The Park's New Festival (2013)

The Park’s New Festival (2013)

About The Park’s New Festival 2013

The Prakriti Foundation and The Park Hotels, have creativity and innovation ingrained in our collective DNA and we draw from myriad cultural and global influences to create a landscape that is illustrative of contemporary India. The Park’s New Festival, curated by Prakriti Foundation, is a platform to showcase Indian and International artistes of both classical and experimental art genres. The festival presents a, exemplary line-up of artists and an amalgamation of classical and contemporary dance, music, theatre, literature and more! A pioneer in this space, The Park’s New Festival is India’s only private national performing arts festival.

The artists performing in the festival present their art pieces in 6 cities around the country – at Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Hyderabad. The festival is a means of looking at the performing arts from a fresh perspective and understanding their very essence. The meticulously curated list of artists are great ambassadors of their respective arts forms and present resplendent performances, enthralling audiences across all 6 cities.

In the last ten years, the festival has presented stellar performances by artists of global repute such as, Akram Khan Dance Company, Shankar Tucker, Aditya Prakash Ensemble, Israel Galvan, D’Lo, Maya Krishna Rao, Dr. Mallika Sarabhai, Vayu Naidu Company (U.K.), Preethi Athreya, Rupesh Tillu, Dr.Rekha Tandon (Bhubaneshwar), Ramu Ramanathan, Probal Gupta, H.R. Britton (U.S.A), Ben Riepe (Germany), Padmini Chettur, Zuleikha Allana, Jaimini Pathak, Anusha Lall, VidurKapur and Park Hong Ki (Korea).

The 2013edition featured renowned author Amit Chaudhuri with his project ‘Moment of Mishearing’ ,five interesting short plays by theatre group Stray Factory and a dance performance ‘NH7’ by Deepak KurkiShivaswamy’s collective Kha. Schedule

Chennai:

Short Play by Stray Factory

Synopsis: Osama, Cinema and a Whole lot of Black Money will take you through a journey with the unlikeliest of characters and places ranging from cinematic villages, balloon popping politicians, narcissistic actors and omnipresent magicians.

Date: 24th August 2013

Time: 7 pm

Venue: The Museum Theatre, Chennai

‘Aadhaara Chakra - a Dancelogue’ by Attakalari Dance Repertoire

Synopsis: Set in an imagined land, the performance oscillates between the past and the present, inviting the audience to partake in a ritualized experience. In a complex and often fragmented narrative, the dancers embody characters from diverse Indian locales and periods. Memories and experiences fuel the choreography, transforming spaces ranging from crowded village markets to urban streets. Celluloid images accompany the sometimes- surreal visual journey. True to India’s syncretic traditions, this ‘performance event’ amalgamates a host of Indian imagery and movement languages.

Date: 29th August 2013

Time: 7 pm

Venue: Warehouse, Thoraipakkam, Chennai

NH7 (Contemporary dance performance) by Deepak KurkiShivaswamy

Synopsis: The work is deeply driven by the new phenomena of immigration of the rural population to urban spaces in search of ‘better life’ and their reality. The piece depicts the intricate, confused, rapid urbanization of India. It vividly captures the mad need to build, demolish, and re-imagine the city. It explores how people, workers, individuals are caught in this mayhem and maze of bricks, bridges, construction sites and dust. The work aims at creating moving images with bodies which will reflect the current imagination of the city and the changing landscape in India.

Date: 30tht August 2013

Time: 7 pm

Venue: The Museum Theatre, Chennai

‘A Moment of Mishearing’ by Amit Chaudhuri (Museum Theatre)

Synopsis: A full concert with film and audio: a mixed-media musical essay that marries Indian music with the blues, jazz, and Western pop classics.

Date: 31st August 2013

Time: 7 pm

Venue: The Museum Theatre, Chennai

Bangalore:

Short Play by Stray Factory

Date: 3rd September 2013

Time: 7 pm

Venue: The Park, Oak Room

NH7 (Contemporary dance performance) by Deepak Kurki Shivaswamy

Date: 4th September 2013

Time: 7 pm

Venue: ADA Ranga Mandira

‘A Moment of Mishearing’ by Amit Chaudhuri (Museum Theatre)

Synopsis: A full concert with film and audio: a mixed-media musical essay that marries Indian music with the blues, jazz, and Western pop classics.

