On the way to New York

Does creation bring in destruction? that's what the play, The Brooklyn Bridge, being staged by city-based group WatercolorskyTheatre this weekend, attempts to explore

On the way to New York

Does creation bring in destruction? that's what the play, The Brooklyn Bridge, being staged by city-based group WatercolorskyTheatre this weekend, attempts to explore

History shows us how urbanization has always simultaneously made people happy and sad. And construction has been an integral part of development. According to Akshay Gandhi, the director of The Brooklyn Bridge, edifices symbolise the human need to leave behind a legacy after death. The play narrates the saga of Brooklyn Bridge, one of the oldest suspension bridges in USA, that connects Manhattan with New York's most populous area, Brooklyn. Built by German immigrant John Roebling, this bridge is considered to be one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century. However, like every other landmark structure, Brooklyn Bridge has a story behind it.

Gandhi shares that as a teenager, the storyu00a0 inspired him as it was a testimony of courage and determination. Revealing that the play is based on the tales associated with the bridge, the director says, "We were looking into this inherited feeling of construction composed of several layers of emotions. Simplest of the construction has its own effect on society, culture and individual. The construction of the bridge had a massive physical, emotional and social effect on different classes." He adds that it is a non-textual play and exhibits different emotions through various physical movements. Veena Basavarajaih, the co-director of The Brooklyn Bridge, conducted sessions with the performers on physical vocabulary.

The play narrates the story from the perspectives of creator Roebling's family, the worker class, political honchos and commoners. It shows how Roebling dies in an accident much before the construction is complete and things change when his son Washington takes over to complete his father's dream project. The bridge is completed with public support but with political intervention, soon complications arise. The play also brings out the suffering of poor immigrant workers who are caught in between.u00a0

"My favourite character is Martin, one of the chief assistants. He believes in sticking to his philosophy and invests a lot of energy to the construction but struggles to achieve what he deserves," Gandhi says.
The play goes back to the time when workers started digging the river bed to lay foundation of the bridge. Cloth has been used as a prop to show the struggle under the river.

Also, western classical music, African beats and Johann Sebastian Bach's musical piecesu00a0 suit the time and space of The Brooklyn Bridge. According to Gandhi, the play will probe what happens when trees are cut to build houses and whether construction connotes destruction and thus would be relevant to audiences across the globe.

Where KH Kala Soudha, Hanumantha Nagar
On August 13 and 14, 7.30 pm
Call 7829765688
For Rs 100