected comments, whether in printed, mobile or digital format. This e-magazine cannot be held responsible for unsolicited materials. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. ROY SINAI KANCHAN ABANTI CHAKRABORTY BHATTACHARYYA JAGDISH RAJA SALMIN SHERIFF Director, Development 'Tis a pity that "Youth is wasted on the young." G B Shaw And Democracy on the Free. Actor, The Unseen Actor, The Unseen Director, The Unseen Drama is fuel for the human soul; Rehearsals, a therapy. Director to actor, minutes before a show:"Focus on your character. Clear your mind. Breathe." Actor:"Ok. But how many tickets sold?" Director, Nagamandala We cannot create The best thing about the theatre results in a experience, for performance, but actor and audience we can create alike, is how it's in certain conditions the now. where a performer can perform. GLOBAL CONNECT BANGALORE’S NOW A WORLD’S STAGE In the recent times, theatre productions tour globally. It's interesting! After all, we are living as one digitally connected world. Jagriti has been able to bring to Bangalore performances from different parts of the world that go beyond culture. Four international performances have been on stage at Jagriti in the last three months. We rstly had a stellar performance of Dan Milne’s Two Women Talking by Monsoon Bissell & Benaifer Bhadha from New York, earlier this year, in January. It is a live, unscripted storytelling performance in which two women weave their life stories together. In this performance, they touch on issues of personal identity, gender, culture, sexuality, illness, violence, and tradition. This performance explores how reclaiming stories and listening to one another brings power, manoeuvre, and change to our lives. (L-R) Monsoon Bissell & Benaifer Bhadha We spoke of Tref Gare in our rst edition of ‘The Jagriti Revue’. Tref from Melbourne, combines all the performance art forms theatre, musical theatre, Shakespeare, mime, stand-up in his performance of King's Player, where he played 14 characters, which left you in splits, in awe, and in tears. In this picture, we see Tref, enacting one of the characters in a show, here at Jagriti. “Innovative, exciting and new” - Melbourne Weekly “a riotously funny romp” - Herald Sun, Melbourne tête-à-tête AKARSH KHURANA Founder, Akvarious Productions Do you have any fond memories of your childhood? As a kid, I acted in two professional productions. There was Arpana's Circus, directed by Sunil Shanbag, in which my on stage father was also my off stage father. And, Motley's Waiting for Godot, directed by Benjamin Gilani. One distinct memory I have is of the NCPA experimental, where I was waiting for one of my two entries, and I noticed the wing beside me was teetering and about to fall. Away from me, into the audience. I panicked and grabbed it. Holding it up wasn't easy, considering it was at least six feet taller than me. When I was late for my entry, people from the other wing noticed and came to the rescue, while the actors improvised on stage. I thought they'd be angry, but they were thrilled and hailed me as a hero. Proud moment that, for a bespectacled school child. Tell us about the early days of your career. I was avidly involved in theatre in school and, in college. We managed to win quite a few competitions on the college circuit. In my time at St. Xavier's College, I learnt of Thespo. Well actually, Arghya Lahiri was in school with me, he put me on to it, and people I knew from college ran it. I met them less than a week before submission of entries, so a play was hurriedly found - Brothers by David L Williams - a cast was assembled. We had a terrible run at the screening. Under rehearsed, out of order, and complete chaos. Yet, we got through. We were loved by the audience (despite an ample number of on-stage mishaps, including an unconscious actor). I won the ‘Best Director’. So, there was no looking back. Theatre – production & direction, what has been your experience so far? I have produced 47 plays now, directed 20 of those, acted in a handful, and designed and operated lights, sound, or both for more than a handful. A lot of my multitasking stems from the need to cut costs. However, there's nothing like learning on the job. I've worked in theatre in every possible capacity, especially for Akvarious Productions, which I founded 15 years ago. It started as a hobby, with maximum of three shows a year, but from 2007 onwards, we changed gears which slowly became a full time passion with 100 to 150 shows a year. Tell us about your favourite theatre production that you have directed. I have favourites for various reasons. I love our rst children's play, A Special Bond, that was based on Ruskin Bond's stories, because it was our rst big hit, and it put us on the map. I also love The Interview by Siddharth Kumar, because that little play that we opened in 2010 pretty much helped us dene ourselves as a