A Lab for Theatre

and Ganapati that beautifully lets the music and rhythm do the talking instead of the text.

As the group brings three of its new plays to the Prithvi Theatre

Festival,Chawla talks about their vision, the journey so far and the importance of such a space to develop original thinking and work.

All three plays you are staging during Prithvi Theatre festival are based on the Ramayana. Why?

We did a lot of research on the Ramayana as part of a project that allows new and imaginative exchanges between the epic texts and contemporary interpreters. The epic has been appropriated by a certain political sect and given a religious angle. However,there are so many versions of the Ramayana,including a Muslim one. The idea behind the three productions — The Tenth Head,Hanuman Ramayan and Nidravathwam — is to see the contemporary interpretations that artistes can give to the epic.

What has been the process for these plays?

We allow the actors to conceptualise and write their own scripts. It is an exercise in making them more independent. The Tenth Head,though directed by me,was Vinay Kumar’s idea. It has 2D and 3D animation,which will be projected on different banners. Though Nidravathwam is a solo performance by Nimmy Raphel,it has two parallel texts — the story of Laxman,who did not sleep during their exile,and Kumbhakarna,who was in deep slumber for months. In Hanuman Ramayan,featuring Suresh Kaliyath,Hanuman talks about various hungers of life.

How far have you been successful in realising the vision behind Adishakti?

I did not start off with a long-term,grand vision. When the group started in 1981, the aim was to do theatre. There were actors from National School of Drama (in Delhi),who were trying to find their foothold in Mumbai. They wanted to work from project to project. Some of them stayed on,some left. It was after I left Mumbai to go to Pondicherry that the repertory was formed. Now,we have a campus where we hold training sessions and workshops. All these have happened from the needs of the moment.

What kind of courses do you offer?

We offer 10-day courses that are based on our practice and knowledge. We annually hold around five workshops with 20 people for each session. People from different walks of life — actors from television,theatre and films,as well as educationists and other professionals — come for these. Our teaching goes beyond theatre and our methodology primarily revolves around the notion of emotion.

A number of your plays have their roots in Indian mythology and traditional art. How are they received abroad?

Personally,I like performing in India. There are so many layers and nuances you don’t speak about,which the Indian audience can pick up. The West is stuck on form. They are more drawn to movements and spectacle.

How important is it to have a space like Adishakti?

It is important for a place like Adishakti to set an example. We live in a world where we have access to the same technology and information. So Adishakti becomes interesting because it’s in a largely rural setting,though not away from digital technology or internet. Yet,there is space for an artiste to be with herself/himself to develop individual thoughts and experience. This allows artistes to be different. The moment an artiste becomes part of a group or a clique,the space for thinking differently is compromised.

alaka.sahani@expressindia.com