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Diaspora Newsline |
Tamil
Theater
Tamil
Theater Showcases Unique Family Drama
When the curtain rises on Sunday May 11th
at 4 pm at CET Performing Arts Center in San Jose, Bay
Area Tamil Manram and associated artists will bring an
evening of theatrical creativity to its audience through
Thanimai (Solitude), a unique family drama written by
Anand Raghav of Bangkok and directed by Dheepa
Ramanujam.
Raghav is an award-winning author for
various Tamil publications. This is his third play
presented to the Bay Area Tamil audience. His recent
work Punnagai Bhoomi, a research on the influence of
Hindu culture in Thailand, published by Kalki has been
well acclaimed by the Tamil literary circle.
“His story inspires us to put our heart and soul
into the character,” says Kanaka Guruprasath, “his
depiction of my role in the drama is so realistic I find
it difficult to get out of those shoes and back into
mine when I return home from rehearsals.” Srikanth
Srinivasa agrees. “It is a story that takes place in
every home, but presented in a totally new perspective,”
he observes. Guruprasath and Srinivasa are co-hosts of
Mostly Tamil, a weekly live Tamil radio program aired
from Stanford University.
Thanimai is the fifth
drama directed by Ramanujam for the Bay Area audience.
Disciple of renowned directors K.Balachander and Bombay
Gnanam, she has acted in many tele-serials such as
Premi, Sundaravanam and Meendum Kuttichathan. Through
this drama she seeks to bring out the best of Bay Area’s
creative talent. “It is a platform for amateurs to grow
and develop their interest in a fun atmosphere,” she
laughs, “I hope they are having fun!”
The action
began in late February when the artists began by meeting
on weekends. They now meet three to four times a week
and supplement in-person rehearsals with telephone and
online conferences. “We started as acquaintances and are
now friends and teammates – partners in crime,” reflects
Venu Subramaniam, production manager, who also acts in
the play.
The drama has given opportunity to
those with and without experience on stage. Naveen Kumar
Nathan, who is acting in a full-fledged drama for the
first time, says, “I had seen Raghav and Dheepa’s dramas
and other plays too and always wanted to act in one.
So when the call for audition came, I sprang
into action. I think there is talent in each of us. We
just need commitment and conviction – in ourselves and
in the team.” Nathan is also a co-host of Mostly
Tamil.
11-year old Girish Swaminath who manages
to take on this responsibility along with those of the
pressures of being a 5th grader in a private school
feels that this will make him an all-rounder. He also
trains in Carnatic music, tennis and
soccer.
There are more than fifteen artists
performing various roles in the play. And then there are
backstage and offstage crews as well. The team is now
brainstorming to find an identity for itself in a name.
“We want to entertain Tamil audience everywhere in the
country, in the process taking them through time and
space to ‘back home’,” says Ramanujam. “In order to be
the reliable vehicle that transports them from the
worries of real life to the wondrous life portrayed by
theater … we are working towards establishing a more
organized team,” she adds.
(For more
information or to attend the drama, visit Bay Area Tamil
Manram)
Vinu
Srivatsan
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