group. It gave us our voice and became our longest running production. I also love Baghdad Wedding by Hassan Abdulrazzak, purely because I think it is the toughest text I have ever taken on. I had great support from a stellar cast, but it was one of those plays that pushed me as a director. Even though it shut down prematurely, it is still remembered fondly. Your take on the current theatre scene, national or international. In India, besides regular work in Bombay, our regular theatre hub is Bangalore. A close second. Pune and Delhi would be a distant third and fourth. The national theatre scene is getting quite vibrant. It is constantly growing. Audiences are increasing too. Theatre has become more accessible. It's not highbrow anymore. People come to have a pleasant evening too, which is good. Unfortunately, there is no comparison with the international scenario. We don't have the infrastructure, to begin with. Nonetheless, I nd solace in comparing the theatre scene here to how it was, say, 15 years ago, and nding that much has changed for the better. Tref Gare We had a team of from Boston who portrayed the story of Sikhs of Delhi in 1984, through the eyes of a group of young survivors. Sarbpreet Singh and J. Mehr Kaur’s Kultar's Mime, came to Bengaluru, after performing in Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai. Kultar’s Mime is inspired by the Kishinev Pogrom. A little boy is speechless seeing the suffering around him and is only able to express himself through terried gestures. It is about the rage of continued injustice and inequality during the Sikh massacre in Delhi. Inset L-R Cat Roberts, Allison Matteodo, Ross Magnant, Addison Williams, Christine Scherer, with Adelaide Majeski. Talkback with the company (L-R in the picture Tom Dixon, Calum Hughes-McIntosh, Callum Brodie, Paul Moss with Shunky behind them) A group of actors called The HandleBards, go around on four bikes and travel the length and breadth of the UK, carrying all their costumes, props, and their set. They had their rst performance outside of Europe, here, at Jagriti, and it was William Shakespeare’s Macbeth for Jagriti Curtain Raisers 2015, directed by James Farell. They approach Shakespeare in a different and innovative way. The eight sore legs use their bikes to power different surprises and contraptions on-stage. “The Handlebards’ Macbeth is engrossing, highly entertaining and sometimes moving – a great way to experience, with a difference, one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays.” - Danielle Farrow, Edinburgh Spotlight. Shunky R. Chugani Jagriti's Social Media Executive JET CORNER OVER HEARDS Life’s a Laugh. For them, Laugh is Life. VANDANA PRABHU Jagriti Education and Training (JET) Teacher After the success of the different shows of Jollies at Jagriti, our stand-up comedians shared their thoughts about performing at Jagriti. Atul Khatri: I have performed at Jagriti only once but I am in love with it. It is very cosy, intimate & reminds me a lot of Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai. The amphitheatre style seating is conducive for stand-up and I am happy that I had the opportunity of performing at Jagriti and look forward on again performing there. Kenny Sebastian: Jagriti Theatre is the ideal place to try out any stage art form as the intimacy, great sound and light offer you an experience seldom found in venues across India. Naveen Richard: Jagriti is one of the few places I have had the privilege of performing theatre as well as stand up and it is an equally perfect setting for either one. The people who run the theatre are just as the lovely as the theatre itself. Biswa Kalyan Rath: Jagriti is one of the best venues in Bangalore for comedy. The theatre in itself is very conducive to comedy, the audience gets subtlety and nuances and above all, the staff is extremely supportive. I see Jagriti becoming a great hub for comedy few years down the line. Sanjay Manaktala: Jagriti is a wonderful theatre built around the artist. It ensures amazing production while staying true to artistic roots. Here’s looking at more performances and laughs from Bangalore’s stand-up comedians, at Jagriti. 6. The Theatre Arts program culminates in the Trinity grade exams held in October. It is worthwhile to note that the exam is actually an opportunity to demonstrate performance skills appropriate to their individual interests and aspirations to an external examiner. As we enter the intermediate and advanced levels of certication, students learn to engage with analytical and critical concepts. Drama students are learning to interpret and perform from classics to modern in ction, verse and drama. Moreover, they are also encouraged to make their own program selections for their exam performances. Our students also develop communication skills to persuade, to negotiate, to summarise and to communicate information, ideas and opinions in