Nov 18 2023 to Nov 18 2023 7:30 p.m.

EVENT HAS ENDED

Price: Rs 300 Book/Buy

Where

Shoonya - Centre for Art and Somatic Practices

4th Floor, Rear Wing, Brahmananda Court, 37, Lal Bagh Main Road 560027

Event Description

‘Project Darling’ is an experimental Kannada play that traces the journey of a group of performers who set out on a search for their ancestry - women performers on whose shoulders their work stands. In their search, they stumble upon an iconic character called Khanavali Chenni who ruled the stage with her hilarious double meaning dialogues and sexual innuendo. While trying to find the actress who played Chenni, they meet several other actresses who have their own stories to share. Will this group of performers eventually meet Chenni? How will their search end? What will they discover? Project Darling is a meditation on female sexuality at the crossroads of censorship and culture.

The play is based on a two-year research project where the director, Sharanya Ramprakash, interviewed several female performers, vamps, comedians, and heroines of the Kannada company theatre. It freely mixes research with fiction to fill in the inconsistencies of history. Project Darling juxtaposes video testimonials, photo essays and soundscapes from this research with song, dance, puppetry and clowning as it seeks to rewrite Kannada Rangabhoomi’s women performers back into our cultural history...on our own terms. Supported by India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) Research grant, reFrame Genderalities Fellowship and developed at Nirdigantha – an incubation centre for theatre by multilingual actor Prakash Raj.

Written & directed by: Sharanya Ramprakash

Presented by: Prakash Raj

Produced by: Nirdigantha, K.Shettihalli, Mandya – 57180

Performers: Matangi Prasan, Shobhana Kumari, Shrunga BV, Shashank Rajashekar and Surabhi Vasisht

Dramaturg & Production Manager: Sridhar R Prasad

Co-writer: Kruti R Purappemane

Assistant Director & Sound Design: Aswin Varrier

Lighting Design: Bharavi

Music: Rumi Harish, Priyashri Mani & Pardafash

Songs: Siddhartha & Dadapeer Jyman

Puppets: Rency Philip

Set Execution: Khaju Guttala