Rangashankara
Despite having heard so much about it, and living fairly close to it, had never really managed to overcome inertia and drag meself down to Rangashankara (nice site, but only works for me on IE ) until last weekend. Have to thank sandykins for some gentle prodding in that general direction.
Arundati Nag had made it her virtual raison d'etre, and all that passion really shows - it's a spectacular venue, built amphitheatre style, with free seating (a nice, somewhat egalitarian touch) and superb acoustics. sandykins and I had gone to see a Girish karnad written and directed play - Bikhre Bimb. We have a little progressive play reading group, and have read a few Girish Karnad plays, so was pretty inspiring to see and talk to the man in person. A struggling Kannada writer has had her first major break with a novel in English that draws a sizeable advance from a notable publisher, and is interviewed on television. She is then forced to confront her own tv image, and the ensuing dialogue is the substance of the play, essentially a one-person one-room performance.
It takes a special actor to pull off that sort of thing, and Arundathi Nag certainly fit the bill and the role. I don't know if it's her love for this particular stage, but whatever it is she certainly has superb stage presence to go with her considerable acting skills, and seems a perfectly approachable person as well. Good theatre always provokes and challenges, this did all that and then some. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable evening, and a highly recommended experience..
Arundati Nag had made it her virtual raison d'etre, and all that passion really shows - it's a spectacular venue, built amphitheatre style, with free seating (a nice, somewhat egalitarian touch) and superb acoustics. sandykins and I had gone to see a Girish karnad written and directed play - Bikhre Bimb. We have a little progressive play reading group, and have read a few Girish Karnad plays, so was pretty inspiring to see and talk to the man in person. A struggling Kannada writer has had her first major break with a novel in English that draws a sizeable advance from a notable publisher, and is interviewed on television. She is then forced to confront her own tv image, and the ensuing dialogue is the substance of the play, essentially a one-person one-room performance.
It takes a special actor to pull off that sort of thing, and Arundathi Nag certainly fit the bill and the role. I don't know if it's her love for this particular stage, but whatever it is she certainly has superb stage presence to go with her considerable acting skills, and seems a perfectly approachable person as well. Good theatre always provokes and challenges, this did all that and then some. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable evening, and a highly recommended experience..