Tamil theatre to highlight mime and body theatrics

There’ll be a palace, waterfalls, mountains and everything you’d associate with a grand epic like the Mahabharatha. But hold on, there’ll be no sets!
Continuing its innovative methods of reaching out to the public, Tamil theatre will throw up an exciting form of theatre – mime and body theatrics - for audiences this week. With Vidhuran, presented by Shraddha and performed by MacTrics, audiences will be taken on a trip to the times of the Mahabharatha sans dialogue, sans grand sets.
Says Sravanth T R, who has conceptualized the play along with Victor, “Mime and body theatrics is a new art-form that includes expressions, actions and formations. One will not get to see any sets, backgrounds or props; the artists will become all of those instead!” The plot of the play revolves around the protagonist Vidhuran who tries to save the Pandavas from the wax palace built by the Kauravas to kill the Pandavas.
Theatre personality T D Sundararajan, who is presenting the play, hopes that this experiment would click with Tamil drama rasikas. “At the end of the day, mime is an art form as well. What can be conveyed through dialogues can be expressed through body and facial expressions as well,” he explains. For audiences who are new to this theatre form, Vietnam Veedu Sundaram will provide a narration that will explain nuggets from the storyline.
Lighting has been given special importance in this play directed by Vivek Swaminathan. “As there are no prominent backdrop/sets in Vidhuran, lighting will enhance the richness of the expression on the artists and give the production a sophisticated feel,” he adds. Signs off Sravanth, “This is one theatre form in which a palace can be created as well as demolished in a few seconds; that beauty will certainly attract audiences.”