a variety of contexts. Parents and students alike eagerly await our annual Kids & Youth productions. They present a unique opportunity for our students to aspire to be part of a professional production on the Jagriti stage as they learn about aspects of theatre beyond acting. Past productions of The Selsh Giant (2013) and The Twits (2014) have been immensely successful. Sundeep Rao: A magical stage with an essence of class! Kanan Gill: Jagriti has always been an amazing place for performers. I've done many shows at Jagriti and have never been disappointed by the experience. As a JET teacher, I have witnessed the Trinity College London programme, at Jagriti, expand over the past three years to offer a well-rounded Theatre Arts Program offering individual certication in Speech & Drama, Performing Arts & Communication Skills. Students begin with learning to use their voice and body effectively. While Drama & Performance Arts students learn improvisation, sight-reading and storytelling skills for performing prose, poems and dramatic excerpts, Communication Skills students learn to give talks and presentations with skills for effective delivery. Directing The Twits was an enriching experience for me personally. Seeing the audience completely enthralled by the performances and queuing up to meet their favourite characters after the show bears testimony to the talent nurtured by JET. Satish Perumal: Warm, electric and humbling, are the words that best describe my time at Jagriti. A beautiful set up run by people who are passionate about theatre and everything that is art. Vandana (back to camera) with her class miming "getting ready for school”. (L-R) Maanasi, Rachna, Shriya, Aseem, Advaitha, Asha, Aditi UNSEEN UNSUNG Behind the scenes: A Theatre Mind Map AUDIENCE SPEAK Arundhati Raja Artistic Director The rst, of three, bells has rung. I am ushered to my row-numbered seat in Jagriti. About 70 of the 200 seats are occupied. The buzz of conversation is quite vibrant with the occasional laugh rising above the general hubbub. I have been given a ier, which I can read under the house lights. Thank you! I am told that in many theatres the house lights are dimmed for "effect" making it impossible to read anything. I have been told that often the "preset" (lighting the stage to show the setting) demands that the house lights are dimmed. There is a preset - with light on a table on the left and light streaming through a window on the right. The person sitting to my right seems to read my thoughts. "In theatre that table is stage right and that window is stage left. Right and left are from the actors' point of view." The voice is soft, attractive and goes with a pretty face and mischievous smiling eyes. I smile a thank you and nod. What have I done to deserve this?! The second bell gongs. "Do you come here often?” I step painfully on my toes with the other foot. How corny can I get?! "Yes," says pretty face with soft voice, "I live in one of the apartments." Oh! That is convenient, no trafc to worry about!” I say. "I live not far from here, in Shantiniketan. But it took me over half an hour to get here." People keep coming in and the theatre begins to ll up. We chat comfortably and the third bell gongs. The lights dim to black, but the "preset" stays. A recorded voice welcomes us and issues a few instructions. As the message goes on the preset slowly dims to black. It is black dark, dark black. And silent. Pin drop silent. Music blares from the speakers and the actors take position as the lights bump up to full. They speak and laughter wells up from the audience. To my right, pretty face and glistening eyes are caught up in the magic of live theatre. I am glad I came. After the curtain call with rousing applause from the audience, she says yes to dinner at "The Fat Chef" literally attached. Over dinner, I learn the language of theatre, some of which I have used in this short piece. Thank you Jagriti, thank you The Fat Chef. The girl from next door also says “hullo". More to follow. Oh, yes! Do you know that "audience" has no plural? Through dinner I sit entranced - an audience of one. We will be back. Anonymous The theatre audience at Jagriti and somewhere is Anonymous 8. Jagriti Kids Summer Carnival 2015 “Hello there, children! How do you do? My name is Mr. Meowington. Are you having fun yet? Are you having an exciting summer vacation, so far? To those of you, who say yes, and to those of you who say no, I've got something very exciting to say. How would you children like to spend two weeks at a carnival that has been organised just for you? Doesn't that sound amazing? Well it is, and I'll tell you why! I've been all over the world, as my travels have taken me far and wide, but I have never seen anything like the Jagriti Kids Carnival. It's an amazing chance for you kids to become Actors, Story Tellers, Writers, and Photographers all in one place. Now how