Jalandhar-based dramatist a hit with Yale audience
Fact file
* Prof Ankur Sharma is back from a six-month stint as a special research fellow at the Yale School of Drama
*His six shows at the Yale Cabaret, from November 13 to 15, ran to packed houses
*The underlying intention was that the sorrows of and abuses against women aren’t bound to a particular culture or geographical location
*Prof Sharma now keen to start work with his group YUVA
Aparna Banerji
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, January 30
While India has seethed with angst following the never-ending stream of cases of abuse against women, theatre – both in the city and elsewhere – has also had its own reactions, although rare, to the tragic regression which society continues to witness when it comes to the safety and dignity of women.
But when a Jalandhar-based dramatist juxtaposed an array of stories of abuse and violence against Indian women with gruesome stories of a similar nature abroad, things went to a whole new level. The venue was the Yale Cabaret in New Haven, Connecticut, and the audience,expecting an evening of Bollywood-style entertainment, was in for a shock.
Jalandhar-based dramatist Prof Ankur Sharma, who is just back after a six-month stint as a special research fellow at the Yale School of Drama, in theatre direction managed a connect with the Yale audience which he had never anticipated. The six shows at the Yale Cabaret, from November 13 to 15, ran to packed houses.
From a quiet, commonplace Indian student in to get a taste of avant garde theatre at Yale, his story of the shared angst of women - across countries, cultures and times - presented in the form of his play – “Muzeum” – struck a chord.
In his own words “from an invisible person attending a theatre course at Yale, people actually began looking at me”.
A teary eyed woman, during one-talk back session of the play, said to him, “This is shocking. You can even make the entire play with all-American stories. But we don’t talk about it much here.”
The stories woven into the Yale rendition of ‘Muzeum’, included the Milford Mattress Protests (a university student carried a mattress to the university in protest against the total lack of action against her rapist), the case of a girl from Mexico city who was raped (the act videographed by her boyfriend), the case of a girl burnt alive by her jilted lover in Delhi (1991), an acid attack, the case of the honour killing of a girl by her brother and the Bhanwari Devi case.
The underlying intention was that the sorrows of and abuses against women aren’t bound to a particular culture or geographical location.
During his six-month stay at Yale, Ankur received guidance from the phenomenal faculty at the school, which included the who’s who of the drama scene in New Haven. Members of his faculty included Liz Diamond, Professor (adjunct) and Chair of Directing Department and Resident Director Yale Repertory Theatre, Ming Cho Lee, Donald M Oenslager Professor (adjunct) of Design and other faculty members who include Ron Van Lieu, PF James and David Chambers.
Sharma’s international caste for his play included an array of actors from America, Bulgaria, Mexico and Portugal. The stage act was so loved that he later also bagged a spot as an actor on another Cabaret production for a sci-fi play called “The Zero Scenario” (he played Lazlow) and later for a workshop production, an adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” (he played Andre) by acclaimed director Dmitry Krynov.
Backed by a faculty, which he said was hugely supportive for the cause of theatre and the works and projects he undertook while at Yale, Ankur says “The experience taught me the latest acting techniques and provided me a huge exposure in international theatre which I now want to share with my team here.” While he wants to produce quality theatre in the region (and possibly the country), he also aspires for theatre to broaden its ambit in Punjab.
While he still is in touch with many of his colleagues at Yale, he also says future collaborations can’t be ruled out. Right now, he is looking back to do something new with his team YUVA, which has been the primary inspiration for him all through.
