• When: On 18th March:2023 at 7 pm
  • Where: Adishakti Theatre, Edayanchavadi Main Road, Auroville P.O.

A Play in English and other Languages

Directed by Rajiv Krishnan

Entry Free. Contributions welcome.

Credits

Cast: Siddhanth Sundar and Harshini Boyalla (Bengaluru), Radhika Prasiddha, Dharanidharan and David Salamon (Pondicherry), Ajithlal Sivalal (Kollam) and Parshathy Nath (Thrissur)

Sets: Joseph Bernard

Props and Puppets: Vijay Ravikumar

Costumes: Kaveri Lalchand

Movement: Fawas Ameer Hamsa

Music: Anjana Raghavan

Lighting and Production: Bharavi

Writer : Vinod Ravindran

Direction: Rajiv Krishnan

Play 

In our play Mayil, her father, and their neighbours are going to lose their homes because of the coming of a new metro line. As it looks like their protests will be of no avail, the story suddenly changes direction, and goes into a fantasy world inhabited by humans and birds. In this parallel story, inspired by the Greek play ‘The Birds’ by Aristophanes (first performed in 414 BC), some humans, dissatisfied with living in the city, go looking for the birds, who they believe can show them a better place to live. At some point, the themes in these two stories in our play begin to intersect, culminating in a surprising finale.  A collage of  song, image, movement and storytelling, the play takes us on a fascinating journey. Lighthearted, with plenty of comic elements, but with a story about power, human greed and resistance at its core, Birds is at the same time a parable and a story for our times. 

Process 

Though ‘The Birds’ by the Greek Playwright Aristophanes was written in 414 BC, we were struck by how relevant the themes of this play were for the times we live in. We conducted a week long workshop in early October in Pondicherry at Indianostrum Theatre, and that’s where the seeds for our adaptation were sowed. An interesting feature of the play is that it straddles different worlds, from reality to fantasy, all coming seamlessly together to tell a story. Our main attempt has been to keep the story engaging and entertaining, while leaving you with something to ponder about. Rehearsing in the creatively charged space that is Adishakti Theatre in a rehersal process spanning 3 weeks, the play will open there on 18th march before going on tour.

Perch

Perch is a group based out of Chennai, Bangalore and Pondicherry. Formed in 2008, they are known for plays like Ms. Meena, Under the Mangosteen Tree, Moonshine and Skytoffee, How to Skin a Giraffe, Kira Kozhambu, Jujubee and Mondays are best for Flying out of Windows, which they have staged in multiple venues and festivals all over India. 

Birds Tour:

After opening the play in Adishakti Theatre on March 18, the play will travel to Ranga Shankara, Bengaluru (21, 22, 23 March), Medai, Chennai (25,26,27 March) and then return to Indianostrum theatre, Pondicherry (31 March, 1 and 2 April). 

Photos:

Some photos from our workshop, along with the image from our poster, the poster and the instagram story for the Adishakti show are attached.

Contact

Rajiv Krishnan 9841099435