Anubhava @ IIHS

No Rest in the Kingdom
12 January 2017 | Theatre Performance | Anubhava@IIHS

‘No Rest in the Kingdom’ is a devised theatre work that deals with the daily hilariousness and annoyances of being a woman in this country, and almost anywhere. This humourous performance presents realities of ‘this gender thing’ that seems to baffle urban men and women. The intention is not to make light of issues but to highlight the difficulties of gender inequality in India.

Devised and performed by: Deepika Arwind

Rising Spiral
31 March 2017 | Theatre Performance | Anubhava@IIHS

Rising Spiral is a solo performance by Kate Black-Regan. It uses spoken word, song and characterisation to move through a dreamscape of eccentric characters and personal, political and universal stories. The piece transitions seamlessly from ridiculous comedy to honest expression, exploring concepts of identity, struggle, freedom and growth.

Kate Black-Regan is a performance artist, vocalist, poet, and counselor engaged in expressive art therapies. She collaborates with a wide range of experimental theatre companies and bands in and around Philadelphia, has led workshops on power and creativity, and composed a one-woman show that travels with her on the road.

How Cow Now Cow
7 July 17 | Theatre Performance | Anubhava@IIHS

IIHS in association with Sandbox Collective hosted a performance for over 40 students from Poornaprajna Education Centre, Sadashivnagar. ‘How Cow Now Cow’ is a story of Rosamma the cow who scolds, rants, raves and makes life miserable for all the other animals on a beautiful farm. A group of actors combine storytelling, object theatre and shadow puppetry to tell a compelling tale of patience, love, adventure and imagination.

Origami Workshop
14 October 2017 | Workshop | Anubhava@IIHS

Origami is the art of paper folding. It involves the creation of paper figures and decorative shapes, using folding techniques. This workshop, conducted by Krishna Panyam, began with a presentation on the origin of Origami, followed by a practical session. Krishna has been practising Origami for over 10 years and has exhibited his art at the Japan Habba (Bengaluru’s Japanese Cultural festival).

Park
17 November 2017 | Theatre Performance | Anubhava@IIHS

‘Park’ —a play about three men, three benches and a park, located just about anywhere. An inevitable squabble for the choicest of seats. Each man’s claim seems to be the most fundamental and, as always, there’s never enough room for everyone. On the face of it, Park is a comedy play about three men in a park fighting for their individual space. However, the playful banter turns into a serious skirmish with the potential to escalate into violence as questions of space, territory and ownership become fraught with tension.

Documentary Theatre; What’s that?
22 January 2016 | Curated Conversation | Anubhava@IIHS

It is said that “Documentary theatre sits at the intersection of art and politics and can be seen as a catalyst for social change”. Corinne Maier, in conversation with Anuja Ghosalkar, discussed what really goes into the making of ‘documentary theatre’.

About Corinne Maier

The Swiss director and performer Corinne Maier studied Cultural Sciences and Aesthetic Practice at the University of Hildesheim in Germany until 2009. Since then, she has remained committed to creating her own performances in a range of contexts, including a series of solos on the philosophy she has devised.

Corinne Maier is part of the theatre collective ‘magic garden’. Her work as a director is mainly settled in the field of Documentary Theatre. She likes bringing the world ‘outside’ the theatre, on stage. ‘Past Is Present’ and ‘Like A Prayer’ are two of her latest projects.

Aatagalu
23 January 2016 | Workshop | Anubhava@IIHS

IIHS and Kavade, a Toy Hive hosted a session of traditional games for students from Poornaprajna’s Primary School in Sadashivanagar, who participated in this event along with their parents and some with their grandparents. The objective of this session was to encourage students to connect with their culture and heritage through a time of fun and learning.

Identity
29 January 2016 | Facilitated Discussion | Anubhava@IIHS

Socrates’ Last Stand is a unique experience that gives people the opportunity to question the ways in which they think and engage with each other. Over the course of two hours, Meta-Culture’s facilitators and performers explore with the audience things about the world that are normally taken for granted. The theme this session is Identity. What is ‘identity’ to you? Why is it important? Or not? Is identity something to be created, or discovered? Can you lose it after having found it? What aspects of your identity are most important to you, and why? Have you ever had an “identity crisis”? Have you ever asked yourself: “Who am I”? The session explored this simple, powerful and yet complex idea.

