A princess who rules over the Earth as the goddess of water is upset seeing her resources being misused, and decides to leave the Earth. The rest of the story is about how three clowns who reside on Earth try and appease her to make her stay. What sounds like a plot of a fairy tale is one that deals with a serious issue of water conservation and forms the crux of Theatre Nisha’s new production, Water Princess.
Premiering today as a part of the third edition of the Bonjour India (a four-month-long nationwide celebration of Indo-French relations), the hour-long play has been written and directed by V Balakrishnan, and is suitable for ages three and above.
“The story has its beginnings with the myth of Ganga, who is brought to Earth to redeem it, but the question I asked was, ‘What If Ganga decided to leave the Earth?’,” queries Balakrishnan, adding that the plot has elements that will resonate with young minds, making them think and raise questions. “I have exercised caution in trying not to preach or infantilise the audience, but to tell the story with aplomb and honesty,” he added.
The play is a visual spectacle with the actors singing, dancing and playing musical instruments such as the frame drum, ukulele and melodica. There is a basic costume (T-shirt and overalls) that four of the actors appear in at first, and as more characters keep getting introduced, we get to see more costume elements such as the crown for the princess. “We believe in minimalistic sets. Nothing is more important than the story when it’s told by the actors,” shares Meera Sitaraman, one of the actors. “The stories of people who come to complain about their troubles to the water princess are inspired by real events,” she shares, adding that the play will be staged in Pondicherry, Bengaluru and Delhi in the coming months.
November 24, 11 am onwards. At AFM Auditorium. Entry free. Details: 99400-98396