can you'll go about doing that? Well, Jagriti Kids Carnival 2015 offers ten exciting workshops just for you children, (as long as you're aged between 6 and 16, mind you!) The workshops are being conducted by some very experienced facilitators from all over India! These workshops are aimed at bringing out the budding talent in all young children. The workshops are only three hours long so you can enjoy the carnival atmosphere at Jagriti for the rest of the day. Carnival time at Jagriti is an absolute celebration for you children! There are many food stalls. You could wear some of the costumes and take some great pictures. I have already decided to put Meowington Jr. (My little kitten) into some of the workshops. Do be friends with him if you see him. I've heard that there are some very special plays made for children being performed at this year's carnival. (Don't tell anyone, but I can tell you the names of the two plays that these two companies are performing.) Sarawati's Way, Keep Calm & #ashtag and How Cow Now Cow are the three very entertaining plays that I'm sure you kids will really enjoy. Ah! It seems like I'm running out of time and space to keep writing, but I do want to remind all you children. There's only one place to be this summer! And that's at the Jagriti Kids Summer Carnival. See you there, little ones. All of you must remember to remind your parents to bring you to Jagriti Theatre, and register for as many workshops as you please.” Aravind Harish Jai Kharbanda Interns, Christ University Kligdxy Aravind Harish and Jaivardhan Kharbanda are rst year students of 'Theatre Studies' at Christ University, interning at J a g r i t i T h e a t r e . Aravind is a creative writer while Jaivardhan is a semiprofessional cartoonist and sketch artist. (Clockwise) Interns Apeksha Jain, Jaiwardhan Kharbanda, Aravind Harish, Aishwarya Ashok, and Jedidiah Arul with Mr. Meowington Picture taken by J. Manoj Kumar 10. Jagriti Kids Summer Carnival 2015 “Hello there, children! How do you do? My name is Mr. Meowington. Are you having fun yet? Are you having an exciting summer vacation, so far? To those of you, who say yes, and to those of you who say no, I've got something very exciting to say. How would you children like to spend two weeks at a carnival that has been organised just for you? Doesn't that sound amazing? Well it is, and I'll tell you why! I've been all over the world, as my travels have taken me far and wide, but I have never seen anything like the Jagriti Kids Carnival. It's an amazing chance for you kids to become Actors, Story Tellers, Writers, and Photographers all in one place. Now how can you'll go about doing that? Well, Jagriti Kids Carnival 2015 offers ten exciting workshops just for you children, (as long as you're aged between 6 and 16, mind you!) The workshops are being conducted by some very experienced facilitators from all over India! These workshops are aimed at bringing out the budding talent in all young children. The workshops are only three hours long so you can enjoy the carnival atmosphere at Jagriti for the rest of the day. Carnival time at Jagriti is an absolute celebration for you children! There are many food stalls. You could wear some of the costumes and take some great pictures. I have already decided to put Meowington Jr. (My little kitten) into some of the workshops. Do be friends with him if you see him. I've heard that there are some very special plays made for children being performed at this year's carnival. (Don't tell anyone, but I can tell you the names of the two plays that these two companies are performing.) Sarawati's Way, Keep Calm & #ashtag and How Cow Now Cow are the three very entertaining plays that I'm sure you kids will really enjoy. Ah! It seems like I'm running out of time and space to keep writing, but I do want to remind all you children. There's only one place to be this summer! And that's at the Jagriti Kids Summer Carnival. See you there, little ones. All of you must remember to remind your parents to bring you to Jagriti Theatre, and register for as many workshops as you please.” Aravind Harish Jai Kharbanda Interns, Christ University Kligdxy Aravind Harish and Jaivardhan Kharbanda are rst year students of 'Theatre Studies' at Christ University, interning at J a g r i t i T h e a t r e . Aravind is a creative writer while Jaivardhan is a semiprofessional cartoonist and sketch artist. (Clockwise) Interns Apeksha Jain, Jaiwardhan Kharbanda, Aravind Harish, Aishwarya Ashok, and Jedidiah Arul with Mr. Meowington Picture taken by J. Manoj Kumar 10. UNSEEN UNSUNG Behind the scenes: A Theatre Mind Map AUDIENCE SPEAK Arundhati Raja Artistic Director The rst, of three, bells has rung. I am ushered to my row-numbered seat in Jagriti. About 70 of the 200 seats are occupied. The buzz of conversation is quite vibrant with the occasional laugh rising above the general hubbub. I have been given