Love
12 February 2016 | | Facilitated Discussion | Anubhava@IIHS

What exactly is love? What is the difference between being “in love” and “loving” someone? Are there different kinds of love? If so, what are they? And how are they different? How do you know you are in love? What does falling in love feel like? What is it like to fall out of love? Is love just a sensation caused by chemicals in the limbic part of the brain or is it something else? Does love require sacrifice, an extinguishing of the self? Or is it transcendental?

Socrates’ Last Stand is a unique experience that gives people the opportunity to question the ways in which they think and engage with each other. Over the course of two hours, Meta-Culture’s facilitators and performers explore with the audience things about the world that are normally taken for granted. The theme for this session is Love.

De Sidere 7
18 February 2016 | Film Screening | Anubhava@IIHS

De Sidere 7 is an experimental work that interweaves performance, dance, poetry, storytelling and text to reflect upon aspects of desire. The film scripts the work of Deepak Srinivasan, Joshua Muyiwa, Shabari Rao, Tsohil Bhatia and Niranjani Iyer into a sensorially rich meditation on desire’s vexed status as at once, animating force, object of suspicion and ground of contention. De Sidere 7 is conceived as a videocontemplation: a formally plural, multilayered composition intended to be experienced as an integrated whole.

Lady Anandi
11 March 2016 | Documentary Theatre Performance | Anubhava@IIHS

Lady Anandi is a performance text written by Anuja Ghosalkar, a story of an actor-writer who is haunted by the ghost of her maternal great grandfather— a female impersonator in regional Indian Theatre in the late 1800s.

It is based on extensive research and the performance uses archival material to create artistic work. The text was written during Anuja’s month long residency at Art Lab Gnesta, Sweden. It is a documentary theatre piece and will be showcased as a work in progress.

Lady Anandi is a story of an Indian woman actor called F, who is haunted by the ghost of her maternal great grandfather every time she goes on stage. But when she finally encounters him, he is dressed as a woman, in a blood red, silk saree, essaying the role of Lady Anandi. Lady Anandi—a controversial 18th century Indian historical figure, who forced her husband to become a murderer for power.

F tries to imagine her great grandfather’s life, playing women’s parts in the theatre by looking at his photos, and trying to reenact characters he essayed. This leads F to question some of the characters she is made to play in current times. Unsure of what being a woman really means, F looks to her great grandfather’s gestures, stance, gait and gaze. Can F, play a lady convincingly? Or will she be caught faking it? F’s fascination for moustaches, especially long, black, thick ones complicate matters even more.

Lady Anandi— an exploration of a personal archive brings together elements like performance, history, early photography and gender. It is a quirky, absurd and historical look at how to act like a lady in a man’s world.

How Cow Now Cow
15 April 2016 | Theatre Performance | Anubhava@IIHS

Rosamma the cow is fast turning into an unbearable pain. She scolds, she rants and raves and makes life miserable for all the other animals on the beautiful farm. Find out what happens to Rosamma when she’s sent off on a long journey to a mysterious country far, far away.

A group of actors combine storytelling, object theatre and shadow puppetry to tell a compelling tale of patience, love, adventure and imagination.

Adapted from: ‘Rosemarie the Cow’ by Andri Beyeler
Performed by : Sachin Gurjale, Rency Philip and Abubakar Siddiq / Anirudh Mahesh
Directed by : Vinod Ravindran

Whose Water is it Anyway?
30 April 2016 | Workshop | Anubhava@IIHS

Facilitators from Ever After use creative techniques to engage with children. During this 90-min. session, participants explored everyday topics through story and activities. The theme was ‘Water’. Children aged 8–12 years participated in this session.

