QUEEN’S ROAD:An original play based on the letters Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore exchanged over a 25-year period, The Prophet and the Poet channels a manuscript written by Shailesh Parekh. Director Vijay Padaki of Bangalore Little Theatre shares how he turned a series of letters into a script fit for the stage.
What challenges did you face?
I needed to work on a stageable version from the manuscript, which was too archival originally. We then put the team (the cast of the play) through their paces, to get them to interpret the script in their own way - it had to be completely effortless, rather than appear like acting.
How did you add drama to a series of letters?
We decided very early on that there would be three people on stage - a narrator, as well as the voices of Gandhi and Tagore. The narrator’s role is to keep connecting the story to the present. We also wanted to make the narrator a woman, to create more of a contrast on stage. She has an extremely important role, as she connects the characters and performs the ‘time stitching’
How big is the cast that you’ve assembled?
Because of the amount of interest we’ve had in this production, we’ve assembled a cast of nine - so we have three people capable of performing each role at any time.
Did you use all of the material, or focus on particular areas?
We decided to focus on a few major themes in the material, as the play needed a focus, and to not venture in too many different directions. It also needed to be relevant. What became our focus was this: here are two great personalities who differ on almost every subject imaginable, but they maintain a genuine and enduring respect for one another. This is a political maturity that we have lost in the present scenario, so the audience can relate to it.
How hard is it for actors to play such iconic figures?
To make the actors not directly portray Gandhi and Tagore was one of the most important decisions that we made. Instead, the cast is presented as a group of three friends exploring this collection of letters. Each actor is then, in a way, playing themselves, but on occasions they get carried away and slip ‘into the character’. This is a very difficult style of acting to perfect, but works well here.
Free event: At the Alliance Francaise May 15 and 31.
Call: 40808181