Malayala Manoranjan

Nrithanjali Malayalee Dance School will bring alive the story of Karna from the Mahabharata in the play,Karnan . It will be a dedicated character sketch of the mythical warrior,legendary for his courage and skill with warcraft,and for his longing to be accepted as king. “The 30-minute play traces his life journey,focussing on his more positive qualities that got sidelined because of his alliance with the Kauravas,” explains Manjula Nambiar,an import-export consultant,who is also a dance-drama teacher.

Nrithanjali has staged a dance drama earlier,but this time they wanted to bring in an element of experimentation. “We have decided to show all emotions through the mudras (gestures) of the actors,while a voice-over will simultaneously vocalise the dialogues,” says Nambiar,who is happy to be a part of the Malayalam theatre fest. “I have never seen one happen in the past 22 years that I have spent in this city,” she adds.

The novelty of the event is enhanced by the range of plays that will be staged today. Another play,titled Goodnite,will be enacted by an amateur group that even shies away from being called a solid ‘troupe’. Forty-three-year-old communication designer,Manoj Nath,plays the lead character in the play which he says,relates a “captivating tale of a conversation between two strangers in a park”. The lighting and sound for the play will be handled by students from the Film and Television Institute of India. “It is actually a 30-year-old play written by N N Pillai,and we are trying to give a new look to it. Some time later,we are planning to stage its English translation,” says Nath.

A full-length play titled Mukangal (Faces) will be presented by Kerala-based Kaliyuga Theatres. Written by Pune-based playwright,K V Sankaranarayanan,the adaptation has been directed by Malayali actor V P Ramachandran.

(The event begins at 6.15 pm today)