With an unorthodox theatre style, Mukherjee will be performing a socially relevant play entitled “Necropolis” which is directed and will be performed solo by Mukherjee himself.[break]
An independent media analyst and a performance consultant by profession, Mukherjee is one of the leading alternative theatre directors of India.
He has directed more than fifty performances of texts by other playwrights, including his own, and also has twelve full-length solo performances to his credits.
Devendra Uprety, Events and Discussions Coordinator at Martin Chautari, said that Mukherjee has performed in Europe and also in Thailand, India and Sri Lanka. In Nepal, he wanted to perform for a limited crowd; so he approached Martin Chautari with his idea.
Alternative theatre describes fringe theatre or entertainment that does not belong to the mainstream. “Mukerjee is a leading figure in alternative theatre, and his style includes performance in collaboration with discussions. So, along with the play, he’ll be holding discussions as well,” Uprety added.
The play is inspired by “In the Solitude of Cottonfields” by French playwright Bernard-Marie Koltes.
The play belongs to the repertoire called The Trilogy of Unrest, the first two being Hamlet Machine: Images of Shakespeare-in-us, and an installation performance called This Room is not My Room.
The play begins with two men who meet on the street and who have to make a deal, or rather they want to make a deal.
One has something to sell and the other needs something to buy.
The dealer is unsure of what to sell. Or would he want to peddle anything in the first place? And the client, although aware of what to buy, is unsure of exactly what to buy.
A cat-and-mouse game begins between these nameless, faceless, shape shifters who have to make a transaction, but without being sure.
For the next chunk of minutes, they indulge in selling and buying of concepts without transacting anything, and their identities keep getting interchanged.
The play explores the idiom of solo performances that intrude and alter the nature of the performance, yet there is a cohesive thread that runs through the well thought-out improvisation.
Talking about how the idea of staging the play came about, Ramesh Parajuli, researcher at Martin Chautari, said, “Pranab Mukherjee has been participating in international theatre festivals that have also taken place in Nepal in the past where he performed his solo acts. So this time, too, during his Nepal visit, he approached us with his idea to perform the play.”
Martin Chautari hosts media discussions every week, and every now and then it also provides a platform for staging plays as well.
“We believe that theatre is also a part of media. That’s why we organize plays as well,” Parajuli added.
The play will be staged on Monday June 27 (today) at 3:30 pm at Martin Chautari in Thapathali. It is open to all and entrance is free of cost.
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