Even as the mythologically inspired, dramatic worlds of playwright and actor Girish Karnad’s Nagamandala, Hayavadana, Yayati, and Tughlaq continue to capture the attention and imaginations of playgoers and practitioners alike, with regular performances in the city, a staging of Wedding Album is, perhaps, a rare sight. One of the last plays he penned before his demise in 2019, Wedding Album will be performed at Bangalore International Centre on July 9 and Ranga Shankara on July 30.
“While Karnad was known for his mythological plays, he wrote urban stories in contemporary settings towards the end of his life. In this one, he takes on the institution of weddings and how the whole thing, with cultural sanction, has become absurd and nobody’s questioning it,” explains play director Kishore Acharya.
Wedding Album gives a glimpse into the house of a middle-class family in the 2000s, looking for a perfect match for their 21-year-old daughter. Their only condition: he must be in the US (United States). Through the ridiculous scenarios arising from the set-up and as the relationships between members of the family are unravelled, Karnad satirises arranged marriage, and the institution at the centre of all the chaos: caste.
“You’re talking about an educated, upper-middle-class, ‘upper caste’ home. It’s absurd that in the pursuit of getting their daughter married to someone in the US, they are willing to let go of a lot of things. The whole thing is hinging on the fact that the girl will pack up her life here and go live with someone she’s met 24 hours ago. The only tick mark is that he’s from the same caste and class,” says Acharya, adding that the play delves into the inter-generational relationships within the family.
“There are no heroes or moments of rebellion by younger characters. In the end, he shows that there is no difference and that we haven’t evolved further. A lot of people can interpret it as hopeless, but it is showing a mirror to society.”
Put together by Courtyard Koota as a community theatre initiative, 13 of the 14 actors are members of the community, prepped over the course of four-and-a-half months. “We wanted to have a dialogue with the community through the production. And with newcomer actors, the process also needs to be wholesome – we started with basic exercises, understanding of theatre, a lot of theory, then speaking and learning how to embody the character,” he shares.
Despite being performed in English, Acharya notes that the Kannada-ness of the play is a distinctive feature of the script, explaining, “We have brought in a sense of Kannada, interspersing the English with a dash of the local language whenever there is an emotional moment. With this interpretation, we’ve also tried to keep it light, because if the serious topic is said too seriously, it becomes a sermon.”