Gandhari
Presented By Mythologyworkshop & Joy Of Drama
English- 60 Mins
The Mother Who Chose Not To See
Reviews
Lost In Theatre Land
"Gandhari is a captivating insight into the culture of Indian motherhood, and Chakraavarty holds the audience in the palm of her hand throughout the entire piece." Read full review>
Fringe Biscuit
"Weaving the Mahabharata's tale of the blindfolded queen Gandhari with stories of modern Indian women, Vaishali Chakravarty bridges millennia while unravelling universal experiences of motherhood. A compelling performance that explores self-deception & social masking. " Read on FringeBiscuit >
London Pub Theatres Magazine
"The talented and versatile Chakraavarty takes us through Gandhari’s experience as well as three modern mother’s stories" Read full review >
About The Play
In blending the mythic with the modern, 'The Mother Who Chose Not To See' is a deep dive into the legacy of Gandhari- that formidable, melancholy matriarch of the Mahabharata.
Choosing to blindfold herself in solidarity with her husband- the blind King Dhritirasthra- Ghandari makes a decision that, in time, will cost her everything.
Along the way we are introduced to the lives of three contemporary women, now struggling with motherhood and womanhood, and the ways in which they too, have chosen to metaphorically blind themselves. Each scene, whether poetic or modern, offers a direct parallel to some part of Gandhari's story, in an attempt to ask, what is the relevance of that mother's tragedy today?
Workshop Production/Showcase 2023- Performing Mythological Characters In Contemporary Theatre
Shows
26 Sep to 4 Oct 2023 Tour Of United Kingdom
Etcetera Theatre, Camden Town, London
Trestle Theatre, St Albans
Upcoming Tour Of India Schedule TBA
Coimbatore
Kochi
New Delhi
Kolkata
Hyderabad
Chennai
Cast & Crew
Directed By Katie Georgiou
Written By Tom Kane & Vaishali Chakraavarty
Performed By Vaishali Chakravarty
Supported By Aarav Goel, Semhar Kohli & Madhu Singh
Lights Design By Elio Baatz
Mask Design & Production By MD Shameem
Sound & Communication Design By Shashwat Srivastava
Gandhari: Workshop Production 2023
Performing Mythological Characters In Contemporary Theatre
The workshop is a great opportunity for theatre practicioners and performers from around the world to explore, study and perform mythological characters from their cultures and showcase to an international audience.
It is the exploration of themes and complex mythological characters, which give us an opportunity to study the human nature and culture in the contemporary world.
This edition of the workshop explores one of the prominent characters from the Sanskrit Epic Mahabharata- Gandhari. The participants and the mentors work together to bring Gandhari to life in the world we live in today.
Preview
Biographies
Tom Kane
Workshop Director
Tom is an actor, writer and director from London and a graduate of RADA. His focus of creative research has been Indian Mythology and it's complex characters. He has written and acted in several plays and shortfilms. He is also a visiting faculty at RADA and an indepenent teacher.
Katie Georgiou
Director - Grandhari
Katie is an actor from Newcastle upon Tyne and a graduate of RADA (2008). Theatre credits include Romeo and Juliet (RSC), Heartbeat of El Salvador (Rise Theatre) Ms. (RADA Festival). Her directing credits include No Exit (Sartre) and Twelfth Night. She is thrilled to be directing this exciting re - imagining of the Gandhari story.
Vaishali Chakravarty
Performer - Gandhari
Vaishali is an actor and drama-in-education expert from New Delhi. She has trained and performed with Ima Savitri Devi and Late Heisnam Kanhailal. She has performed in several productions with the Actor Factor Theatre Company.
She holds Licentiate Trinity College London diploma in performing arts and completed Shakespeare Summer School at RADA and Musical Theatre Summer School at Trinity Laban.
Performing Mythological Characters In Contemporary Theatre Workshop
