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Horniman Circle Garden November Tue 10, 08:00 pm Wed 11, 08:00 pm Prithvi Theatre November Sun 8, 09:30 pm |
| THEATRE ROOTS AND WINGS' SAHYANDE MAKAN - THE ELEPHANT PROJECT (Malayam, Japanese - with English subtitles) |
| 1 Hour 10 Minutes (without interval) Based on the Malayalam poem written by Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menon, the play depicts the conflicts between the external and internal realities as symbolized by an elephant. The narrative is set against a temple festival in Kerala where the largest tusker stands in the centre with an idol of the deity on his back. As the festivities progress, the elephant drifts into a nostalgic dream of his childhood and he becomes increasingly involved in the hallucination, despite the roaring drums, burning torches and the rushing crowd. He dreams of those forgotten paths in the Sahyadri valley (Western Mountains), his girl friend and playmates. However, the movements of the elephant gets externally translated into a rampage and finally, he is shot to death. As he falls to his death, he cries helplessly, calling out to someone…Was his cry heard by the God, who is sleeping inside the temple? But it did echo far beyond, in the heart of mother Sahyadri, who is sad for losing one more of her dear child… |
| Director's Note : Sahyande Makan – The Elephant Project deals with the conflicting nature of the mind – a dominant character trait of modern man that has driven him into the all-consuming vortex of violence and bloodshed. In this piece, there are overtones of the vengeful ending of an influential man by a society that is suffering from the terror and phobia that this man might cause. Though such a person might be dangerous, his downfall deserves a compassionate consideration. The Elephant, in this performance, achieves human dimensions and the mountains become a metaphor for the mind that is home to the harsh, primal and irrational thought and deeds. What you will see is the culmination of a long process of sharing and working across cultures on a very fundamental level. We had to invent new vocabularies, new translations, and new ways of theatre - making to connect the deep humanistic values and total hatred towards man’s cruelty to nature that are embedded in the source text. As I now extend this vital connection to you, the audience, I hope that this piece of theatre will touch you as profoundly as it did me. Theatre Roots & Wings : Theatre Roots & Wings has been on the cutting edge of contemporary theatre since its inception in 2003. The company’s first production, Quick Death (2007) was an intriguing and awesomely engaging play, evoking unique responses and leaving strong, inerasable experiences in the audience. Making its own inputs to the inquiring and experimental spirit of contemporary world theatre with its second play Sahyande Makan – The Elephant Project (2008), the company continues to explore the potentials of theatre as an independent medium with Acting at its heart. Apart from its outstanding productions, the company offers extraordinary resources to practitioners and students of theatre, providing comprehensive knowledge, workshops, study materials, and specific course plans for existing acting theories and contemporary practices around the world. |
| Cast : |
| Performer Micari Writer Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menon Translation Sankar Venkateswaran, Satoko Tsurudome, Micari Director Sankar Venkateswaran Assistant director Kavita Srinivasan Music composition Sandeep Jayaraj Music direction & arrangement Sunil Kumar P.K. Lighting designer Shymon Chelad Technical director Jose Koshy Stage manager Vinu Joseph Production/ Interpreter Satoko Tsurudome |