a scene from the play Marthdante Swapnangal,
The monthly theater festival organized by the Bank Employees Art Movement (BEAM) and Ernakulam Karayogam in the city on Thursday will see the works of Thuppettan, two well-known Malayalam theater artistes, being staged.
Nooru Shatmanam Zindabad And Marthdante SwapnangalWritten by Thuppettan in the 1970s (during the Emergency), has been adapted into 45-minute plays by Malappuram-based Little Earth Theatre.
M. Subramaniam Namboodiri, better known by his pseudonym Thuppettan, was awarded the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 2003. vannanthe kaanam, a collection of ten comedic plays. It is the sarcastic nature of Thuppettan’s language that attracted Arun Lal, the director of the plays. “The themes of both the plays are relevant to this day and it was a pleasant process to adapt them for the stage. The plays entertain as well as make people think,” says Arun Lal. The plays are performed by six actors Will be done with minimum props.
While ‘Martandante…’ is based on a young man’s struggle with his dreams and reality, ‘Nooru Shatmanam…’ is based on the irrationality of belief. “Marthandan has just completed his education and is dreaming of getting a job, but the reality is quite different. Unable to get hold of himself, Marthandan oscillates between his dream state and reality. This sense of disillusionment is true for our times as well.’
The group has also staged two plays at other venues. “However, each time it is different. The space and the audience greatly influence a performance. The drama evolves with each performance,” says Arun Lal. The play is adapted in such a way that it is suitable for any kind of venue – be it a stage, or an open area. Actors improvise according to the space, says Arun.
Little Earth Theatre, an amateur theater collective formed by a group of fans, has been actively performing for the past 18 years. It is currently performing eight plays at various places in the state.
The plays will be staged on March 24 at 6.30 pm in TDM Hall