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New lease of life for English theatre in Goa
TNN, Feb 17, 2010, 06.24am IST
PANAJI: English theatre in Goa, in an almost comatose state, could be
resuscitated this March with the staging of "Fires of darkness", a play
written and directed by nuclear chemist Savio Sequeira.
Nairobi born, Dublin-based Sequeira of Goan ancestry is a nuclear
chemist, now retired from the Radiological Protection Institute of
Ireland, whose first love is films and music. "Nuclear chemistry paid
the bills and gave me a job. Acting and directing does not always pay
well," says Sequeira rather simply.
Nuclear chemistry and theatre direction are two diametrically opposite
pursuits, but Sequeira's juggling of the two passions has brought him
recognition in both. In Goa for a holiday, he penned "Fires of
darkness", a play scheduled to be staged on March 3 and 4 at Panaji's
Kala Academy.
Sequeira is not willing to part with details of the plot. All he says is
that the play is a psychological thriller that has four characters who
get "involved in a dark and murky scenario that affects their lives".
A frequent visitor to Goa, when he landed in the state in November,
"Fires of darkness" did not form part of his holiday script. He actually
began rehearsals for Neil Simon's "Star spangled girl", that to give it
a desi twist was to be called the "Star spangled chokri". A little into
the rehearsals he found that the actors just weren't prepared to enact
the passionate kissing scene that is so crucial to the play and he had
to drop the idea.
"That night I remained awake thinking and came up with the idea for this
play," says Sequeira. It was already December when he wrote the play.
Since then he has got Kala Academy involved and rehearsals for "Fires of
darkness" are now chugging along "fantastically", as Sequeira says.
Says Kala Academy member secretary P R Phaldesai, "Sequeira worked with
KA students in the past and directed a Hindi drama. It went well, people
liked it, our students' involvement also was very good. He came forward
with this proposal and we accepted it."
The Hindi play Sequeira directed two years back was called "Ek sapne ki
maut", a Hindi version of Arthur Miller's "Death of a salesman". "Being
from the colonial era, I speak only English, but I know 'Death of a
salesman' so well that directing it in Hindi was not a difficult task,"
says Sequeira. That play too was staged in collaboration with Kala Academy.
Back in Ireland, Sequeira's science background and love for art led him
to name his theatre group the "Da Vinci Theatre Company", after Leonardo
da Vinci who was a scientist, artist, inventor. "We believe the time is
ripe for the Renaissance man to return. I believe people are
multifaceted and that society should encourage them," says Sequeira.
In Dublin, Sequeira has directed quite a few Shakespeare plays including
"Julius Ceasar", "The merchant of Venice", "Antony and Cleopatra", "As
you like it", among others. Adhering to the script as written by
Shakespeare, Sequeira gave the plays a modern setting. "Julius Ceasar"
was set in an Iraq war-like situation, "Merchant of Venice" in
Mussolini's Italy, and "As you like it" in the hippie era.
"I don't think Shakespeare would object to it. It is what makes him
universal and timeless. The youth who have been taught Shakespeare in a
mundane manner relate to his plays in these settings better," says
Sequeira.
Sequeira has also directed a few films, including "Chains" that was
commissioned by Gambia Television for the 1997 Roots Homecoming Festival.
If "Fires of darkness" lights up the darkened English stage in Goa it
will have succeeded in bringing English theatre a new lease of life.
"There is no English theatre in Goa. If somebody comes forward with such
an idea, Kala Academy has to support it. This can continue in future
also and it will give a new dimension to our theatre activity," says
Phaldesai.
A ray of hope for Goan theatre aficionados.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/New-lease-of-life-for-English-theatre-in-Goa/articleshow/5582246.cms
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