Archive Material May-July 2005

The best of May-July 2005

Just wrapped up a theatre fest at IHC. It was pretty hectic, but PG and I had loads of fun and made loads of new friends (who will hopefully help further our theatre interests...muahahahahaha) The week just flew by, and now we are left wondering what we're gonna do for the rest of the summer holz. I don't think any of us is capable of sticking to a job ;) , so decided to start looking for scripts for our next production. Also looking forward to our play in July at IHC and IIC. Started on publicity work for that, as well as arranging sets, etc...

I realized I can be quite relentless in my search for books sometimes, be it a fancy bookstore or a roadside stall selling second-hands...you never know where you might find a treasure...

Been busy lately...with rehearsal for the play! The countdown to showtime has begun! Exactly 26 days left. Seems like a long time, but trust me, it ain't! There's SO much work to do and no sponsors in sight!
On other fronts, we are making a lot of progress. Also, the search for scripts for next play is moving along nicely. How i wish I could share more details with you all, but alas, there is the competition to consider! What if our trade secrets were leaked?
We also managed to pull through some major issues, namely 2 actresses dropping out from the production, last-minute! But we found replacements in 24 hrs. How good are we? :)


Press Release-written by moi...

The English Dramatics Society of Miranda House presents its adaptation of “The House of Bernarda Alba” by Federico Garcia Lorca, directed by Sohaila Kapur.

The House of Bernarda Alba is Federico Garcia Lorca's last play, written the year he was killed, at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. The play expresses what Lorca, often called the “finest Spanish playwright of the twentieth century”; saw as the tragic life of Spanish women. This adaptation of Lorca’s masterpiece is set in Old Delhi, before Partition. The characters, all women, exist in a cloistered household, managed by a newly widowed mother of five daughters. Under the shadow of strict religious doctrines and the tyranny bred from a need to protect the reputation of the family, the matriarch represses her daughters by enforcing an eight-year mourning period. The tensions build rapidly among the imprisoned women, with a demented grandmother playing a role resembling that of a Greek chorus. The powerful features of this work include its terse dialogue and growing tensions, which are relentlessly sustained until the dramatic climax, and the hint of madness and impending chaos that surrounds the characters, who are constantly in conflict. This is a study in family relationships under the strain of culturally and socially imposed taboos, regarding sexuality and the self-determination of women. The House of Bernarda Alba might be seen as the tragedy of virginity, of Indian women who will never have the opportunity to choose a husband. It is also a play expressing the costs of repressing the freedom of others.
The play had its stage premiere nearly a decade after Lorca's death, in the same year in which it was published. The House of Bernarda Alba continues to be revived and read all over the world, in both Spanish and English productions. Its setting is specific to the values and customs of a rural Spanish people, but the play's appeal is universal rather than national.

I must say, the play was an absolute success. For all of you who came to see it, thank you dahlings! It was a great show...sold out both days! The audis were packed and people came for tickets even after they were sold out..no jokes! I would like to thank everybody in the cast and crew, without whom this would not have been possible...you all know how hard you worked and we all deserve a pat on the back...so here it is-pat! It's a weird mix of happiness and relief...Relief that nothing went horribly wrong, and that it all worked out in the end! Happiness because of the unexpected success of the show. I truly didn't think all the tickets would sell, but I guess i underestimated us! As a last toot on our trumpet, I would like to mention that we were interviewed by Aaj Tak, and we appeared not once, not twice, but all day on TV yesterday, during the hourly bulletins :D yay! Toot!