A tribute to the moon

moonfool

Sensing the deep connection between menstrual cycles and lunar cycles, ancient people believed that women had 'magical moon blood' in them, which was used to create life and so, we were all descendents of the moon. This and many other ideas connected to the celestial object are part of the devised performance, Moonfool that will be staged at Prithvi this evening. Produced by Shapeshift and directed by Sujay Saple - his second play post Unselfed in 2012 - this event marks Moonfool's first public performance. "As a visual motif, the moon has always fascinated me. While the sun represents permanence, the moon is constantly changing and as a result, more mystical with a dark side," says Saple, justifying the reason for devising a performance around the moon.

The 75-minute show, that explores the impossible love story between human being and the moon through ages, comprises of different sections including a theatrical performance, dance as well as text-heavy narratives. "The sections explore the human cycle of love, loss and longing as well as aspects like control, hypnosis, lunacy (the word comes from lunar) and finally, finding the moon within oneself," adds the director.

Artistes exploring different elements of the moon in Moonfool

The narrative has been derived from three broad areas of research - the depiction of moon in fiction, rituals associated with it and the scientific phenomena revolving around it. "We read about Chinese, Japanese, African and Indian folktales and poems revolving around the moon. We've also used short stories by writer Italo Calvino. We researched about the pagan practices, witchcraft, and rituals like Karva Chauth as well as first Hindu calendars, which were lunar calendars. Finally, the scientific phenomena like eclipses, tides, magnetism, etc, are also included in the performance," he sums up.

On: Today (9 pm) and March 25 (6 pm and 9 pm)
At: Prithvi Theatre, 20, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road.
Call: 26149546
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