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Beckett bouquet

A slew of films, plays and talks mark a great playwright's birth centenary

THE MASTER Samuel Beckett's works are being celebrated in the city PHOTO: AFP

"It remains a poetic masterpiece transcending all barriers and all nationalities," says Peter Hall, the director of the first English-language version of Waiting for Godot, in an article in The Guardian. "It is the start of modern drama. It gave the theatre back its potency and its poetry."

Despite all the criticism and derision that first greeted Samuel Beckett, there isn't a single person today who can deny the deeply fundamental change that he affected on the landscape of modern English theatre. To think that we in India, far removed from Europe, only received reinterpreted versions of his masterpieces.

A hundred years after his birth however, Bangaloreans have the opportunity to relive the Beckett magic as stage and film come together in Bangalore Little Theatre's (BLT) celebration of his birth centenary on April 13. Since April, and running right through to August, BLT in association with Ranga Shankara and Alliance Francaise de Bangalore, is conducting a series of events such as film screenings, plays and academic discussions on Beckett.

Unique perspectives

Kicking off the celebrations on April 19, was a lecture by retired drama studies professor S. Ramaswamy, followed by a panel discussion on the master involving Lakshmi Krishnamurti, U.K. Jayadev, Soumitra Chakravarti and Shekhar Seshadri, who each approached his work from the unique perspectives of acting, designing, directing and dramaturgy. Eminent theatre director Prasanna chaired the panel discussion. The film Krapp's Last Tape, based on the play by the same name was screened that evening.

This month, Beckett fans will be treated to cinematic renditions of Beckett's most famous works. Films based on five famous Beckett works Footfalls, Act Without Words — I, Act Without Words - II, Come and Go and What Where are being screened at 8 p.m. on May 16, at the Alliance Francaise.

According to Vijay Padaki of Bangalore Little Theatre, these five films reflect Beckett's ability to play with certain rhythms of movement and time. These short films will be followed by a documentary on Beckett and the making of the films.

Another screening follows at 7.30 p.m. on May 22. This time, the four selected pieces — Not I, That time, Play, and Happy days all play around with the idea of specific body parts reflecting certain emotions. These and other Beckett films will be screened again over the next few months at other locations such as Ranga Shankara.

The next instalment of the festival comes on June 24, All Wear Bowlers, another cinematic tribute to Beckett. The film plays off the idea that many of Beckett's stock characters (such as those of Waiting for Godot) were prominently attired in bowler hats, and showcases the same angst and directionlessness that Beckett is identified by.

Moreover, the members of SPOT, BLT's annual summer theatre workshop will stage a Beckett project from August 23-26 at Alliance Francaise, using their trademark format of combining a biographical presentation with sampler scenes from his various plays. On the four days of the play's staging, there are also plans to hold a unique exhibition dedicated to Beckett. And finally, there are also plans afoot to stage two of his biggest productions, Waiting for Godot and Endgame some time during the course of the celebration.

For BLT, the Beckett centenary celebration carries special importance. Spearheaded by the Academy of Theatre Arts, a part of the newly formed BLT Foundation, this is just one of the many activities being planned to take BLT in a new direction. Outreach is our greatest strength. We promote theatre at no cost," says Padaki. It is to this end that the BLT foundation was formed, with the objectives of theatre education, awareness and networking.

RAKESH MEHAR

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