CHENNAI: As a child, theatre person and actor Hariharan Ganapathy, aka Kavin Jay Babu, read the folklore on why the
rooster
crows when the sun rises. The story managed to latch on to him for years since, and Babu ended up writing it as a 90-minute
solo act
in May last year.
‘Sevalin Kadhai’ (The Rooster’s Tale) has since had 23 performances, interestingly at several private spaces in Chennai, including studio spaces and private rehearsal spaces of dancer Anita Ratnam and Stay Factory.
“There has always been a grouse among the theatre community in Chennai about the lack of affordable alternate venues across the city. I thought, why not design performances that could be presented in rehearsal spaces of theatre groups, neighbourhood dance studios and martial arts classes. This also gives me an opportunity to perform for newer audiences,” says Babu.
Inspired by several folk
tales
and origin stories from across cultures, “Sevalin Kathai” uses
Tamil
folk dances, singing and storytelling to create a narrative to engage children and adults alike.
Keeping the interactive design in mind, the play begins with games to draw one into the story and the format.
“I also interweave my own social commentary on issues such as the impact of rampant modernisation on the planet, and keep the children engaged throughout by throwing questions at them and getting them to recount their own favourite animal stories,” says Babu, who is the writer, designer and performer of the play, and had worked with Koothu-P-Pattarai for over a decade, before taking off on his own.
The 24th and 25th performances of the play will take place at Koothu-P-Pattarai, no. 58/16, 3rd Main Road, Sri Iyyappa Nagar, Virugambakkam, Chennai on March 3 and 4.
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