PRIYANKA GURUNG
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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