Premiering at the Serendipity Arts Festival, Talatum was a spectacular event showcasing subaltern art forms. By Team Viva
A large tent in the midst of an open ground, a team of 50 working relentlessly for endless hours to bring to life a vision that theatre director Abhilash Pillai had. This vision comprised creating a theatrical circus production that would mainstream displaced and very oft out-of-work circus performers by giving them a sustainable livelihood. Called Talatum, the unique and magical act transcended the boundaries of diverse practices to hold enthralled the audience.
Curated by theatre veterans, lillete Dubey and Anuradha Kapoor and conceptualised and produced by Abhilash Pillai, it was a contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s Tempest.
Performed using circus and other subaltern performance forms it goes beyond the existing structures that exist in drama and aims to provoke inclusive discourse amongst audiences. While the production premiered at the festival, it aims to be a travelling theatre project. It will bridge the gap between life and education through art; circus theatre has emerged as an academic discipline at global level, and the project aimed to provide opportunities for Indian circus practices to gain similar academic relevance. “I am excited that I got the chance to direct Talatum, as I feel that while the circus has great international academic renown, its relevance as an academic theatre-form in India is close to zero, due to various social, economic and cultural factors in India,” said project director Abhilash Pillai.
He believed that the only way art can flourish in India is through being inclusive and accessible. He added, “Through Talatum we are giving theatre a more physical approach compared to the element of realism. We are looking to promote the circus as a serious theatre practice, also giving these existing troupes an alternative form of livelihood through our CSR.”
The spectacular show comprised the entire gamut of circus, magic, gypsy art, puppetry, new media, dance, music, theatre, acrobatics, aerial and fire acts. It was a project that blended the contemporary and the traditional through a new oral and visual language.
Anuradha Kapoor the co-curator said, “Through this project we attempted to revive the circus and other subaltern performance forms. It aimed to bridge the gap between life and education through art; we realise that circus theatre has emerged as an academic discipline at global level, and through this project we are attempting to provide opportunities for Indian circus practices to gain similar artistic relevance.”
Besides the actual production of The Tempest, the project included an intensive educational initiative, to carry forward the idea of patronage and promotion of the circus as a serious theatre practice. The initiative included a circus workshop series for young theatre enthusiasts and drama students from across the country.
“I feel that The Tempest is one of Shakespeare’s most dynamic plays that perfectly lends itself to regional adaptation in India. The backdrop of the sea, is a motif that both the actors from Kerala and the audiences in Goa can easily relate to, and becomes symbolic of the nostalgia that this production aims to capture,” said lilette Dubey the project co-curator. He added that he enjoyed curating the project for two reasons. “One that this project is based on one of the best works of Shakespeare and second that it will provide the incredible circus artists a new way.”