07 April,2011 08:42 AM IST | | Sudeshna Chowdhury
Don't miss tram theatre group's presentation of object theatre, which uses a paper boat, a globe and a human figure made of paper to depict a story inspired by Homer's odyssey
In the last week of March, a puppet show was enacted as part of the World Puppet Day celebrations at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. What made this performance different from the usual was that it had no elaborately dressed puppets, no eyes and mouth on the puppet, not even strings to control the puppets with.
Choiti Ghosh and Ratnabali Bhattacharjee rehearse for
Nostos. Pic/Anuja Gupta
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The play, called Nostos (or Homecoming), was, in fact, demonstrating a relatively unknown form of puppetry called object theatre.
The play, inspired by Homer's Odyssey, tells the story of a traveller who thinks often of home, but never returns. To portray the tale in the object theatre format, a group of five puppeteers cower over a table with objectsu00a0-- a paper boat to represent the ship, a human figure crafted from paper to represent the sailor, a globe to denote the distance travelled and a miniature house, which represented the protagonist's house, located far away.
When it is time to move the puppet-protagonist to travel on his ship, the group physically move him and when he is faced with a storm, a puppeteer from the group makes sounds emanating from the darkness of the sea.
Object theatre defines itself as a performance style that contains the animation of utilitarian, or pre-existing objects rather than those constructed for theatrical effect (such as the puppet). While explaining the unique concept, actress-puppeteer Choiti Ghosh from Tram Theatre, says, "An object is elevated to the status of a separate character. The challenge is to imbue life into it." Ratnabali Bhattacharjee, another member of the group, says, "Nostos is a culmination of puppetry and acting, all combined into one."
Choiti first learnt of object theatre in 2010. "I was fascinated when I learnt of it," she says. She got to know of an organisation that conducted a 20-day workshop in France and soon became a part of it. On returning to Mumbai, she found a group of like-minded theatre professionals and formed Tram Theatre, which is perhaps the only group in the country that practices object theatre. Amongst the group, there is also a craftsman of paper objects and a musician, who plays the guitar.
Choiti is not bogged down by remarks that object theatre is often considered a poor cousin of puppetry. In fact, she defends the format quite vehemently, "I abide by what Christian Carrignon (a famous object theatre artiste) once said about the form. He called it, 'the rebellious first cousin of puppet theatre'." For its fresh take on puppetry, Nostos deserves a dekko.
On April 8 and 10, 8 pm
At First floor, Prithvi House, opposite Prithvi Theatre, Juhu, Vile Parle (W).
Call 26149546