a ier, which I can read under the house lights. Thank you! I am told that in many theatres the house lights are dimmed for "effect" making it impossible to read anything. I have been told that often the "preset" (lighting the stage to show the setting) demands that the house lights are dimmed. There is a preset - with light on a table on the left and light streaming through a window on the right. The person sitting to my right seems to read my thoughts. "In theatre that table is stage right and that window is stage left. Right and left are from the actors' point of view." The voice is soft, attractive and goes with a pretty face and mischievous smiling eyes. I smile a thank you and nod. What have I done to deserve this?! The second bell gongs. "Do you come here often?” I step painfully on my toes with the other foot. How corny can I get?! "Yes," says pretty face with soft voice, "I live in one of the apartments." Oh! That is convenient, no trafc to worry about!” I say. "I live not far from here, in Shantiniketan. But it took me over half an hour to get here." People keep coming in and the theatre begins to ll up. We chat comfortably and the third bell gongs. The lights dim to black, but the "preset" stays. A recorded voice welcomes us and issues a few instructions. As the message goes on the preset slowly dims to black. It is black dark, dark black. And silent. Pin drop silent. Music blares from the speakers and the actors take position as the lights bump up to full. They speak and laughter wells up from the audience. To my right, pretty face and glistening eyes are caught up in the magic of live theatre. I am glad I came. After the curtain call with rousing applause from the audience, she says yes to dinner at "The Fat Chef" literally attached. Over dinner, I learn the language of theatre, some of which I have used in this short piece. Thank you Jagriti, thank you The Fat Chef. The girl from next door also says “hullo". More to follow. Oh, yes! Do you know that "audience" has no plural? Through dinner I sit entranced - an audience of one. We will be back. Anonymous The theatre audience at Jagriti and somewhere is Anonymous 8. JET CORNER OVER HEARDS Life’s a Laugh. For them, Laugh is Life. VANDANA PRABHU Jagriti Education and Training (JET) Teacher After the success of the different shows of Jollies at Jagriti, our stand-up comedians shared their thoughts about performing at Jagriti. Atul Khatri: I have performed at Jagriti only once but I am in love with it. It is very cosy, intimate & reminds me a lot of Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai. The amphitheatre style seating is conducive for stand-up and I am happy that I had the opportunity of performing at Jagriti and look forward on again performing there. Kenny Sebastian: Jagriti Theatre is the ideal place to try out any stage art form as the intimacy, great sound and light offer you an experience seldom found in venues across India. Naveen Richard: Jagriti is one of the few places I have had the privilege of performing theatre as well as stand up and it is an equally perfect setting for either one. The people who run the theatre are just as the lovely as the theatre itself. Biswa Kalyan Rath: Jagriti is one of the best venues in Bangalore for comedy. The theatre in itself is very conducive to comedy, the audience gets subtlety and nuances and above all, the staff is extremely supportive. I see Jagriti becoming a great hub for comedy few years down the line. Sanjay Manaktala: Jagriti is a wonderful theatre built around the artist. It ensures amazing production while staying true to artistic roots. Here’s looking at more performances and laughs from Bangalore’s stand-up comedians, at Jagriti. 6. The Theatre Arts program culminates in the Trinity grade exams held in October. It is worthwhile to note that the exam is actually an opportunity to demonstrate performance skills appropriate to their individual interests and aspirations to an external examiner. As we enter the intermediate and advanced levels of certication, students learn to engage with analytical and critical concepts. Drama students are learning to interpret and perform from classics to modern in ction, verse and drama. Moreover, they are also encouraged to make their own program selections for their exam performances. Our students also develop communication skills to persuade, to negotiate, to summarise and to communicate information, ideas and opinions in a variety of contexts. Parents and students alike eagerly await our annual Kids & Youth productions. They present a unique opportunity for our students to aspire to be part of a professional production on the Jagriti stage as they learn about aspects of theatre beyond acting. Past productions of The Selsh Giant (2013) and The Twits (2014) have been immensely successful. Sundeep Rao: A magical stage with an essence of class! Kanan Gill: Jagriti has always been