Gender in Performance
27 May 2016 | Curated Conversation | Anubhava@IIHS

This conversation explored the idea of drag kings—those fabulous women who impersonate men on stage. The cast of TAPE shared video excerpts from their work and were in conversation with Nisha Susan—Editor, The Ladies Finger.

TAPE, presented by Sandbox Collective in association with The Patchworks Ensemble, is a play that explores the idea of drag kings. Originally produced by the Gaysi Family the show was devised by Vikram Phukan, Rachel D’Souza, Sheena Khalid, Ratnabali Bhatacharjee and Puja Sarup. The play is performed by a motley crew of women who revel in drag shows. This cabaret like show takes the audience into a grimy secret world that gives people the license to be whoever they want to be. Patchwork’s previous show ILA also explored the concept of gender fluidity.

A Radio of One’s Own
1 July 2016 | Film Screening | Anubhava@IIHS

The film is about two organisations from different worlds, which came together to build on a shared dream of bringing community radio to the remote Mandakini River Valley region of Rudraprayag District. Set in the hilly state of Uttarakhand, India, ‘A Radio of One’s Own’ locates the unique narratives of community members with the larger story of community radio in India.

This film by Shweta Radhakrishnan was a product of her time at People’s P.ow.e.r Collective and their 22 month embedded collaborative programme with the community based organisation Mandakini ki Aawaz 90.8 F.M.

Paper Quilling Workshop
2 July 2016 | Workshop | Anubhava@IIHS

Quilling is the art of rolling narrow strips of paper into coils or scrolls and arranging them to form elegant shapes or filigree. This workshop facilitated by Gizelle Rebello, began with a presentation on the origin of the art, followed by a practical session.

Dekho Magar Pyaar Se
29 July 2016 | Theatre Performance | Anubhava@IIHS

The world makes it quite clear that some people belong and some people simply don’t. All around us we see images of the ideal man and the ideal woman that oppress those of us who stray from the norm. This performance by Vikrant Dhote questions and transforms the images of hyper-masculinity and hyper-femininity that are forced upon us through Bollywood, advertisements and our families. It attempts to subvert our notions of masculinity and question our prejudices and desires in a playful and engaging manner.

Vikrant Dhote is a performer, writer and director based in Bombay. He is interested in creating work that centers around gender and sexuality.

Blank Page
17 August 2016 | Theatre Performance | Anubhava@IIHS

Blank Page is a celebration of the spoken word through 55 minutes of theatre, music, and movement. Poems written in English, Hindi, Marathi, and Kashmiri by some of India’s finest contemporary poets are interpreted by a group of multi-talented performers. Blank Page explores themes such as conflicted relationships, political resistance, identity and the intense act of writing itself.

Park
23 November 2016 | Theatre Performance | Anubhava@IIHS

‘Park’ —a play about three men, three benches and a park, located just about anywhere. An inevitable squabble for the choicest of seats. Each man’s claim seems to be the most fundamental and, as always, there’s never enough room for everyone. On the face of it, Park is a comedy play about three men in a park fighting for their individual space. However, the playful banter turns into a serious skirmish with the potential to escalate into violence as questions of space, territory and ownership become fraught with tension.

Musical Performance
2 December 2016 | Musical Performance | Anubhava@IIHS

IIHS presented a musical performance by Sitarist, Sangeet Ratna Prabir Bhattacharya and Tabla Player, Gurumurthy Vaidya.

Prabir Bhattacharya is one of the torchbearers of the new generation of Sitarists. He has been trained by the doyen of Maihar Gharana Pandit Deepak Choudhury, a senior disciple of Pandit Ravi Shankar. He has been awarded the title of “Sangeet Visharad” by the Pracheen Kala Kendra, Chandigarh.

If Freedom were a Cow it would be Moot!
6 March 2015 | Facilitated Discussion | Anubhava@IIHS

Socrates’ Last Stand is a unique experience that gives people the opportunity to question the ways in which they think and engage with each other. Over the course of two hours, Meta-Culture’s facilitators and performers explore with the audience things about the world that are normally taken for granted. The theme is the notion of Freedom. What exactly does it mean? What are our experiences with it? What are the implications for a world without freedom? The event begins with a performance followed by a facilitated discussion. Expect nothing, except for a deep and honest exploration.

