Day 4

5 April 2016
Tuesday

Prithvi Theatre

Day 4 of the festival witnessed something that might even be called manmoth. While Ali Fazal, Atul Kumar and the mystery around the play 'White Rabbit Red Rabbit' had already drawn in crowds, there will lots and lots of people struggling to grab any last minute cancellations, or empty spaces on the stairs of the auditorium. However, the manmoth part came once the show kicked off. Here was an actor, never having touched the script he was about to perform, sitting on a chair in the middle of the stage. Ali Fazal was in jitters as he began his show, Atul Kumar was much calmer but equally excited. What followed were improvisations, laughter, retrospection and even moments of absolute fear and thrill. Audiences that poured out of the first show rushed to buy a ticket for the next one (but to no avail, unfortunately). The company with the rights of the show - QTP - intend to return with more shows and new actors, so watch out for those.

The day also saw a discussion about 'Directing New Writing' at Prithvi House. The discussion proved to be very insightful, especially for the many theatre enthusiasts in the audience. Our Art Exhibit, 'Stories Beyond The Stage' has been gathering pace and the visitors are loving every art work in the room. The singer-songwriter of the day Shantanu, placed himself on the stairs of Prithvi Theatre, surrounded by music lovers and walked away with quite a few additions to his fanbase that day.

Play of the Day

No rehearsals.

No director.

No set.

A different actor reads the script cold

for the first time at each performance.

Will you participate?    

Will you be manipulated?    

Will you listen?      

Will you really listen?

in association with QTP and Aurora Nova

Playwright

Nassim Soleimanpour




Cast
7:00pm - Ali Fazal

9:30pm - Atul Kumar

More about the play

This is a play shrouded in mystery. And the demand for secrecy comes straight from the playwright. It is a play that eschews the involvement of a director, of rehearsals and a set.

All we know about it is that after the third bell, the actor for that show (there's a different actor performing it every time) gets the script for the first time and has to perform. There is nothing between the actor and the audience - no directorial vision, no production design, no technical histrionics, all it has is a script - a strong (and complex) one - and an actor - a strong (and courageous) one.

About the playwright

Nassim Soleimanpour (Iran), who was 29 when he wrote the play, refused to take part in mandatory military service. As a result, he was banned from traveling abroad and chose instead to write this play and send it out, with an instruction to audiences (written into the script) to email him pictures ad their thought after the show. His only other instruction, which makes the play what it is, is that the actor who performs it should not have seen the play or read the script before s/he is handed it on stage, in front of the audience. 

Also in the day,

Reading and Discussion

Prithvi House

7.30 pm.

Directing New Writing

What is “New Writing?”

What role does is play? 

Is it vital to the theatre? 

Is it even necessary?

And what is it to direct New Writing?

Is it important to engage with New Writing, as theatre makers? Why not adapt existing plays from elsewhere or just do them as is, as we have done for a long time?

What are the pitfalls and triumphs of dealing with New Writing? How does one interact with a present and invested playwright? How does the text evolve? How much of a sacred document is it? Or is it just a roadmap? And does that text change as the play finds a life? What does intent mean?

A panel discussion featuring Irawati Karnik, Quasar Thakore Padamsee, Ramu Ramanathan and Shernaz Patel, moderated by Arghya Lahiri.

Singer Songwriter of the day

Initially a banker by profession, his heart lies in music and acting. He released his first album of Bangla songs called Hingtingchot in 2014.  He also composes in Hindi and has teamed up with the talented Ronkini Gupta to create several soon-to-be-released numbers. He also wrote the lyrics for the 2016 Kolkata Marathon Anthem. His songs are known to be easily hummable and he draws inspiration from ‘Puraane Hindi Gaane’ and Indian Classical Music too. He likes to describe his music as ‘straight from the heart’.

Are you excited about Day 4?