an amazing place for performers. I've done many shows at Jagriti and have never been disappointed by the experience. As a JET teacher, I have witnessed the Trinity College London programme, at Jagriti, expand over the past three years to offer a well-rounded Theatre Arts Program offering individual certication in Speech & Drama, Performing Arts & Communication Skills. Students begin with learning to use their voice and body effectively. While Drama & Performance Arts students learn improvisation, sight-reading and storytelling skills for performing prose, poems and dramatic excerpts, Communication Skills students learn to give talks and presentations with skills for effective delivery. Directing The Twits was an enriching experience for me personally. Seeing the audience completely enthralled by the performances and queuing up to meet their favourite characters after the show bears testimony to the talent nurtured by JET. Satish Perumal: Warm, electric and humbling, are the words that best describe my time at Jagriti. A beautiful set up run by people who are passionate about theatre and everything that is art. Vandana (back to camera) with her class miming "getting ready for school”. (L-R) Maanasi, Rachna, Shriya, Aseem, Advaitha, Asha, Aditi GLOBAL CONNECT BANGALORE’S NOW A WORLD’S STAGE In the recent times, theatre productions tour globally. It's interesting! After all, we are living as one digitally connected world. Jagriti has been able to bring to Bangalore performances from different parts of the world that go beyond culture. Four international performances have been on stage at Jagriti in the last three months. We rstly had a stellar performance of Dan Milne’s Two Women Talking by Monsoon Bissell & Benaifer Bhadha from New York, earlier this year, in January. It is a live, unscripted storytelling performance in which two women weave their life stories together. In this performance, they touch on issues of personal identity, gender, culture, sexuality, illness, violence, and tradition. This performance explores how reclaiming stories and listening to one another brings power, manoeuvre, and change to our lives. (L-R) Monsoon Bissell & Benaifer Bhadha We spoke of Tref Gare in our rst edition of ‘The Jagriti Revue’. Tref from Melbourne, combines all the performance art forms theatre, musical theatre, Shakespeare, mime, stand-up in his performance of King's Player, where he played 14 characters, which left you in splits, in awe, and in tears. In this picture, we see Tref, enacting one of the characters in a show, here at Jagriti. “Innovative, exciting and new” - Melbourne Weekly “a riotously funny romp” - Herald Sun, Melbourne tête-à-tête AKARSH KHURANA Founder, Akvarious Productions Do you have any fond memories of your childhood? As a kid, I acted in two professional productions. There was Arpana's Circus, directed by Sunil Shanbag, in which my on stage father was also my off stage father. And, Motley's Waiting for Godot, directed by Benjamin Gilani. One distinct memory I have is of the NCPA experimental, where I was waiting for one of my two entries, and I noticed the wing beside me was teetering and about to fall. Away from me, into the audience. I panicked and grabbed it. Holding it up wasn't easy, considering it was at least six feet taller than me. When I was late for my entry, people from the other wing noticed and came to the rescue, while the actors improvised on stage. I thought they'd be angry, but they were thrilled and hailed me as a hero. Proud moment that, for a bespectacled school child. Tell us about the early days of your career. I was avidly involved in theatre in school and, in college. We managed to win quite a few competitions on the college circuit. In my time at St. Xavier's College, I learnt of Thespo. Well actually, Arghya Lahiri was in school with me, he put me on to it, and people I knew from college ran it. I met them less than a week before submission of entries, so a play was hurriedly found - Brothers by David L Williams - a cast was assembled. We had a terrible run at the screening. Under rehearsed, out of order, and complete chaos. Yet, we got through. We were loved by the audience (despite an ample number of on-stage mishaps, including an unconscious actor). I won the ‘Best Director’. So, there was no looking back. Theatre – production & direction, what has been your experience so far? I have produced 47 plays now, directed 20 of those, acted in a handful, and designed and operated lights, sound, or both for more than a handful. A lot of my multitasking stems from the need to cut costs. However, there's nothing like learning on the job. I've worked in theatre in every possible capacity, especially for Akvarious Productions, which I founded 15 years ago. It started as a hobby, with maximum of three shows a year, but from 2007 onwards, we changed gears which slowly became a full time passion with 100 to 