Prayas Theatre Firm returns to TAPAC with their manufacturing of The Clay Cart.
The play opens with a meta twist; on stage the Prayas ensemble are rehearsing their very own manufacturing of The Clay Cart, able to convey this basic in Indian theatre to the New Zealand stage for the primary time.
Nonetheless, it’s no easy activity. The solid is scuffling with the historic context of the content material as they deliberate how precisely do you convey a Sanskrit play from the fifth century to trendy audiences? Even calling the play by its authentic Sanskit title, Mricchakatika, is underneath competition. The present’s director, Dutta (Rishabh Kapoor) in the end adjustments it to its translation The Clay Cart, in order that audiences will discover it simpler to know.
The play cleverly utilises the character Sandeep (Jehangir Homavazir), who later takes on the position of The Clay Cart’s antagonist, Sristhanaka. By his interactions with different castmates, the character makes poignant observations about how South Asia is portrayed within the media and explores the challenges of performing a South Asian play in New Zealand.
On stage, the rehearsal finally commences, and because the characters take their assigned roles the Prayas ensemble actually comes alive of their retelling of The Clay Cart. On the centre is a love story between the poor however honourable service provider, Charudatta (Rishabh Kapoor), and the rich courtesan, Vasantasena (Ruchika Tandon). Their romance is interwoven with the humorous on a regular basis occasions of the folks round them — the gambler turned monk, the do-gooder thief — whereas extra political and sinister subplots additionally unfold.
The intensive vary of characters gives every member of the ensemble with a possibility to face out and shine — all infusing zest and spark into every small position they play. When not engaged in talking roles, the ensemble transforms into the timber, the partitions, the homes, absolutely utilising the language of physique and motion to breathe life into the stage.
The Clay Cart had so many charming and charming parts, which is why it was so disheartening to have it undermined by the extra materials that was added to the unique script.
There may be clear inspiration from Silo Theatre’s Prime Time Asian Sitcom, which makes use of an analogous framing gadget to have interaction in a discourse of Asian illustration on stage in and in media. Nonetheless, on this case I want Prayas Theatre had trusted their viewers and introduced The Clay Cart to the stage for critique somewhat than preemptively providing criticism themselves.
The story throughout the framing gadget employs compelling parts to develop the play’s subtext. Notably, swapping the genders of the magistrates to all ladies raised questions on historic gender roles, whereas incorporating a speech from a real-world political activist successfully highlighted problems with injustice. As an alternative of confining themselves to a framing gadget, the play may enhance its affect by additional refining and growing numerous theatrical and manufacturing parts. For instance, incorporating fourth wall breaks to have interaction the viewers on the extra unrealistic story beats of The Clay Cart.
My, and my companion’s, greatest concern was with the dearth of care the ‘actual world’ story confirmed when elevating questions on gender roles within the authentic textual content of The Clay Cart. Firsty, Dutta calls The Clay Cart ‘anti-feminist’ and whereas it does depict historic attitudes in the direction of ladies, that is an inaccurate use of this label. Secondly, the ‘actual world’ story contains obscure allegations made in opposition to Dutta by feminine college students and doesn’t discover them or resolve them on the finish of the play. Lastly, quoting Trump’s remarks on his sexual assault on ladies verbatim felt pointless and was a poor try to handle the oppression and misogyny that also exists for girls right now.
It was additionally perplexing to have the play shut with the conclusion of The Clay Cart textual content, however not bookend the manufacturing by returning to the framing gadget. Half the viewers was nonetheless left ready for a closing ending when the lights got here on and folks have been leaving.
Prayas Theatre has so much to supply the Auckland Theatre neighborhood; the story inside The Clay Cart is pleasant, insightful, and worthy of twenty first century critique – it possesses sufficient advantage to warrant seeing this newest Prayas manufacturing by itself.
The Clay Cart performs at TAPAC from the twenty ninth of November to the eighth of December 2023
