When light is the matter
ROMESH CHANDER
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R.K. Dhingra's "Sur" took the audience to a theatrical journey, high on gadgetry, low on content.
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LIGHT MAGIC A peek at R.K. Dhingra's "Sur", staged in New Delhi this past week.
Set up twelve years ago, Chaman Lal Memorial Society is the only organisation that annually recognises outstanding contribution of light designers, stagecraft, make-up and costume designers. This year's awards have gone to Gautam Bhattacharya (New Delhi) for his excellence in stage lighting, Vanarasa Purna Chandra Sekhar (Hyderabad) for stage craft and Rani Dutta Barua (Assam) for costume design. The awards carry a cash presentation of Rs.2500, a shawl and a beautifully carved memento. New Delhi's Joy Michael, a senior theatre personality received a special award for her lifetime contribution to the theatre world.
The 12th Chaman Lal Memorial Awards ceremony at Kamani Auditorium was presided over by the well-known theatre and film star, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and was followed by a special multimedia light, sound and dance presentation, "Sur".
No storyline
"Sur", conceived, designed and directed by R.K. Dhingra and choreographed by Satish Nair is different from Dhingra's earlier presentations . It does not have a storyline as such but is presented in different scenes with different themes that are in no way linked to each other.
As the curtain goes up on the stage the atmosphere is calm and beautiful.
The early morning sunrays dance around Radha sitting up-stage left waiting for her Krishna. As the presentation opens we hear the sound of a single large bell that develops into a multiple of bells projected on the cyclorama.
The galaxy of sound as if coming from different directions creates an atmosphere for the audience to absorb. Radha gets up to dance against the background of just a flute and the three-dimensional jingle created by Dhingra with just a gauze curtain. Radha in her ecstasy to meet her lover chases the music coming from different directions and a storm of appreciation for the dancer Divya Chopra bursts out in the auditorium.
Scene 2-titled "Peace" opens with a sword fight to the beat of clashing swords and four laser beams engulfing the audience. A woman surrounded by four boys dressed as angels of peace join in to dance the message of peace enriched once again by Dhingra's creative lighting.
The scene comes to a close with a beautiful directorial touch of creating a yogic mudra in what is called cool lighting.
In Scene 3-titled "Search" Dhingra, giving the presentation a contemporary touch, brings on stage three mannequins and a boy in search of his girl friend to present a very simple story of hide and seek of the young lover created through a psychedelic lighting design. The young in the audience loved it.
Women achievers
Scene 4, "Maa" is built through the use of slides of different women achievers like Mother Teresa, Rani of Jhansi and others.
The scene is very brief and highlighted what can be achieved on the stage through lights and laser effects. One feels that content and entertainment wise the sequence was rather weak though technically educative for theatre workers.
The last sequence "Sur" built around an Arabian folk tale and presented through what looked like an Arabian dance form using foot taping, music and of course different lighting tricks was in a totally different mood that delighted the audience.
Here was a show so different from Dhingra's earlier presentations in as much that it had no storyline and each episode stood on its own legs and highlighted the use of gadgetry in creating not only different locations but also characters with the help of light, sound and choreography.
"Sur" is a commendable effort in taking the audience on a unique theatrical journey.
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