Theatre, when played out in the open, is always teeming with exciting possibilities. Gobardanga Naksha, on being invited by the organisers of Karigar Haat (December 18-25), travelled to Golf Green Central Park to perform Kabira Khada Bazar Mein (picture) at the inaugural function of the National Art & Cultural Festival. Premiering a few months ago, Naksha has been staging this adaptation of the Bhisham Sahni play at its studio theatre ever since. However, the group, led by Ashis Das, displayed remarkable flexibility in adapting the play to the open-air ambiance of
a bazar.
Das made the audience sit in a semi-circle. The live musicians, often doubling up as actors, settled at the edge of the performance arena. All the possible entry and exit points, including a few from amidst the audience, were utilised as the Naksha members recreated a sense of 15th century-Varanasi with appropriate sound effects, moves, and costumes.
Back in 1981, Sahni found a perfect spokesperson for communal harmony and social justice in Kabir (played alternatively by Dipanwita Banik Das and Bhumisuta Das). Naksha worked out a multilingual script while putting emphasis on the physical dynamics of street theatre. Thus, in spite of ambient noise and flat light of the park, the message of Kabira Khada Bazar Mein was conveyed quite convincingly. The singing of dohas, especially “Moko kahan dhunde re bande”, which was used as a leitmotif, left the audience craving for more.
Bengali theatre’s knack for appropriating the celebrated plays of the post-colonial times saw a fulfilling treatment in Buniyadpur Sahachali’s adaptation of Habib Tanvir’s Charandas Chor. Bratajit Saha, the director, took a cue from Antara Chatterjee’s Bengali translation and then banked on Nimai Sarkar’s expertise in khan, the indigenous performing tradition of South Dinajpur, complete with masks and costumes. The outcome was refreshing and true to the purpose. Although this reviewer saw it at Girish Mancha recently, the naivete and the excitement of an open-air performance were adequately conveyed.
