CHENNAI: As kids, we would all have enacted our favourite characters, uttered dialogues, pretended to cast a spell, and just hidden in the deep crevices of some fantasy world. A world of magic, wands, apparitions, wizardry, witchcraft, friendships, goodness, and evil...sounds like familiar themes? The gothic-like building of Hogwarts School, echoes of the houses — Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin — the lessons, the professors, one would have at least once wished to vanish into this enchanting school and curriculum. Yes, the fantasy world of Harry Potter has seeped into our minds like the real world, becoming an inseparable part of many individuals.
A to Zee Creativity is gearing up to replicate this creation of JK Rowling and giving it a form of play, making grown-ups and children part of the seven books of Harry Potter.
Shaan Katari Libby, the director of the play, Harry Potter -The Entire Saga, says, “Each book is in a single play. The youngest Harry is in book one, and as the series continues, the oldest Harry is in book seven. While the kids keep changing in each series, adults remain the same.”
While each book has been abbreviated, the profound scenes have been retained. “He is back,” one of the iconic scenes that indicate Voldemort’s return, Shaan exemplifies is one among them. She ensures that the play has its main components covered.
Theatre, she says, is not a huge circle. The adults have been part of various theatrical troupes. “Kids,” Shaan says, “were selected based on their diction and performance”.
While the adults are enacting prominent characters like Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, Professor Snape, Voldemort, Sirius Black, and others, there are different casts of students and a total of 75 children. This is done as there are children of different age groups, with an intention that the spotlight is spread over all children, as Shaan puts it across. While the adults are adept at theatricals, the kids absorb these nuances and artistry like a fly on the wall.
The team has not just been diligently working on dialogues and expressions, but also on the stage and props. “As we are doing quick turnovers, we’ve got a few old-world things — the pencil, the goblet of fire, the furniture that worked for that period, some elements for the Hogwart-themed house and Platform nine and three-quarters.”
Shaan says with a tone of wonder that while there are small kids who are very new to the stage and acting, there are elder ones who are consciously devoted to the performance. “Everyone is into it. This mix of adults and kids is just perfect.” The zealous performances, the intuitive delivery of dialogues, the rigorous motions and gestures, are everyday scenes at rehearsals for Shaan.
A lawyer by profession, Shaan engages herself with children at A to Zee Creativity after her working days. She believes that “it is important to have an outlet for one’s creative energy. They might not pursue art as their profession, but it’s important to have something other than one’s studies or day job.”
The play will be staged at 6 pm on December 14 and 15 at MS Subbulakshmi Auditorium, Asian College of Journalism.