Date: 5th September 2013

Time: 7 pm

Venue: The Park, Oak Room

Hyderabad:

NH7 (Contemporary dance performance) by Deepak Kurki Shivaswamy

Date: 6th September 2013

Time: 7 pm

Venue: University of Hyderabad

Short Play by Stray Factory

Date: 7th September 2013

Time: 7 pm

Venue: The Park, Panoramic Hall

‘A Moment of Mishearing’ by Amit Chaudhuri (Museum Theatre)

Synopsis: A full concert with film and audio: a mixed-media musical essay that marries Indian music with the blues, jazz, and Western pop classics.

Date: 8th September 2013

Time: 7 pm

Venue: The Park, Kismet

Mumbai:

‘A Moment of Mishearing’ by Amit Chaudhuri (Museum Theatre)

Synopsis: A full concert with film and audio: a mixed-media musical essay that marries Indian music with the blues, jazz, and Western pop classics.

Date: 10th September 2013

Time: 7 pm

Venue: The Blue Frog

Short Play by Stray Factory

Date: 11th September 2013

Time: 7 pm

Venue: NCPA Experimental

NH7 (Contemporary dance performance) by Deepak Kurki Shivaswamy

Date: 12th September 2013

Time: 7 pm

Venue: NCPA Experimental

Delhi:

Short Play by Stray Factory

Date: 13th September 2013

Time: 7 pm

Venue: The Park, Mantra

‘A Moment of Mishearing’ by Amit Chaudhuri (Museum Theatre)

Synopsis: A full concert with film and audio: a mixed-media musical essay that marries Indian music with the blues, jazz, and Western pop classics.

Date: 14th September 2013

Time: 7 pm

Venue: The Park, Mantra

NH7 (Contemporary dance performance) by Deepak Kurki Shivaswamy

6 creating moving images with bodies which will reflect the current imagination of the city and the changing landscape in India.

Date: 15th September 2013

Time: 7 pm

Venue: The Park, Mantra

Kolkata:

Short Play by Stray Factory

Date: 17th September 2013

Time: 7 pm

Venue: The Park, Galaxy

NH7 (Contemporary dance performance) by Deepak KurkivShivaswamy

Date: 18th September 2013

Time: 7 pm

Venue: Gyan Manch

‘A Moment of Mishearing’ by Amit Chaudhuri (Museum Theatre)

Synopsis: A full concert with film and audio: a mixed-media musical essay that marries Indian music with the blues, jazz, and Western pop classics.

Date: 19th September 2013

Time: 7 pm

Venue: The Park, Galaxy

Artiste Profile

. Stray Factory

Stray Factory is a performing arts and online entertainment group. The group was founded in 2010 by Mathivanan Rajendran as a theatre and performing arts company before diversifying into online media in 2014. The group is seen to have taken a collaborative approach to the arts often collaborating with international and local artists. They currently produce theater, spoken word, documentaries and web series on their Channel Rascalas and across platforms. Over the last three years the company has performed over 20 pieces in more than 30 venues spread out over 5 countries, including Australia, Dubai and Malaysia. Stray Factory premiered its full length ‘My Name is Cine-maa’ in Singapore in August this year.

1. Mathivanan Rajendran

Founder of Stray Factory, Mathivanan Rajendran is an Industrial Engineer by education, who ambivalently shifts between actor, director, persuasion designer and neurotic. You’ll see him waving the wrong finger and scratching his beard in ‘P James for President’ and ‘Lost Audition’ (for which he won awards in the Best Actor category of Short+Sweet in Chennai and Dubai). He is also the writer/director of‘ My Name is Cine-maa,’for which he won the Best Director award in Chennai, Mumbai and Kuala Lumpur. He recently became one of the youngest directors in Chennai to have premiered his plays overseas when My Name is Cine-maa opened in Singapore. He recently started working in the Tamil Film industry as a voice actor in ‘Vishwaroopam’ and an actor ‘Mayakkam Enna’ and ‘Vallinam’. He loves tofu and soy ice cream.

2. Venkatesh Harinathan

A television producer according to his degree from Symbiosis Pune, he is now a practicing theatre, film and voice actor with film credits in Selva Raghavan’s IrandamUlagam and Tamil dark comedy film Sutta Kadhai. He will be seen in My Name is Cinema and the Lost Audition.

