Telling a tale through movement
LAKSHMI VENKATRAMAN
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Ruth Ziv-Ayal, who specialises in non-verbal theatre, felt privileged to work with Koothu-p-pattarai as the actors are dedicated.
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USING PEBBLES: At the workshop with Koothu-p-pattarai
Ruth Ziv-Ayal, a teacher and creative artist, works as a freelancer for major theatre companies in Israel. She has specialised in non-verbal theatre, "which is a combination of clowning, playing and a lot of circus and movement; one has to be a dancer and an actor."
With a career spread over 30 years, she has created a huge body of work with many students. She even had her own company for a number of years. Her last work was for the University of Tel Aviv in May 2006. Ruth did special work for `Homage to Samuel Beckett,' on the occasion of his birth centenary as part of an international conference, and created "The Meal of D & G."
During her first visit to India five years ago, she worked with Koothu-p-pattarai and also at the Drama Department of the Calicut University.
Two-week workshop
On her recent visit, she completed a two-week workshop with Koothu-p-pattarai and then proceeded to Kochi for a similar company; which also does research and tries to combine the theatre tradition and the modern techniques to establish a new theatre style. What was her experience working with Koothu-p-pattarai? "All the members are good, but quite poor; they are so involved in their chosen work that they give up a lot for it; they go hungry a lot of times. In spite of it all they do their theatre work without cynicism and with devotion.
Ruth Ziv-Ayal.
"In Europe, Israel or U.S. people working in theatre are not rich, yet they are not poor or hungry. It makes a big difference... But here it is something special; it is a privilege for me to work with such `devotees'; it is something I'll carry with me wherever I go for the rest of my life."
It was all new to her when she came here alone in 2001 on a sabbatical. This time her husband accompanied her.
Collaboration
She collaborated with a German director Nelia Wexel for the production of a Bertolt Brecht work with the actors of Koothu-p-pattarai.
Though once in a while there is some speech, basically Ruth's work depends on movements; the way one walks, moves one's limbs or head should reveal a story. The actors do a lot of complicated movements. It is very physical. It is also very intimate. "I go to the roots of the origins of the theatre, which is a kind of ritual." The costumes too are basically very simple.
Twenty-five years ago she produced something based on how media and newspapers brainwash people.
There were piles of newspapers on the stage, a man delivered them, others read them and tore them and finally there were heaps of torn paper in which they seemed to drown. It was not exactly a story but a metaphor.
What made her choose this field? "Life," says Ruth with laughter. She studied in New York and on her return to Israel her first job was in the Theatre Academy to teach movement.
She felt that the actors there thought body training and acting were two different things. Her idea developed when she decided to bring the two together.
"Body training is the basis; once you understand how your body is working you can be very creative and express yourself in many ways."
In her recent workshop with Koothu-p-pattarai, she worked with pebbles."Stone is first of all a weight. Working with stones help to connect with one's own weight. Each stone has a story; you can rest your head on it... , you can step on it to cross a river, you put a tombstone on the grave, make a fence with stones; it is endless... It starts as physical, a weight; once you learn to work with the stone... you can start to tell a story with it... "
Talking of stones, Ruth recalled her experience in New York 35 years ago. She was deeply moved by the homeless people there. Her research about their lives led her to create work based on the real life story of a homeless woman. This woman collected pebbles and treated them as her friends/children.
Ruth's work appeared to be a continuous journey with stations on the way.
Now and then she uses background music. Though she prefers silence, for the sake of the audience she adds music; in general the sounds of the stone or the tearing of the papers itself becomes a kind of music.
Ruth's experience itself is like research; she feels that the creator and the viewer learn something about one's soul, life and self in the theatre, which makes one softer and humble.
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