Alliance Francaise de Bangalore (in association with Ahum and Theatre Nisha) is hosting a festival of five one-woman plays from July 31. Here is the schedule
The Peacock Prince
The Peacock Prince chronicles the journey of Amba, who after being rejected by Bhishma for marriage, vows to kill him. Shiva, impressed by her earnest pleas, blesses her with the fulfilment of her desire in her next birth. Reborn as Shikhandi to Drupad, the daughter is raised as a son till she meets the Yaksha, with whom she exchanges genders. The epic battle of Kurukshetra then witnesses Shikhandi, as the son of Drupad, fighting for the Pandavas and ultimately facilitating the death of Bhishma. The course of the fulfilment of Amba’s vow through birth, rebirth and sexual transformation is conceptualised as a dance-dialogue that seamlessly amalgamates the spoken word with Bharatanatayam to highlight the multitude of sensibilities of the character
Actor: Anuradha Venkataraman
Script, design and direction:
V.Balakrishnan
Language: English
Duration: 70 mins
Date: July 31
Time: 7: 30 pm
Mata Hari
This is the retelling of the controversial tale of Mata Hari, an exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy during the First World War. She was eventually executed by a firing squad in France under charges of espionage for Germany. The script written by V. Balakrishnan, has been inspired by several biographies written on the cult figure, one of them being the bestseller, Femme Fatale: Love, Lies and the Unknown Life of Mata Hari by Pat Shipman.
Actor: Shakthi Ramani
Script, design and direction: V.Balakrishnan
Language: English
Duration: 70 mins
Date: August 1
Time: 7:30 pm
Apradhini
Apradhini is a narration of four stories from ‘Apradhini: Women Without Men, written by Shivani Gaura Pant (translated into English by Ira Pande). The stories are real-life experiences of the author with women who have been imprisoned and given life sentences for crimes that include murder, dacoity and armed robbery. As an invitee to one of the prisons on the occasion of Holi, she journals the tales of the women she meets.
Actor: Meera Sitaraman
Design and direction: V.Balakrishnan
Language: English
Duration: 70mins
Date: August 2
Time: 7:30 pm
Amrapali
Amrapali was the most famous woman of her times .The state's courtesan who entertained men at her house with dance and music and poetry. At a time when Magadha, Vaishali, Kaushambi, Gandhara and Kosala were fighting for supremacy, Gautama Buddha and Mahavira were advocating a fresh path of life. And then Amrapali and Buddha met.
Actor: Janani Narasimhan
Script, design and direction:
V.Balakrishnan
Language: English
Duration: 70mins
Date: August 1
Time: 5:30 pm
Singarevva And The Palace
Singarevva and the Palace written by Chandrashekhara Kambara is a story set in a village in North Karnataka. It is the tale of a beautiful woman whose life is repeatedly commodified and manipulated by her greedy father, an impotent husband and an obsessive lover. Her desire to be a wife and a mother is never fulfilled, while she faces public humiliation for her supposed barrenness. A lifetime of disappointments and frustrations make Singarevva a bitter woman who finds her own way to exact revenge on her abusers.
Actor: Taruna Jamalamadaka
Direction: V.Balakrishnan
Language: English
Duration: 70 mins
Date: August 2
Time: 5:30 pm