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Shakespeare revisited
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The Shakespeare Festival presented the best of the Bard’s works in a modern version
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Photo: H. Vibhu
Shakespeare retold and revisited St. Teresa’s College team members celebrate their victory
The plays of the ‘Bard of Avon’, in the classroom or on stage, enthuse any lively soul.
Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale Her infinite variety.
Antony and Cleopatra (Act II, Scene 2)
What holds true for Cleopatra applies to Shakespeare himself,” states Renuka S., Head of the Department of English, St.Teresa’s College.
The annual Shakespeare Fest hosted by Saint Teresa’s College Friday last, is an inter-collegiate competition for the Sister Concepta Ever Rolling Trophy.
‘Translated’ as it is known, was an imaginative portrayal of the versatile genius of Shakespeare. The three judges were Mary Teresa, Retired Head of the Department of English, T.M. Abraham, eminent theatre personality and Gopan Chidambaram, from Sanskrit University.
The Shakespeare Festival provided an opportunity to relish and witness some of the best scenes that the Bard created. An excerpt from his plays with a modern twist was what the participants offered in a short span of 15 minutes .The seven- member team from Rajagiri School of Management, Kakkanad, staged a refreshingly different take on ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ in six scenes .The dialogues, laced with humour, made for a great witty adaptation and the merry characters of Bianca, Katherine, Petruccio were presented with great aplomb and won the applause of the audience.
What if Miranda fell in love with Caliban the slave? St. Joseph’s College presented a novel amalgam of three Shakespearean plays – ‘The Merchant of Venice’, ‘Othello’ and ‘The Tempest’. Powerful dialogue delivery and colourful costumes marked this play.
Modern version
‘The Tempest’ was chosen by the 10-member team of St.Teresa’s College who delivered some power packed performances. There were references to modern day maladies such as chikunguniya and traffic congestion and a reference to dowry. “It’s love at first sight. No dowry, no worry!” says a happy Prospero. The costumes of Ariel, Prospero, Caliban and others were painstakingly done.
The first prize was bagged by St. Teresa’s which received Rs. 5,000 as prize money.
The four-member team from St. Joseph’s College, Alappuzha won the second prize of Rs. 3000.
This annual affair has attracted many Shakspeare enthusiasts. Says Lakshmi Devi Menon, teaching English at the college, “Drama is a true reflection of life. Of all genres, drama comes closest to reality as it is an enactment of life. Drama requires the active participation of the director, actor, stage technicians and the audience. Shakespeare has withstood the two tests - the test of time and the test of the continuance of esteem. As Shakespeare concentrated on basic human nature and emotions and not on changing social and economic trends, his plays still hold universal appeal and bear meaning today. The Shakespeare Fest is an effort on our part to continue the legacy of Shakespeare”. According to the necessity of each age, Shakespeare also needs to change. The Shakespeare Fest made use of Modern English ‘to bring relevance’ as language is for enhancing culture, otherwise its beauty is lost. Such an event related to Shakespeare generates a lot of interest. Films like ’Omkara’, ‘Maqbool’, ‘Kannagi’ and ‘Kaliyattom’ have adapted Shakespeare to modern times. The festival is for the whole college but is mainly organised by the English Literature department because ‘we know Shakespeare better’, she added, laughing.
“The characters that Shakespeare created are still around us today though their names have changed,” remarked Renuka.Oshein Martin of St. Joseph’s College, who played Prospero, won the Best Actor award.
The students who participated in the plays agreed that their interest in Shakespeare has only deepened due to their involvement in the plays. The Rajagiri team called it a fun experience. For the St Joseph’s team, it was ‘wonderful’. The St.Teresa’s teamfound their victory ‘awesome’.
As they say, long live the Bard!
PARVATHY MENON
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