150 shows a year. Tell us about your favourite theatre production that you have directed. I have favourites for various reasons. I love our rst children's play, A Special Bond, that was based on Ruskin Bond's stories, because it was our rst big hit, and it put us on the map. I also love The Interview by Siddharth Kumar, because that little play that we opened in 2010 pretty much helped us dene ourselves as a group. It gave us our voice and became our longest running production. I also love Baghdad Wedding by Hassan Abdulrazzak, purely because I think it is the toughest text I have ever taken on. I had great support from a stellar cast, but it was one of those plays that pushed me as a director. Even though it shut down prematurely, it is still remembered fondly. Your take on the current theatre scene, national or international. In India, besides regular work in Bombay, our regular theatre hub is Bangalore. A close second. Pune and Delhi would be a distant third and fourth. The national theatre scene is getting quite vibrant. It is constantly growing. Audiences are increasing too. Theatre has become more accessible. It's not highbrow anymore. People come to have a pleasant evening too, which is good. Unfortunately, there is no comparison with the international scenario. We don't have the infrastructure, to begin with. Nonetheless, I nd solace in comparing the theatre scene here to how it was, say, 15 years ago, and nding that much has changed for the better. Tref Gare We had a team of from Boston who portrayed the story of Sikhs of Delhi in 1984, through the eyes of a group of young survivors. Sarbpreet Singh and J. Mehr Kaur’s Kultar's Mime, came to Bengaluru, after performing in Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai. Kultar’s Mime is inspired by the Kishinev Pogrom. A little boy is speechless seeing the suffering around him and is only able to express himself through terried gestures. It is about the rage of continued injustice and inequality during the Sikh massacre in Delhi. Inset L-R Cat Roberts, Allison Matteodo, Ross Magnant, Addison Williams, Christine Scherer, with Adelaide Majeski. Talkback with the company (L-R in the picture Tom Dixon, Calum Hughes-McIntosh, Callum Brodie, Paul Moss with Shunky behind them) A group of actors called The HandleBards, go around on four bikes and travel the length and breadth of the UK, carrying all their costumes, props, and their set. They had their rst performance outside of Europe, here, at Jagriti, and it was William Shakespeare’s Macbeth for Jagriti Curtain Raisers 2015, directed by James Farell. They approach Shakespeare in a different and innovative way. The eight sore legs use their bikes to power different surprises and contraptions on-stage. “The Handlebards’ Macbeth is engrossing, highly entertaining and sometimes moving – a great way to experience, with a difference, one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays.” - Danielle Farrow, Edinburgh Spotlight. Shunky R. Chugani Jagriti's Social Media Executive CHASING SHADOWS Why are so many theatre practitioners afraid of the dark? THE JAGRITI COLUMN So why is there so often a need on stage for what I call the “full-frontal nudity” of lighting—the unwavering glare of FoH kilowattage that leaves little to the imagination? Why this demand that speaking faces always be bathed in even, bright light? An idea, I believe as outdated, irrelevant and downright wrong as the junior school censure that “only Bad Actors turn their backs to the audience.” A proscenium arch relic. It's true that as a lighting designer, I err on the side of darkness, and sometimes have to be reminded: 'Hey, can we please see what's going on?' But, so often the criticism isn't that a shadow played too long or out-of-context on thespian visage, but that there was a shadow there at all. THEATRE SPEAK HOW COW NOW COW KEEP CALM & #ASHTAG After all, consider how mutable and fractured our daily communication is. You converse with a friend over and around a mountaineering toddler. You look away at scenery or passing people as you listen. The pub lighting alternates between near darkness and lurid pink. You chat while driving. You are able to understand someone over the telephone, though you can't see them at all. 2. Next at the carnival is Keep Calm and #ashtag at Jagriti, on May 18. The director duo of Rituparna Bhattacharya and Shabari Rao explores how gender is constructed and reinforced in real and virtual public spaces. Sophia Stepf and Jehan Manekshaw designed the concept while looking into the absurd, funny, and sometimes painful episodes of life, which are connected through hyperlinks to a fast-paced ride into the violence of gender construction in teenage years. The play seeks to provoke a healthy dialogue around the complexities that young people face in dening who they are as men and women, and the ways in which they navigate real and cyberspace