3. Nikhil Sriram

Nikhil Sriram is a lawyer by education and a filmmaker by right. Coming from a family immersed in South Indian Cinema, he has been a part of the industry for 7 years and has been associated with pathbreaking directors like Selvaraghavan and Gautham Menon. Stray Factory was a happy accident, a place where the allure of theatre finally caught up with him. A director, occasional writer and a reluctant actor, he heads Stray Studio, and

8 handles production at Stray Factory. He is credited with writing and directing “James for President” and is acting in “Chairpersons”.

4. Rajiv Rajaram

Rajiv Rajaram is a writer, part time actor, stand-up comedian, former radio & advertising professional and most importantly one of the founding members of stray factory entertainment. His accidental foray into theatre took place 6 years ago. He has written and directed short plays such as Confessions of a scattered mind, The Lost Audition, Chairpersons and EzhuEzhuEzhrai – the mystical gate. The Lost Audition and Chairpersons have performed and won at the Short + Sweet Festival Chennai, Dubai, Sydney and Delhi. He is acting in the plays Chairpersons and P. James for president.

5. Pooja Balu

Pooja is a model and stage/film actress. When she isn’t acting she is busy painting. She has held 3 exhibitions in Chennai and sells her paintings occasionally. She started her career in film with a supporting role in Selvaraghavan’sMayakkam Enna and has signed on for another film this year. She can be seen wielding a Silambam playing the lead in ‘My Name is Cine- Maa’ a piece that won her Best Actress awards at Short and Sweet Festivals in Chennai, Mumbai and Kula Lumpur. She can also been seen with the guitar in ‘Chairpersons’ and in ‘P James for president’.

6. Ajay Ayyappan

Ajay is a mridangam exponent, a business graduate and a hospitality industry person by trade. With a family business in consumer products running for more than 50 years he dons multiple roles as an entrepreneur, hotelier and real estate guy. After working in Europe, Dubai, Singapore and Delhi, Stray was an overnight casual decision which was made for a friend and, boom, the rest was 25 shows 4 countries in the last one year. He is a part-time actor who spends his full time juggling his business and travel for theatre love. He is credited with acting in the multi award winning My Name Is Cine Ma and Maya From Madurai. He is also the percussionist of Stray Factory with various plays to hiscredit including the magnum opus Ganga at Rishikesh. His life ambition is to open a restaurant in Singapore but Stray Factory has advised him that theatre may not be the most lucrative route for that.

7. Sandeep John

Sandeep John wears many hats - singer, actor, sales guy. With an MBA, Marketing, Sandeep has been straddling two worlds effortlessly but now has decided to give Theatre his all. The acting bug bit him early - he played father (with a false beard & everything) to a classmate in a production about a family surviving in a flood & from then has explored singing, dancing and acting. When StrayFactory asked him to be part of their debut

production, “Hitchcock” he happily enrolled & now 3 years later, he’s proud to showcase “Chairpersons” across the country.

. KHA Foundation

The KHA Foundation (non- profit art organisation), a collective based in Bangalore dedicated to promoting movement arts, performance, music and design by engaging in art experiments, training and performances. In August 2012 they won the Prakriti Excellence in Contemporary Dance Awards (PECDA).

Special thanks to the Akram Khan Dance Company for their mentorship and ‘a1000yoga’ (Bangalore) for the studio space.

1. Deepak KurkiShivaswamy (Choreographer and performer)

Deepak is a contemporary performing artist from Bangalore, India, and has been engaged in artistic work as a performer, creator and teacher since the year 2000. He trained and worked with dance companies like Attakkalari in India, Bodhi project in Austria, Danshuisstationzuid in Netherlands and Hausgemacht in Germany, and completed a post graduate diploma in choreography at S.E.A.D in Austria in 2008. His dance creations have been showcased in venues in India and Europe. He is a co-founder of The KHA Foundation - an art collective in Bangalore.

2. Charan C.S (Performer)

Charan C. S. completed diplomas in Movement Arts and Mixed Media from Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, Bangalore, and in Theatre Arts from NinasamTheatre Institute, Heggodu . He is trained in different movement art forms. Charan has been performing in India and internationally. Coming from a theatre background it’s really exciting to see how he brings the element of contemporary dance and theatre into his work. He is a yoga practitioner and a certified yoga teacher. He is presently based in Bangalore. He is part of The KHA Foundation.

