Spanning 1,001 NIGHTS, the Middle Eastern folklore collection, Arabian Nights, introduced us to numerous popular tales such as Aladdin, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and The Seven Voyages of Sinbad The Sailor. Inspired by the meta-narrative of this compilation, The Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust is all set to stage their new play, The Nights. Award-winning puppeteer Anurupa Roy who is the director of the production, tells us about what to expect from the show.
Speaking about what motivated her to stage this play, she says, “For a while now, we had borne the idea of working with a narrative that spreads across several centuries, cultures and countries and then this original script came along during the pandemic.” Written by Adithi Rao and Neel Chaudhari, this single-act play brings actors and puppets together. And unlike most puppet theatres, this one will not hide the puppeteer.
The theatre troupe will stage original formats of three well-known stories from the collection and a new narrative called The Beggar and The King. “The production breaks all the stereotypes that these stories presented to you as a child,” the director reveals. Besides the four narratives, the play also tells the tale of Scheherazade, the wife of Persian emperor Shehriyar, who has to narrate a new story to him every night in order to survive. “The diverse subjects in these stories are quite salacious and were never meant for children. Through this play, we are also presenting alternate endings and possibilities to these tales,” the theatre practitioner shares.
The play comes to the city after successful outings at the World Festival of Puppet Theatres in France and Egypt. The set and costumes for this production have been designed keeping in mind that the entire act happens during the nighttime. “The costumes, sets and masks are very integrated. The material used to make them invokes a certain space and time that is considered magical and therefore all the props are suspended from the ceiling,” she concludes. Post their show in Bengaluru, the play will travel to Delhi.
Rs 300. December 2 (7.30 pm), December 3 & 4 (3.30 pm and 7.30 pm). At Ranga Shankara, JP Nagar
srushti@newindianexpress.com
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