in their everyday lives. Produced by: Theatre Professionals, Mumbai SARASWATI’S WAY I recently watched a production of Julius Caesar at A Noise Within, a theatre for the classics based in Pasadena, California. It was great to see how uidly actors and designers played, not just with the physical challenge of a thrust stage, but the lit space as well. Faces moved in and out of light, texture was everywhere, and at one point, an actor had a strong shadow of a steel pipe from the set draped across his face as he spoke. Far from being distracting, it added to the mood, especially since the play depends on a dark and stormy night to reect the political and personal turmoil that eventually lets slip the dogs of war. How Cow Now Cow is the rst play at the kids carnival at Jagriti, from May 15 - 17. Produced by: Sandbox Collective, Bangalore Gautam Raja Gautam Raja has designed lights for numerous Jagriti productions, including Dead Man's Cellphone, Inherit the Wind and all the plays of Jagriti Season 2012. Picture: Fizz as the whore in The Monologue of a Whore in a Lunatic Asylum by Franca Rame and Dario Fo, Jagriti Season 2012. People, drawings, paintings, objects and other things turn into animals and men in this story. Crazy rhythms and stupid songs add a sense of wonder and magic as the shaggy mop turns into a... okay that's a secret! “HoW CoW NoW CoW is a play that talks about a quarrelsome and cranky cow, although but what I love about the play is its openness and its non-judgmental tone. I think it allows the children (and hopefully the adults) to take the story in and make their own conclusions." - Vinod Ravindran, Director. "How Cow is about many things, it's about a farm, about animals, about anger and resolution, it is also about the magic of the unknown." - Shiva Pathak, Producer. Once, a director worried at me about an actor who delivered a line in the semi-dark spill before entering a bright acting space. Not only was it a short moment, but it suited the inner movement of the character to step into the light as it were. Yet, there was so much concern that for two whole seconds, a face couldn't be seen. We all understand the power of the unseen. We don't criticise scary movies for not revealing the monster to the end. Or erotic scenes for starting with clothes on. We exhort our playwrights to show, not tell. We speak for hours of sub-text, and create sets, costumes and movements that celebrate contrast. Then we ask our lighting designers to rain down irisclenching re, chasing and killing every shadow, every subtlety. Full-frontal nudity. JAGRITI KIDS SUMMER CARNIVAL 2015 MAY 11 - 24 Saraswati’s Way will close the carnival. Written by American international school teacher, and novelist playwright Monika Schroder, it is being showcased at Jagriti from May 22 - 24. Schroder writes novels for middle-grade readers. This play is a simple and a beautiful story of Akash, a young scholar who loves maths. The play has stimulating performance along with song, drama, and dance. “This rare combination of math and culture is a boon for discussions and makes this stand out.” - Kirkus Review, October 15, 2010 Produced by: Akvarious Productions, Mumbai Published by Jagriti Theatre Ramagondanahalli Varthur Road Bangalore 560 066 Printed at Printo Document Services Pvt Ltd Editor Mahasweta Pal Concept & Layout Design Rakhi Bose Cover Photo by Gautam Raja Illustrations by Shunky R Chugani Copyright © Jagriti Theatre 2015 , All Rights Reserved Jagriti reserves the right to edit comments or choose not to publish selected comments, whether in printed, mobile or digital format. This e-magazine cannot be held responsible for unsolicited materials. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. ROY SINAI KANCHAN ABANTI CHAKRABORTY BHATTACHARYYA JAGDISH RAJA SALMIN SHERIFF Director, Development 'Tis a pity that "Youth is wasted on the young." G B Shaw And Democracy on the Free. Actor, The Unseen Actor, The Unseen Director, The Unseen Drama is fuel for the human soul; Rehearsals, a therapy. Director to actor, minutes before a show:"Focus on your character. Clear your mind. Breathe." Actor:"Ok. But how many tickets sold?" Director, Nagamandala We cannot create The best thing about the theatre results in a experience, for performance, but actor and audience we can create alike, is how it's in certain conditions the now. where a performer can perform. WHO’S THIS? Send your answer to [email protected], by May 15 and the rst THREE correct answers will win two passes for an upcoming play. Last Month's winner is Abhinav Kimothi. Congratulations! It's Dario Fo. Picture taken from Google. Newsletter Vol 1. Iss 2. May 2015 THE JAGRITI COLUMN QUICK QUOTES THEATRE SPEAK THE JET CORNER tête-àtête GLOBAL IN FOCUS CONNECT Summer Carnival 2015 Akarsh Khurana Vandana Prabhu OVER HEARDS UNSEEN UNSUNG Mind Map AUDIENCE SPEAK
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