3. AmareshaKempanna (Performer)

Amaresha completed diplomas in Movement Arts and Mixed Media from Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, Bangalore, and in Theatre Arts from Ninasam Theatre Institute, Heggodu. Amaresha has been trained in Kalaripayattu, Bharatanatyam, Contemporary dance, Ballet, Jazz and Capoeira. He is a yoga practitioner and a certified yoga teacher . He has been invited to perform and work with international companies in Europe and China. Presently he is based in Bangalore. He is part of The KHA Foundation.

4. Abhijeet Tambe (Music Composer)

Abhijeet Tambe is a musician and a sound designer based out of Bangalore. He holds an M.S. in music engineering from the University of Miami in Florida. Tambe writes, sings and plays guitar with Lounge Piranha (Bangalore). He also scores and designs sound for film and theatre.

5. Manu Shrivastava (Music Composer)

When he finally thought he could not make up his mind about what he was, Manu realized he is a diagonally parked car between the parallel universes of Technology and Art. He is primarily a music composer, a keyboardist playing with various rock and fusion bands over time and runs his home studio. In his spare time (which he says is nothing but procrastination time), he can be found cleaning his equipment and playing with Freddie and Gabbar, his Indian mongrels.

6. JagadeeshNanjundappa(Lighting Designer)

Jagadeesh passed out from Ninasam in 2001. He worked under PremaKaranth for three years in children theatre. Since 2004 he has been engaged in performance lighting & related technology. He completed a certificate course in scene design & lighting from NSD and did an MA in theatre arts from Bangalore University in 2011. He has designed lights for major productions like Tea House & Shivaratri (directed by C. R. Jambe), Chalk Circle & King Lear (directed by PremaKaranth) and the Dharwad Fest 2007 & 08. Since 2012 he has been working on aesthetics & technology, and has been involved in theatre and performance space lighting design and installations.

. Amit Chaudhuri

Amit Chaudhuri is ‘one of the leading writers of his generation’ (Guardian). He has written and published five novels, three works of non-fiction, including his latest book, the acclaimed Calcutta: Two Years in the City, a volume of poetry, and he is the editor of the Picador Book of Modern Indian Literature. His literary work has won major awards in Britain, the USA and India, including the Commonwealth Writers Prize, the Society of Authors’ Betty Trask Prize for Best First Novel, the Society of Authors’ Encore Prize for Best Second Novel, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the Sahitya Akademi Prize. In 2013, he was awarded the first Infosys Prize for the Humanities for his outstanding contribution to Literary Studies. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Professor of Contemporary Literature at the University of East Anglia, and a former judge of the Man Booker International Prize.

He is also a ‘pathbreaking musician’ (Independent). A guitarist and singer in the Western popular style as a teenager in Bombay, he began to learn Hindustani classical music and the khayal from the late Pandit Govind Prasad Jaipurwale of the Kunwar Shyam gharana when he was sixteen, in 1978. Both aspects of his musical lineage came together in his

11 experimental project in 2004, which he first entitled ‘This Is Not Fusion’, and whose story is narrated, and repertoire performed, in A Moment of Mishearing. He has released two albums of Hindustani classical music in India, and two highly acclaimed albums of his experimental music on the Babel Label in the UK and EMI and Times Music in India with the Amit Chaudhuri Band - ‘This is Not Fusion’ and‘Found Music’. The latter was an Editor’s Choice on allaboutjazz.com, the world’s leading jazz website, in 2010. He has toured widely in the UK, India, Germany, France, China, Denmark, South Africa, and the USA. He has been a featured artiste on flagship culture programmes on television and radio in the UK, including the Review Show (BBC 2) Late Junction (Radio 3), and Loose Ends (Radio 4). His version of ‘Summertime’ was featured on the BBC 4 television documentary, Gershwin’s Summertime: the Song that Conquered the World, alongside classic versions by Billie Holiday, Janis Joplin, Mahalia Jackson, Miles Davis and Ella Fitzgerald.

Press

Live Mint, Online, 22nd August, 2013 http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/rqbKyQ2UGLznGeZBOnAKqO/A-festival-of-artistic- melange.html