The first 2 shows over. The 6 pm show had an audience of around 60 (theatre capacity is 200) and the 9 pm show had over 150. (Incidentally we had Shashi Kapoor at the 6 pm show. He said he's coming again tomorrow.) Very satisfying for the first shows on a weekday. Still more satisfying were the standing ovations for both shows. After the shows many of us walked back along the beach to the apartment. Dinner was already set, thanks to Kaveri, and after eating some have settled down for a drink.
Past midnight. 2 shows coming up tomorrow - oops - today! Different play. More actors. The group has become such a wonderful community that there is always the underlying trust that we are going to enjoy working together - those on stage as well as the invaluable performers off stage. We also know that unexpected things will inevitably happen - brilliant enhancements and value additions, the discovery of new possibilities, as well as mistakes and blunders. But then, that is the magic of theatre - the uncertainty that leads to experiences beyond expectations.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Basheer Plays - The Prithvi Experience - 15 December 2009
Yesterday the group spent the entire day at Prithvi. It was a great feeling, seeing the pictures of great plays and great actors who have performed there over the decades. Our pictures were also put up alongside.
We are staying, all together _ nearly 18 of us in a 3 bedroom apartment on the beach. This has been given to us free of cost by an actor friend who is passionate about theatre. She owns a fleet of helicopters and the spacious apartment must be worth at least 8 to 10 crores at the least. She has given it to us to use with a computer connected to the internet, music system, lots of mattresses, a stack of bedsheets and pillow covers, a well stocked fridge, and a Nepali butler who makes delicious tea and buttered toast for us in the morning. (God bless her with a thousand performances, and thunderous applause.)
The tea and buttered toast is not breakfast. Breakfast and lunch are at Prithvi and we all eat together in between the rehearsals and run-throughs. Its a wonderful community experience. It is beautiful to see the entire group sleeping all over the floor, sharing 3 washrooms without anyone having to hurry anybody up (the group has been staying together for various shows across the years and are used to each other's timings and routines), partying together in the evenings, and moving together as one unit with the underlying, overriding commitment to the performances.
The apartment is just a 10 minute walk ON THE BEACH away from Prithvi. What more could we possibly ask for? It also helps with the fitness routine. I and several others go for a walk-cum-jog on the beach around 6.30 in the morning. Here again groups club together based on shared preferences in terms of speed, distance, and direction.
Prithvi has a well stocked cafeteria - wide variety of food and beverages and very reasonably priced. Many well known people use the place to meet, plan productions, discuss theatre and other arts, or just chill out. Its got a certain ambience and you can sense that the people who come there respect the place. A special attraction is a very dignified elderly gentleman, with a grey pony-tail at the base of his shiny bald pate, who comes there religiously every evening, with a flute and a sruthi box. He sits on a parapet under a tree in one corner of the cafe, playing his flute, as some listen, some continue to chat, everyone respectfully and gratefully aware of the flute player. (May he play on for years to come).
Today is the first show day. Two shows. 6 pm and 9 pm. The tension lurks in the pit of the stomach. So won't be eating much today. Just enough to keep hunger away. It helps to have that lean feeling when the body needs to surrender to another character, a shared illusion, and 200 people who are watching every move, sharing and experiencing the dream that you and your co-actors are weaving with your physical forms and energy patterns.
Infinite magic. Profound meditation. Theatre is spirituality without the trappings and frills of 'holiness'.
Wish us luck. Wish the audience luck that they may have an unforgettable experience. Break a leg !
An excited, nervous, actor.
Paul
We are staying, all together _ nearly 18 of us in a 3 bedroom apartment on the beach. This has been given to us free of cost by an actor friend who is passionate about theatre. She owns a fleet of helicopters and the spacious apartment must be worth at least 8 to 10 crores at the least. She has given it to us to use with a computer connected to the internet, music system, lots of mattresses, a stack of bedsheets and pillow covers, a well stocked fridge, and a Nepali butler who makes delicious tea and buttered toast for us in the morning. (God bless her with a thousand performances, and thunderous applause.)
The tea and buttered toast is not breakfast. Breakfast and lunch are at Prithvi and we all eat together in between the rehearsals and run-throughs. Its a wonderful community experience. It is beautiful to see the entire group sleeping all over the floor, sharing 3 washrooms without anyone having to hurry anybody up (the group has been staying together for various shows across the years and are used to each other's timings and routines), partying together in the evenings, and moving together as one unit with the underlying, overriding commitment to the performances.