Pottery Workshop
11 April 2015 | Workshop | Anubhava@IIHS

The objective of the workshop, facilitated by Clay Station, was to give participants a glimpse of the history of pottery, an understanding of the current structure of the ceramics industry in India and to encourage participants to give shape to their imagination while experiencing the joy of working with clay.

Stories of Ignorance and Profound Cluelessness
17 April 2015 | Facilitated Discussion | Anubhava@IIHS

Socrates’ Last Stand is a unique experience that gives people the opportunity to question the ways in which they think and engage with each other. Over the course of two hours, Meta-Culture’s facilitators and performers explore with the audience things about the world that are normally taken for granted. The theme is the notion of Ignorance. What exactly does it mean? What are our experiences with it? What are the implications for a world without ignorance? The session begins with a story-telling session followed by a facilitated conversation. Expect nothing, except for a deep and honest exploration.

Unlock Your Inner Clown
23 April 2015 | Workshop | Anubhava@IIHS

Puja Sarup has been fascinated by the idea of clowns and clowning for years. Her fascination has taken her on several adventures and journeys- from Footsbarn Travelling Theatre company in France to Helikos: Scuola Internazionale di Creazione Teatrale in Italy, where, among other things she learned clowning.

She has worked with directors like Atul Kumar and Rajat Kapoor and has won awards for her portrayal of Gertrude as a clown in the highly acclaimed play Hamlet: The Clown Prince which was performed across the world.

Puja Sarup facilitated a clowning workshop, sharing her clown story and telling participants why each of them must unlock their hidden clowns.

Oorali – their art, their music and their journeys
12 May 2015 | Musical Performance | Anubhava@IIHS

Oorali is a creative collective based out of Thrissur. They are a blend of actors, musicians, writers and visual artists who have come together to create relevant art experiences. The Oorali draws its inspiration from real life and portrays it through music, theatre and visuals. They sing in Malayalam, English and Spanish, and play guitar, bass, drums and various percussion instruments from around the world like djembe, cajon and wombo.

Origami Workshop
13 June 2015 | Workshop | Anubhava@IIHS

Origami is the art of paper folding. It involves the creation of paper figures and decorative shapes, using folding techniques. This workshop, conducted by Krishna Panyam, began with a presentation on the origin of Origami, followed by a practical session based on the theme ‘Wealth out of Waste’. Krishna has been practising Origami for over 10 years and has exhibited his art at the Japan Habba (Bengaluru’s Japanese Cultural festival).

Authenticity and the Self
3 July 2015 | Facilitated Discussion | Anubhava@IIHS

Socrates’ Last Stand is a unique experience that gives people the opportunity to question the ways in which they think and engage with each other. Over the course of two hours, Meta-Culture’s facilitators and performers explore with the audience things about the world that are normally taken for granted. The theme for this session is ‘Authenticity and the Self’.

Brutally honest explorations into the nature of everything – Knowledge, Peace, Success, Love and Facebook. Expect nothing, except for a deep and honest exploration!

Madbeth
26 August 2015 | Theatre Performance | Anubhava@IIHS

Amidst thunder and lightning, three witches meet with Beth and Banquo, from there on Beth tries his best to live up to all the prophesies with his imaginary friend Banquo. Together they narrate this murderous tale sincerely.
The Tragedy of Madbeth is a highly interactive physical comedy inspired by Shakespeare’s classic. A profound allegory that dissolves the space between observer and performer. The performance is a combination of slapstick, acrobatics, mime, songs and improvisations.

Madbeth is a devised theatre piece. It has been played for a wide range of audience in Europe, Israel, West Bank and India. The play was invited by UNESCO Centre for Peace to tour in USA 2012.
The play is written and performed by Rupesh Tillu. Rupesh Tillu is an actor, director and independent film-maker. He is the founder and artistic director of Theatreact. He has received several international theatre awards such as Outstanding Artist/Act- Stockholm Fringe Festival 2012, A Special Jury Award- Best of Prague Fringe Festival 2013 and many more.

