Seven Quintessentially Goan Spaces and Heritage Homes to host theatrical performances with Serendipity out and about

Goa Khabar : Seven quintessentially Goan spaces and heritage homes will host two plays, one inspired by Lord Krishna’s fabled mythological friendship with Sudama and the other, a satirical take on an authoritarian system and loneliness experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, as part of the Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) 2024’s ‘Serendipity Out and About’ initiative. 

Both plays, namely ‘Jhund’, directed by Chanakya Vyas and ‘Sakal Jaani He Naath’ by Srinivas Beesetty, present takes on current issues and delve into the contemporary human psyche. The plays, part of phase two of ‘Serendipity Out and About’ co-curated by Quasar Thakore Padamsee, take contemporary theatre away from the formal stage into intimate Goan heritage spaces, blending old and new storytelling to spotlight modern issues. Padamsee hopes the audience “have a good laugh and also pause and reflect on the plays’ themes.”

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“It is vital to take the arts and theatre to different parts of Goa. Every part of the state is varied, with different artistic preferences. Although we aren’t able to take sections of the main festival in Panaji to other parts of Goa, Serendipity Out and About enables us to do that,” said Padamsee, also co-curator of the Theatre discipline of the Serendipity Arts Festival 2024.

Smriti Rajgarhia, director of Serendipity Arts Foundation and Serendipity Arts Festival, further highlighted the significance of SAF’s outreach programme: “This year’s edition of Serendipity Out and About has expanded tremendously since its debut last year. This initiative, by the Serendipity Arts Foundation, is integral to our core ethos which is to take the arts to people of all ages who might face difficulties in otherwise accessing it, in the form of workshops, performances and immersive interactions, and meaningfully engage with them”.

‘Jhund’, a dark comedy set during the COVID-19 pandemic, explores submission, freedom and betrayal as two strangers negotiate time and space in a room, in the face of an undefined authoritarian threat, is directed by Chanakya Vyas, a Mumbai-based award-winning playwright and director known for crafting innovative plays like ‘LOO’ that explores class bias and was recently selected at the prestigious New York Indian Film Festival this year. The 60-minute Hindi play, ‘Jhund’, is inspired by the Polish play ‘Striptease’ and Gujarati short story ‘The Crowd’, which resonated with Vyas during the pandemic.

‘Jhund’ will be performed in Dona Paula (Sept 12), Barefoot Café, Parra (Sept 13), Cafe Flashback, Divar Island (Sept 14) and Benaulim (Sept 15).

The other play, ‘Sakal Jaani He Naath’, a folk musical, satirically revisits the mythological fable of Lord Krishna and his friend Sudama. The play is directed by Srinivas Beesetty, a theatre-maker and founder of the Bangalore-based theatre company Kahe Vidushak Foundation, who has been instrumental in devising a curriculum framework of theatre and speaking for 40-plus schools in Bengaluru. The folk musical is inspired by Hindi playwright and lyricist Vasant Deo’s play ‘Sudama ke Chawal’ interspersed with verses from 16th century sage, Narottam Das’s work, ‘Sudamacharit’.

The 90-minute play ‘Sakal Jaani He Naath’ will be performed at The Learning Centre, Moira (Sept 14),  Aldona (Sept 15), Silva Heritage, Benaulim (Sept 16) and Barefoot Café, Parra (Sept 17).