The apartment is just a 10 minute walk ON THE BEACH away from Prithvi. What more could we possibly ask for? It also helps with the fitness routine. I and several others go for a walk-cum-jog on the beach around 6.30 in the morning. Here again groups club together based on shared preferences in terms of speed, distance, and direction.
Prithvi has a well stocked cafeteria - wide variety of food and beverages and very reasonably priced. Many well known people use the place to meet, plan productions, discuss theatre and other arts, or just chill out. Its got a certain ambience and you can sense that the people who come there respect the place. A special attraction is a very dignified elderly gentleman, with a grey pony-tail at the base of his shiny bald pate, who comes there religiously every evening, with a flute and a sruthi box. He sits on a parapet under a tree in one corner of the cafe, playing his flute, as some listen, some continue to chat, everyone respectfully and gratefully aware of the flute player. (May he play on for years to come).
Today is the first show day. Two shows. 6 pm and 9 pm. The tension lurks in the pit of the stomach. So won't be eating much today. Just enough to keep hunger away. It helps to have that lean feeling when the body needs to surrender to another character, a shared illusion, and 200 people who are watching every move, sharing and experiencing the dream that you and your co-actors are weaving with your physical forms and energy patterns.
Infinite magic. Profound meditation. Theatre is spirituality without the trappings and frills of 'holiness'.
Wish us luck. Wish the audience luck that they may have an unforgettable experience. Break a leg !
An excited, nervous, actor.
Paul
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
"Enjoying Life"
In today's Times of India, Chennai edition, there is a stunning article. Its on page 13 - "23 yrs in 'coma' but conscious all the while".
Rom Houben, a Belgian, a car crash victim was thought to have been in a coma for the past 23 years, but was conscious all the time. He had no way of letting doctors know that he could hear every single word they were saying. "I dreamed myself away" says the now 46 year old Houben. "I screamed, but there was nothing to hear" . . . . "Frustration is too small a word to describe what I felt". Imagine the claustrophobia of being locked up, fully aware, fully alert, within your own seemingly lifeless body.
It is only recently that doctors realised that his brain was functioning almost completely normally, and that he was fully aware of what was happening around him.
Houben, the article says, is never likely to leave the hospital. But he now has a special device that allows him to read books while lying down, and is able to tap out messages on a computer screen.
All this is wonderful. But what goes beyond the realm of miracles, and wonderment is the attitude of this man. Says Houben,
"I shall never forget the day when they discovered what was truly wrong with me - it was my second birth. I want to read, talk with my friends via the computer and ENJOY MY LIFE now that people know I am not dead."
What a powerful lesson! The quality of life and enjoyment lies primarily within us, and not outside. For 23 years, imprisoned and lost to the world within his own seemingly lifeless body, Houben says he "dreamed of a better life". The power of the human spirit !!
Rom Houben, a Belgian, a car crash victim was thought to have been in a coma for the past 23 years, but was conscious all the time. He had no way of letting doctors know that he could hear every single word they were saying. "I dreamed myself away" says the now 46 year old Houben. "I screamed, but there was nothing to hear" . . . . "Frustration is too small a word to describe what I felt". Imagine the claustrophobia of being locked up, fully aware, fully alert, within your own seemingly lifeless body.
It is only recently that doctors realised that his brain was functioning almost completely normally, and that he was fully aware of what was happening around him.
Houben, the article says, is never likely to leave the hospital. But he now has a special device that allows him to read books while lying down, and is able to tap out messages on a computer screen.
All this is wonderful. But what goes beyond the realm of miracles, and wonderment is the attitude of this man. Says Houben,
"I shall never forget the day when they discovered what was truly wrong with me - it was my second birth. I want to read, talk with my friends via the computer and ENJOY MY LIFE now that people know I am not dead."
What a powerful lesson! The quality of life and enjoyment lies primarily within us, and not outside. For 23 years, imprisoned and lost to the world within his own seemingly lifeless body, Houben says he "dreamed of a better life". The power of the human spirit !!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Opening Post
I already have 2 blogs. One for my "CorporateTheatre" facilitation notes, experiences, and learning. The other is for my poetry. However, I have often felt the need to note down a passing thought or share a passing experience. This blog is purely for sharing random thoughts and insights without any concern about style, content, or relevance. Just to express myself. As for the name, the two signficant activities that I involve myself in are Facilitation, and Theatre. I see myself in terms of my work as primarily an Actor and as a Facilitator. FacilitActor is an attempt to capture both in one identity.
Will write the next post when I feel the need to express or share something.
Will write the next post when I feel the need to express or share something.
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