A Tale of Two Treaties
29 October 2015| Theatre Performance | Anubhava@IIHS

A Tale of Two Treaties is a one-man Commedia Dell’Arte show where Deepal Doshi plays 10 different masks in a 70-minute performance. In this show, the actor is the master of the physical art of transformation through mask, and through his mastery transports the audience into the crazy world of Commedia where the primal drives of hunger, lust and greed rule the lives of its zany characters.

The show is highly physical and contains audience interaction. This is the only show of its kind in India. Deepal Doshi, a Mumbai based actor-creator, director and educator, is the only Indian artist currently performing this style of theatre in India.

Performed by: Deepal Doshi
Directed by: Kathryn Tabone

Dead Poets Society – Making Words Heard
20 November 2015 | Poetry Reading | Anubhava@IIHS

Dead Poets Society is curated and performed by Wordman – a performing arts initiative that has set out to revive the art of the spoken word through regular public readings and performances of the great, funny, moving, powerful, and sometimes terribly scandalous work of literature.

International Men’s Day was celebrated with a reading/performance of the work of male poets such as Byron, Shelley, Hughes, Nash, Cohen, Eliot, Dylan, Neruda, Lorca, Silverstein, Shakespeare, and many more.

Future
27 November 2015 | Facilitated Discussion | Anubhava@IIHS

Socrates’ Last Stand is a unique experience that gives people the opportunity to question the ways in which they think and engage with each other. Over the course of two hours, Meta-Culture’s facilitators and performers explore with the audience things about the world that are normally taken for granted. The theme for this session was ‘Future’. Participants explored experiences with understanding and conceptualising the future and the implications of a world where everyone only thinks of their own future.

Trivial Disasters
13 May 2014 | Theatre Performance | Anubhava@IIHS

Trivial Disasters is a series of hilariously funny and absurd sketches that take banal events and situations from everyday life and turn them upside down. The incidents and events that make up the sketches include; Proposal: A young man who is unable to complete his sentences when he wants to propose to his girlfriend; Interview: A talk show interview with an accomplished serial killer; Road Safety: A poet who is invited by the city municipal board to help compose road safety slogans; Kettle: A man who insists that his broken electric kettle is under the warranty period; Coming Out: a son who wants to reveal something important to his parents; Kidnap: A wife who wants to negotiate with the kidnappers of her husband; Confession: A young man who wants to confess in church but has nothing to confess.

Trivial Disasters takes episodes from daily life and subverts them into eight rib tickling sketches that play out human absurdities.

VK Murthy Retrospective
30 – 31 May 2014 | Film Screening | Anubhava@IIHS

IIHS Anubhava in association with Suchitra Film Society and Lace Films hosted a tribute to the legendary cinematographer, VK Murthy through screenings of his films.

The Suchitra Film Society screened three films, Baazi, Kaagaz Ke Phool and Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam between 23 and 25 May. For the second leg of the tribute, IIHS Anubhava screened Pyaasa on 30 May 2014 and Kaagaz ke Phool and Mr. and Mrs. 55 on 31 May 2014.

About V K Murthy

The first technician to be honoured with Dada Saheb Phalke award, V K Murthy was famous for his camera work in Guru Dutt’s classics like Pyaasa and Sahib, Bibi Aur Ghulam.

Murthy, credited to have shot India’s first cinemascope movie Kagaz Ke Phool, is best remembered for his stunning camera work for all films of legendary Guru Dutt.

His picturisation of the song Chaudavin ka Chand is still considered one of the best cinematographic works that Hindi cinema has seen. Murthy’s work spans four long decades, from his early collaboration with Guru Dutt in the 1950s to his work in Shyam Benegal’s mega-serial Bharat Ek Khoj and one of the most acclaimed Kannada movies titled Hoova Hannu in 1993.

