Debesh gears up for rehearsals

Theatre director Debesh Chattopadhyay is about to begin the rehearsals for his upcoming production, which is based on

Luigi Pirandello

’s timeless creation, Henry IV. He said that the rehearsals will not take place in the traditional way. He would instead opt for an approach that allows his actors to improvise.
“I never ask my actors to mug up the script. So, starting from Sunday, we would constantly discuss about the play, others works of Pirandello and the political and social scene of that time. We would also discuss how to make the play suitable for modern times,” said the director.
Besides, Debesh has also invited psychiatrists and psychoanalysts to delve deep into the psyche of the characters. These discussion sessions will go on twice a week till January. After that, the entire team will attend a 10-day camp outside Kolkata. “We have got an auditorium near

Kolaghat

. We will rehearse the play there with all the elements of theatre, like makeup, pros and stage ,” said Debesh, adding that this will help the actors improvise and act accordingly.
After Winkle Twinkle and Tughlak, Debesh is again working with actor Rajatabha Dutta in this production. He said that the story is about an actor, who starts believing that he is Henry IV, following an accidental blow to his head during a performance. Meanwhile, a group of people start acting as the court men of Henry IV to patronise his madness. However, in the end, it will emerge that he was doing all of it willingly and with a sane mind. Earlier, Ajitesh Bondopadhyay from

Nandikar

had staged Henry IV in his play, Sher Afghan.