Home coming...
After a long time, i think 7 years, an opportunity to be part of a Theatre production knocked at my door; thanks to my good friend Madhusudan Naidu - the script writer, director and casting director. The occasion was unique, personally, for i was acting in front of Swami for the first time ever! Oh what an experience it was!
The Theatrical presentation was a interplay of Indian mythology and current times...a deliberate anachronism thrown in to make the presentation interesting. The broad theme of the presentation revolved around the unique relationship between Swami and his students...the interesting ways He touches and nourishes the lives of His students - His Property! Swami really enjoyed the presentation and gladly posed with us for photographs. On the whole it was an experience of life time! I am ever grateful to Swami and His chosen instrument Madhusudan for this glorious opportunity.
Personal Notes:
First things first: i was thrilled to be on the SSSIHL auditorium stage again! This is the stage that nurtured my theatrical side, it is verily the mother who gave birth to the artiste in me, and to be standing there again was an amazing feeling of Home Coming! I found myself mentally inquiring the stage about her well being, how she was doing, and how many more children she gave birth to when i was away! She answered by making me feel as if i was there like on any other day during my student days, and 7 years seemed like just 7 hours. This realization gave me new energy and i hopped on to the stage to get started on the practice session...just like good old days!
We had an interesting stage partitioning: two small elevated platforms on right and left, leaving a central lower stage. The elevated platforms were used for the Mythological characters, their entry and exit, and the current times were depicted in the central stage. A massive 9' X 16' LED screen formed the backdrop through the play, settings seamlessly changed with the change in scenes. The video on the LED and the audio were synchronized and a major portion of scene changes were taken care of effortlessly! However, creating the video on the LED was a humongous task in itself, and only my good friend Madhusudan knows how difficult or easy it is to render the videos without glitches! The people who gave the LED support were very nice people from Bangalore; very cooperative, and enthusiastic.
All the artistes who were part of the play were very energetic and cooperative. This is one of the critical success factors i should admit, coz putting up a play in just 4 days (!) can be very difficult if people did not cooperate. The only reason people cooperated was simply because it was a play to be staged in front of Swami! End of discussion!
Costumes and make-up support was provided by Veteran Actress Anjali Devi's own group. Their long experience in the Telugu film industry was very evident in the way they worked. Especially the Yama, Jambavan, and other Vanara costumes stole the show!
Another important department that did its duty with out much ado was the sets team headed by Floor manager Let. Comm. Krispal and Asst. Floor manager Kallu. They were ably supported by many energetic people, and their work is really commendable!
The final formation song was another piece of gem. The composer, the singers, and the musicians really did a wonderful job!
The icing on top was the lights that were put together almost at the eleventh hour. Lights had to be hired from Bangalore on the eve of the final staging when it was realized by the Director that the light already available were not enough. But the team lead by Pandu proved that they were THE men for the job and did an amazing job at such a short notice.
Last but not the least, general support and refreshments department did a silent but amazing job. Murali and Manoj made our practice sessions truly enjoyable by making available some choicest dishes from the Hostel kitchen: Ground Nut Chutney, Potato Rice, Tomato Rice, and Lemon Rice.
I sincerely hope that staging a drama becomes a part of every year's Alumni Meet. If not for anything, at least for the Joy of Theatre, and its fulfilment in front of Swami!
The Theatrical presentation was a interplay of Indian mythology and current times...a deliberate anachronism thrown in to make the presentation interesting. The broad theme of the presentation revolved around the unique relationship between Swami and his students...the interesting ways He touches and nourishes the lives of His students - His Property! Swami really enjoyed the presentation and gladly posed with us for photographs. On the whole it was an experience of life time! I am ever grateful to Swami and His chosen instrument Madhusudan for this glorious opportunity.
Personal Notes:
First things first: i was thrilled to be on the SSSIHL auditorium stage again! This is the stage that nurtured my theatrical side, it is verily the mother who gave birth to the artiste in me, and to be standing there again was an amazing feeling of Home Coming! I found myself mentally inquiring the stage about her well being, how she was doing, and how many more children she gave birth to when i was away! She answered by making me feel as if i was there like on any other day during my student days, and 7 years seemed like just 7 hours. This realization gave me new energy and i hopped on to the stage to get started on the practice session...just like good old days!
We had an interesting stage partitioning: two small elevated platforms on right and left, leaving a central lower stage. The elevated platforms were used for the Mythological characters, their entry and exit, and the current times were depicted in the central stage. A massive 9' X 16' LED screen formed the backdrop through the play, settings seamlessly changed with the change in scenes. The video on the LED and the audio were synchronized and a major portion of scene changes were taken care of effortlessly! However, creating the video on the LED was a humongous task in itself, and only my good friend Madhusudan knows how difficult or easy it is to render the videos without glitches! The people who gave the LED support were very nice people from Bangalore; very cooperative, and enthusiastic.
All the artistes who were part of the play were very energetic and cooperative. This is one of the critical success factors i should admit, coz putting up a play in just 4 days (!) can be very difficult if people did not cooperate. The only reason people cooperated was simply because it was a play to be staged in front of Swami! End of discussion!
Costumes and make-up support was provided by Veteran Actress Anjali Devi's own group. Their long experience in the Telugu film industry was very evident in the way they worked. Especially the Yama, Jambavan, and other Vanara costumes stole the show!
Another important department that did its duty with out much ado was the sets team headed by Floor manager Let. Comm. Krispal and Asst. Floor manager Kallu. They were ably supported by many energetic people, and their work is really commendable!
The final formation song was another piece of gem. The composer, the singers, and the musicians really did a wonderful job!
The icing on top was the lights that were put together almost at the eleventh hour. Lights had to be hired from Bangalore on the eve of the final staging when it was realized by the Director that the light already available were not enough. But the team lead by Pandu proved that they were THE men for the job and did an amazing job at such a short notice.
Last but not the least, general support and refreshments department did a silent but amazing job. Murali and Manoj made our practice sessions truly enjoyable by making available some choicest dishes from the Hostel kitchen: Ground Nut Chutney, Potato Rice, Tomato Rice, and Lemon Rice.
I sincerely hope that staging a drama becomes a part of every year's Alumni Meet. If not for anything, at least for the Joy of Theatre, and its fulfilment in front of Swami!
posted by Solitude at 11:23 PM
3 Comments:
Hey you said it all so well ...I really hope that we could do more of these ...atleast to remind ourselves that we are still alive and vibrant !
A dream opportunity...am sure it gave us all so much to think about!!..am yet to get over that day..I dont want to!:-)
..truly honoured...blessed!!
You had properly covered all the points to be mentioned!
- THE highlight of performing before Swami;
- the 'refreshments'; :)
and the most important aspect that cannot be really put in words:
- what you feel when you get on to the auditorium stage!
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