Kathmandu has had its share of opportunities to join in on the “birthday
gathering” at Shilpee Theater. Back in March 2014, we were invited to
Coma: a political sex, with news of the theatre group’s debut. Almost a
year later, and we’re once again being welcomed to the same play to
savor what was a successful first showing.
Now we claim that Shilpee has been triumphant with the production not
based on the notion that Coma was loved by every single attendee –
actually, quite the opposite. At the end of each show, along with the
applause and words of compliments, there also tend to be some raised
eyebrows and puzzled looks. If there are people who can’t stop raving
about the play’s originality, there are also those who have dismissed
its alternativeness as not being their cup of tea.
Either way, the victory for the entire team lies in presenting a new
flavor of dramatic creativity on the Gothale Natakghar stage. It’s rare
for Nepali theatre to refuse to spell out the meaning of a play, but
that’s precisely what writer Kumar Nagarkoti and director Ghimire
Yubaraj have done. They have given the audience the responsibility to
piece together the numerous voices and opinions of their sociopolitical
satire to several varying and interesting results.
“It’s beautiful when people walk out of the hall discussing, questioning
and analyzing what they have seen. It’s what we were sort of aiming at
from the beginning,” says Ghimire. According to him, the birth of Coma
can be traced back to a series of long coffee conversations he and
Nagarkoti had back in 2013.
A long time admirer of Nagarkoti’s experimental style of writing as well
as a friend, Ghimire confesses how he had always wished for the former
to collaborate with him on a play. However, the initial requests were
rebuffed. Still undeterred, Ghimire talks about how he consciously began
spending more time with his play’s would-be writer in attempts to
pursue him, and it worked.Nagarkoti eventually warmed up to the idea of
penning his very first theatre production.
“I was well aware of the plots as the script was being written. And yes,
even the explicit jokes, as many wonder. They never were an issue.
We’re just mirroring reality here. I remember having a good feeling
about the story line then as well,” reminisces the director. “In
hindsight, I think what got me really excited was the way the script was
staunchly avoiding the orthodox format that’s prevalent in stages
around our country,” he added.
So with the characters, sequences and dialogues in hand, both Yubaraj
and Nagarkoti gathered the Shilpee artists for a script reading. The
pair may have been confident about their vision of Coma, but as the
actors reveal they were slightly taken aback.
“When we first read the play, we were flabbergasted. We couldn’t
understand it. The dialogues were so complex and each character seemed
to be pulling the story in a different direction,” shares Jivan Baral
who portrays the role of a fisherman in the production.
“It was abstract madness,” adds Govinda Parajuli, the postman in the
play. “Initially, we were all skeptical of whether this story could even
be performed. It certainly took us time to be convinced about our own
characters.”
The actors then share memories of how both the writer and director
patiently deduced each sequence and addressed their concerns. Thus,
today, they find themselves immersed in the plot. Badal Bhatta, who goes
by ‘Nobody’ in the production, explains, “After our debut and the
30-day showing, I found myself still wanting to perform in Coma. In fact
I think I can speak for the rest of the cast when I say we were all
eagerly waiting for a chance to restage it. The lines in this drama are
of such succulent nature that performing it brings immense satisfaction.
Sometimes, even while walking around or doing something else, I can’t
get it out of my head.”
The actors seem mindful of this opportunity to be part of something out
of the ordinary here. Through intense rehearsals and elaborate
discussions with the writer and the director, it’s also obvious that
they have grown attached to the play. They even fondly talk about those
3am pre-production stints. Turns out, in true Shilpee spirit, the actors
were involved in constructing all the props used during the
performance. The late nights spent toiling away with paintbrushes and
tools certainly played their part in helping the entire team feel
invested in the production.
Ghimire seems to have applied this philosophy of hard work on stage, as
well. One of the riveting aspects of ‘Coma’ is the actors’ interaction
with the props and the atmosphere they create with their body movements
and vocal sound effects.
“Theatre requires its artists to be mentally and physically present,”
Ghimire insists. “In cinema, actors may be allowed to cheat to an
extent, but theatre asks for 100% presence and involvement, and I wanted
just that from this group, too. So they are moving around, using the
props as well as setting the tone of various moments from the start to
the end. Everybody is exhausted by the time they take their bow.” He
smiles, clearly delighted by the idea.
Further, a pleasant surprise in store for the audience is the inclusion
of writer Nagarkoti in the production. His role certainly didn’t end the
moment he handed over the script. He, in fact, finds himself at the
epicenter of the drama, acting! When asked about this rather eccentric
decision, Ghimire admits that it’s unusual, but at the same time insists
that nobody else could’ve done justice to the absurdity of the
role.“The plan was to cast somebody else but the more we went along with
the rehearsals, the more I thought that he would be the perfect fit,”
he says.
It would be unfair to just take away the much talked about exaggerated
sexual jokes or the very obvious social and political references from
Coma. With its kaleidoscope of characters and conscious stream of
ramblings, there’s plenty more at play in the hour and a half of its
showing. Besides, the fact that the play has been designed for personal
interpretations has already started bringing the intrigued back for
multiple viewings.
And the team at Shilpee is up for it.There’s calm before the
performances. As the actors go about their ritualistic warm-up and vocal
practices, it’s clear that the nerves associated with the debut last
year has dissipated.
Kiran Chamling Rai, who acts the part of ‘Yellow Hat’ in Coma, nicely
sums it up: “Comparatively, this restaging feels simpler, almost
effortless. There isn’t the rush or uncertainties this time around.
We’ve been boosted by the reception we’ve had. We’re enjoying it more
this time around.”
Well then, let the curtains part !
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