The Rascal Quixote
13 June 2014 | Theatre Performance | Anubhava@IIHS

In an age where madmen become masters and the lines between the true and the false are damn fat, a writer spins a tale of a man who lives in a world of books. He declares himself a knight, roams the countryside terrorising people, but also amuses them and enlightens them. Two bumbling policemen follow on his trail. The writer despairs as the story of the rascal Quixote eats its tail. Will the knight never find love? Will he never deliver justice? More worryingly, will he miss his dinner? The play is inspired by Cervantes’ novel, The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha.

About Harami Theatre

Harami Theatre can loosely be described as a bunch of people who do some theatre, but can be more accurately described as a salty conglomerate. It was formed when a play called “Butter and Mashed Banana” needed a name for the people who were making it. Since then Harami Theatre has made some more plays.

Vaclav Havel’s: Unveiling
14 July 2014 | Theatre Performance | Anubhava@IIHS

Unveiling tells the story of a seemingly, happy and modern couple who have taken great pains to redecorate their home. They invite a friend for an ‘unveiling’ of their renovated home but unwittingly unveil a lot more than just their new home! This adaptation of Unveiling is a dark comedy about the lives we live, the spaces we inhabit and our need for clutter and approval.

Unveiling written by Czech Playwright Vaclav Havel is part of a set of 3 plays that is popularly known as the Vanek trilogy. The trilogy was written in the 1960’s as deeply ironic pieces against the soviet clampdown in what was then Czechoslovakia. This adaptation is set in today’s world and can be read as a very relevant social satire.

Koogu
22 August 2014 | Theatre Performance | Anubhava@IIHS

Koogu is a call, or a paean to invoke the warrior who resides in every being. Koogu is a series of vignettes based on real events, some of which that occurred in the performer’s life. A grandmother who considered dancing ‘cheap’ and not part of ‘our culture’; the church choir where boys and girls sang together in praise of God; the failed attempt at running the school marathon, and other life altering incidents in the personal realm are juxtaposed and examined in the light of a larger social and political context. Through these incidents, the performance explores the grey areas that exist within the psyche of every performer wherein the ‘character’ one is playing begins to merge with the personality of the ‘performer’.

Performed by: Anish Victor
Movement Dramaturgy: Michel Casanovas

ACT: Theatre Acting Workshop
23 August 2014 | Workshop | Anubhava@IIHS

This theatre workshop urged participants to explore the finer aspects of theatre – such as breath, voice, rhythm and body. The exploration happened within an atmosphere of fun and laughter, created through theater games and improvisation exercises. The workshop was facilitated by Anish Victor, a Bengaluru based theatre worker.

Fearless
12 September 2014 | Dance Performance | Anubhava@IIHS

Fearless is a movement art performance by The Storm Factory, a Bengaluru based dance collective.

Fearless depicts the many stages of fear faced by women in an inherently hostile world and is inspired by real life experiences. Avril has drawn upon a wide range of dance forms in her choreography of Fearless, combining traditional Indian styles with contemporary expression that is visually and emotionally innervating.

Bengaluru-based musician, Arjun Chandran has composed and produced a soundtrack that closely follows the aesthetic and rhythmic direction of the choreography.

Avril Stormy Unger is a dancer/choreographer and founder of The Storm Factory.

Veda Aggarwal’s Classical Guitar Recital
17 October 2014 | Musical Performance | Anubhava@IIHS

Veda Aggarwal played classical guitar with a focus on the Spanish Romantic composers. She began with Bach – a few pieces from his lute suites followed by a selection from the cello repertoire. This wias followed by the Tarrega collection including Capricho Arabe, and ended with Asturias by Isaac Albeniz. The music session was followed by an interaction with the artist on her art and life.

A Funny Thing Called Life
6 December 2014 | Theatre Performance | Anubhava@IIHS

When you’re busy living life from one deadline to the next, it’s sometimes hard to stop and smell the roses…but there’s one thing Life has an upper hand on – the unending possibility of laughter that it promises. The problem is… sometimes, you may just end up as the punch line. Tahatto’s ‘A Funny Thing Called Life’ is a vignette of 5 everyday situations we all encounter; the only difference being they quickly turn into a twisted, funny joke where you wonder how it came to this.

Written and Directed by: Prashanth Nair