Four artists of Undercurrent Theatre Company in Boorloo-Perth, Australia, are presently in Thiruvananthapuram to collaborate with The Art Workers, a Hyderabad-based theatre group run by two Malayalis.
A work-in-progress presentation of the collaboration will be held in the city this weekend. “The project came about when we got a grant — Maitri Cultural Partnerships Grants — from the Centre for Australia-India Relations. The grant facilitates us to come up with a new work by exchanging our processes and artistic practices,” says Samuel Gordon Bruce, a founder of Undercurrent Theatre Company. Other Company members who are part of the production are Scarlet Rose, Cam Appleby and David Stewart.
The Art Workers has been founded by Prajith K Prasad and Ramith Ramesh, both students of Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI) in Singapore. “The production can be put under the genre of physical theatre, based on themes such as passports, airports, travel, journey etc. Except for David, the other three have come to our school [ITI] as part of an exchange programme. Our interaction about our work eventually led to this joint venture after they got the grant,” says Prajith.
The multidisciplinary project will see the groups sharing their practices — like Koodiyattam and Kalaripayattu from an Indian context with the contemporary physical theatre style of Undercurrent, he says.
(From left) Prajith K Prasad, Cam Appleby, David Stewart, Scarlet Rose, Samuel Gordon Bruce and Ramith Ramesh
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The work-in-progress presentation also intends to understand whether the audience is able to connect with the production.
Audience’s perspective
“Work-in-progress presentations are rare in Kerala. Here, we have an invited audience who can take part in a question-answer session after the performance. Physical theatre involves a lot of images and stories and we want to see if the audience can relate to them,” says Ramith, a Koodiyattam practitioner. He adds, “Instead of just putting it in words, we are physicalising everything and want to see if the audience is on the same page. We are not limiting their imagination as they are also made part of the stories we are presenting.”
Changes and suggestions will be incorporated, if needed, into the work when The Art Workers travels to Australia for a two-week session in January. The final work, probably a one-hour production, will be staged in Perth next year.
“It is a team effort, which is non-hierarchical, with all of us contributing. There would be no costume or set except for the basic lighting. We primarily work with the human body, the actor’s tool,” adds Prajith.
Members of The Art Workers and Undercurrent Theatre Company during the rehearsal
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Undercurrent, formed in 2020, has been focussing on movement theatre while exploring a wide range of themes. “We usually work on separate projects and it is after a while that we are collaborating in the same space,” says Scarlet, who has worked in productions based around themes such as feminism and queer politics. David, a sound designer and composer, is also into contemporary theatre productions. “We experiment a lot which also involves upskilling our practice. So all of us can do a little bit of everything,” adds Cam.
The Art Makers was conceptualised by Prajith and Ramith after they graduated from ITI. “It is the result of seven years of working together. We are a young venture and it is a privilege to have got this grant to work towards something concrete. We have known Sam for many years as we have travelled and attended workshops together. Hopefully this is the beginning of a new journey for all of us,” says Prajith.
The work-in-progress presentation is at Lenin Balavadi, Vazhuthacaud, on December 16, 6pm to 8pm.
