“A play has to offer something for all the senses. Something for the ear, something for the eyes... If it is supposed to be just auditory, we might as well have it on the radio. There has to be something to watch. Something to marvel at,” suggests Auroville-based thespian Jill Navarre (originally from New York), Auroville Theatre Group’s founding member, and artistic director while talking about her upcoming adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The 22-year-old theatre group has adapted quite a few Shakespearean plays in the past, the last being King Lear, staged in December last year. “We have at least three plays every year out of which two are big productions. This is my sixth Shakespearean play,” shares Jill, adding that this adaptation of the bard’s fantasy/comedy will be set in Atens, an imaginary place in India.
With the story set in modern times, the actors will be seen in contemporary Indian costumes such as kurta and pyjamas. Talking further about her passion for Shakespearean plays, the 71-year-old screenwriter-director says, “Shakespeare is the best English language playwright. His stories are so universal that you can set it anywhere in the world and it will still make sense. His love for humanity and the depth of understanding of the human emotions seen in his plays always draw me to them. He has written so many wonderful characters and then put such wonderful words in their mouth. You get to learn a lot while working on a Shakespearean play.”
The 25-member cast includes actors Lata Singh (Hermia), Rahul Desai (Lysander), Parshathy Nath (Helena), Gokul Priyan (Demetrius), Edwin Gerard (Theseus), Liz Stanton (Hippolyta), Swar Edgar (Egeus), among others. “We have a core group of ten people. Apart from that, we introduce new actors every time. We want this group to expand and evolve,” says Jill, adding that four of her actors are students from Pondicherry University. While most of the play is set inside a magical forest, the set design (done by Auroville-based artiste Swar Edgar) is such that the place is full of trees that are lit from the inside to create a feeling of magic and mystery.
“Ours is an international team. We have people from south India, north India and even actors who are not from India. All of them have different accents. To make up for the mixed accents, we have a lot of action in our plays,” shares Jill, who has been in the theatre industry since 1977. The play will feature four dance numbers by a group of six children who will come in and out throughout the play. The music is done by Auroville-based author and music composer Hartmut Von Lieres, who Jill has collaborated with for her last four plays.
At Sri Aurobindo Auditorium. December 20,21,22. 8 pm. Entry free.
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