 Galileo Galelei
Alliance Francaise of Madras and Magic Lantern present 'Galileo Galelei' by Bertolt Brecht, a play in Tamil, directed by Mu Ramaswamy, on June 3, 4 and 5 at Top
Storey, AFM.
Entry on tickets (Rs 75) are available at the venue.
A full-time theatre workshop, conducted by Dr Mu Ramaswamy, head of the Department of Theatre, Thanjavur Tamil University, was held by Magic Lantern from May 8 for over four weeks at the Top Storey, AFM. - .
The production-oriented workshop, aimed at introducing theatre and the basics of acting to young actors, culminated with the staging of the play 'Galileo
Galilei'.
Dr Mu Ramaswamy is well-known for his plays like Spartacus, Galileo Galilei and Periyar. He has previously worked with Magic Lantern as an actor in Ponniyin Selvan and Richard III; he directed Jules Romain's comedy Dr Knock in 2000.
Galileo Galelei - Bertolt Brecht
In Galileo Galilei, Brecht paints a portrait of a passionate and tortured man. Galileo has discovered that the earth is not the centre of the universe, but even though the Pope's own astronomer has confirmed this earth-shaking revelation, the lnquisition has forbidden him to publish his findings. For eight years, Galileo holds his tongue. Finally, a new pope known for his enlightenment ascends to the Papacy, and Galileo sees his chance. But the Grand Inquisitor is lurking in the background, plotting to destroy the great astronomer's work.
Considered by many to be one of Brecht's masterpieces, Galileo Galilei explores the question of a scientist's social and ethical responsibility, as the brilliant Galileo must choose between his life and his life's work when confronted with the demands of the Inquisition. Through the dramatic characterisation of the famous physicist, Brecht examines the issues of scientific morality and the difficult relationship between the intellectual and authority.
German poet, playwright and theatrical reformer whose epic theatre departed from the conventions of theatrical illusion and developed the drama as a social and ideological forum for leftist causes, Brecht was, first, a superior poet, with a command of many styles and moods. Bertolt Brecht's genius was for language built upon a certain bold and direct simplicity. They contain a rare poetic vision, a voice that has rarely been paralleled in the 20th century.
As a playwright he was an intensive worker, a restless piecer-together of ideas not always his own (The Threepenny Opera is based on John Gay's Beggar's Opera, and Edward Il on Marlowe), a sardonic humorist, and a man of rare musical and visual awareness. As a producer, he liked lightness, clarity, and firmly knotted narrative sequence; a perfectionist, he forced the German theatre, against its nature, to underplay. As a theoretician he made principles out of his preferences--and even out of his faults.
He detested the 'Aristotelian' drama and its attempts to lure the spectator into a kind of trancelike state, a total identification with the hero to the point of complete self-oblivion, resulting in feelings of terror and pity arid, ultimately, an emotional catharsis. He wanted his audience to think -- and towards this end, he was determined to destroy the theatrical illusion, and, thus, that dull trance-like state he so despised.
The result of Brecht's research was a technique known as 'verfremdungseffekt' or the 'alienation effect'. It was designed to encourage the audience to retain their critical detachment.
His theories resulted in a number of 'epic' dramas, among them Mother Courage and Her Children, The Good Person of Szechwan and The Caucasian Chalk Circle. However, Brecht's audience stubbornly went on being moved to terror and pity!
Magic Lantern
Over the last decade, Magic Lantern has been working at revitalising the theatre scene in Chennai and Tamil Nadu. They have performed in cities and villages across Tamil Nadu and India. Audiences coming back to performing arts crave for variety and quality.
Said Pravin, "Magic Lantern will feed this growing interest through strategic partnership with like-minded companies and theatres like Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai. Our dual goals are to bring quality performances to Chennai on a regular basis and to showcase local talent in Chennai and elsewhere in India. The workshops and screening of films on theatre are part of our efforts at introducing world-class theatre to a larger number of people."
Top Storey comprises of a complex of 3 performance spaces:
Top Storey, a top of the line black box theatre, which is one of the best in the city for contemporary creations, theatre, dance or music;
The Amphitheatre, an open-air amphitheatre; and
The Backyard, another more intimate open-air performance space.
The complex is situated on the campus of the AFM, itself a prestigious cultural landmark in the city established more than 50 years now. These three performing spaces have evolved over the last 15 years through the varied performances and audiences they have attracted: solo performances in theatre, music and dance, full-fledged professional plays, all-night Kathakali and Theru-k-koothu performances, as well as hip rock shows.
R Rangaraj
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