In context

Among the three directors from the country invited to showcase a new production of Ibsen’s work,Neelam Man Singh explored various milieus in the production,Little Eyolf…Little Abaan

“There is so much that I discovered as I got down to reading Ibsen’s plays. His characters are complex and treatment layered and there’s amazing material that’s waiting to be explored,’’ Neelam Man Singh talks about her latest production,based on playwright and dramatist Ibsen’s Little Eyolf and tiltled Little Abaan. The play was recently staged at the Ibsen Festival presented by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in the Capital,the idea being to explore Ibsen further,in terms of the Indian context. The festival hosted,commissioned and showcased three new productions of Ibsen’s works by three of the country’s accomplished contemporary directors who have developed a distinct style that reflects their personal,cultural and regional identities. Ratan Thiyam from Manipur,Anuradha Kapoor,Director,NSD and Neelam Man Singh chose Isben’s last three plays for the festival,which Neelam describes as a unique experience,which encompassed discussions,seminars et al. “A varied treatment and perspective is what the audience viewed as Ratan created a spectacle with his big group of actors,amazing choreography and so many different milieus. Anuradha’s play was modern,cutting edge,with a huge set,’’ the feel of the festival was heightened by the response of the audience. Realistic,naturalistic and symbolistic plays secured Ibsen world fame and also the fact that he was always in search of something new.

As for Little Eyolf, it was bi-lingual and Neelam did away with the third act,getting the 90-page play to only 28! “New dimensions of Ibsen is what we discovered through these performances and I can easily say it was one of the toughest projects that I have done and creatively satisfying for both me and my actors. Grief,self-estrangement resolution,death of a child,Ibsen takes a dizzying leap into the complex minds of the four characters and the metaphorical journey that the characters undergo to build new lives for themselves,’’ Neelam did the play in three blocks. And in the process,she says,the play’s meanings dawned upon her,like the symbolism of life,seldom formulated,never worked out with precision or logic…