Shunya Blog

Opening Night Sold Out

2006-08-16T01:06:00.000-05:00

It's only Tuesday and Opening Night is already sold out!

Doing a play is funny thing. You go to rehearsals, place some ads, and send out some emails. But you never really know what the buzz is going to be like. Sure all of your friends know about the show, but what about everyone else? Do people know? Do people care? Will they come?

Well, that question has been answered! Thank you to everyone for purchasing your tickets early. As we're putting in long hours in our final week of rehearsals, it's such an energy boost to the whole cast and crew to know that we're going to have a full night on opening night!

For those of you still without tickets, don't worry. You can still come to the Social for the Premiere Party on Friday night and there are still tickets available for the other shows. But please get them soon. No telling how long they will last.

See you at the show!

Not a Morning Person

2006-08-13T08:33:00.000-05:00

I'm not what you would call a morning person. I usually like to stay up late into the night writing or working on something. The night is a quite, private time. But today, it's eight in the morning, and I'm ready to go. Today is our first day at Diverse Works. The week before any show is known as tech week or even hell week. You basically get one week, to move the play into the theatre; get your sets, props, and costumes set; reblock the play for the larger space; practice sounds cues; and design the lights for the show. It's usually a mad dash of a week. But this time, we have eight plays not just one! It's going to be absolute chaos. Most importantly, we have to make the transitions between the plays absolutely smooth and fast. The goal is to take the energy from each play right into the next. A production like this will absolutely live or die in the transitions. We have just five rehearsals to make it all work. Five rehearsals with eight directors, eight plays, and over 30 actors to orchestrate. It's going to be chaos indeed. I can't wait!

Stages Announces 2006-2007 Season

2006-08-10T11:39:00.000-05:00

And Shunya is part of it!

Stages Repertory Theatre, one of Houston's premiere theatres, has announced their 2006-2007 theatre season. One of the highlights of the season is a special coproduction with Shunya. Stages will produce "An American Brat" by Houston's own Bapsi Sidhwa. In conjunction, Shunya will produce the Indian classic "Naga Mandala" by Girish Karnad. The goal is to give Houston audiences something old and something new from South Asian culture side-by-side.

Stages artistic director, Rob Bundy, is keen to reach out to new communities and bring them together around theatre. He was extremely supportive when we produced "Bricks and Lyrics" at Stages, and this is the next big step in our continued partnership. This is a tremendous opportunity for Shunya, and we thank Stages for the invitation to work so closely with them.

http://www.stagestheatre.com/cms_about__stages/newsandevents.html

Opening Night Party

2006-08-07T00:03:00.000-05:00

As always, Generasian Radio will be hosting our opening night party on August 18th at the Social! Check out the flier on our website: www.shunyatheatre.org.

Leadership Workshop for High School and College Students

2006-07-24T02:37:00.000-05:00

Last week, Roopal Shah of Indify and Indicorps fame contacted me to help her put on a leadership workshop for high school and college kids. She only had a couple of weeks before leaving for India to continue her work with Indicorps. So we put our heads together and came up with a two evening workshop that will focus on the speaking and presentation skills of leadership.

Here are the details:
http://www.shunyatheatre.org/images/workshop.jpg

The first day's program will focus on breaking down stage fright and helping the participants feel comfortable with each other and on stage. We will go through a number of different theatre-type improvisation activities. The only way to lose your fear of making a fool of yourself is to just go up and do it. So that's what we'll do.

The second day's program will go more into the actual skills involved in being an effective speaker. We will try to put these into practice and identify our own strengths and weaknesses as a group.

Ultimately, the goal is to prep the next generation of leaders. We want to encourage these kids to identify their own passions and arm them with the skills to act upon those passions. Public speaking is just one of the skills that they will need as they do that.

So if you know any high school or college kids that are home for summer and would like to participate, please let them know about the workshop.

Thanks!

Talk Tickets Now on Sale

2006-07-18T12:56:00.000-05:00

Visit tickets2events.com to reserve tickets for Shunya's next production: The TALK.

http://www.tickets2events.com/thetalkplay.asp

The Evolution of Acting

2006-05-31T11:46:00.000-05:00

For everyone interested in acting, check out this article:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4510430

Calling for Writers, Directors, & Everything Else for Summer Show!

2006-05-17T23:23:00.000-05:00

For Shunya's Summer Production this year, we will be presenting a collection of short pieces all about "The Talk". The goal is to bring new and diverse voices to the stage. So if you ever been interested in trying your hand at writing, directing, or anything else now is your chance!

The production will take place in the middle of August.

WRITERS:
All you have to do is write a 5-15 minute one act play about "The Talk". Just think about that phrase, let your mind take off, and start writing. It can be about a woman telling her husband that she's pregnant, a man in solitary confinement imagining what he would say to his victim, a son coming out to his father... The possibilities are endless, and the pages are blank until you start writing...

To participate, simply contact Soham and Sara. By the end of May, you will have to have an idea for your script. You will need a rough draft by June 16th. We will take the best rough drafts and choose them for the show. The selected writers will than have until the end of June to finish their final drafts. That will give the director and cast a month and a half to take your vision to the stage. Come August, you will get to see your words acted out in front of a real audience!

If you're nervous about writing a play, don't worry, we will work with you to help mentor you through the process. We can even help you brainstorm ideas. All you need is a desire to write and your innate talent!

DIRECTORS:
If you've ever wanted to try your hand at directing, this is your chance to give it a try. We will pick directors to take on the work by the writers. Through the process, you will also participate in directing workshops so you will learn how to direct as you direct your play. It's the perfect way to learn while you do, and ultimately your work will be seen by a live audience. So if you're interested, please contact Soham or Sara.

ACTORS:
Don't worry, we'll have open auditions once we have all of the
scripts, so stay on the look-out for that.

MUSICIANS, DANCERS, ARTISTS:
Depending on the scripts, we may also need you. If you are interested in participating, send us your contact information and your area, and we'll contact you based on the needs.

MARKETING, SETS, COSTUMES, TECH, & EVERYTHING ELSE
It takes a whole team of people to bring a show to the stage, and we always love bringing new people into the team. So if you're interested in helping with the show, let us know!

CONTACT:
soham - soham@shunyatheatre.org
sara - sarakumar81@yahoo.com

Bone Marrow Donor Needed

2006-04-21T12:57:00.000-05:00

I know most of us have already enrolled with the bone marrow registry, but if you have not or know anyone that has not, please encourage them to do so. One of my friend's husband is in the need of a donor to save his life.

For details, visit "http://www.hope4parag.com/".

Soham

Opening Night Completely SOLD OUT!

2006-03-10T13:49:00.000-06:00

Italian American Reconciliation opens tonight and the show is completely sold out! Even if you don't have a ticket come by to the Social tonight to celebrate opening night with the cast and crew!

Tickets are going fast for the remaining five shows as well, so visit www.tickets2events.com to reserve your tickets.

Ushers Needed

2006-03-09T00:15:00.000-06:00

To all Shunya Supporters:

As many of you know, our 8th production, Italian American Reconciliation, is opening in two days!

As always we are very excited about this production and are expecting it to be a tremendous hit. Opening night has already sold out and we expect the same for the other nights as well.

We are still in need of volunteers for ushering. Remember that all ushers are welcome to watch the play the night of ushering.

The dates that are still open for ushering are:

Friday, Mar. 10th

Saturday, Mar. 11th

Friday, Mar.17th

Saturday, Mar. 18th

If you have an hour or two of any of those dates please contact me immediately (provide name and contact number). Thanks in advance for your help!

Sincerely,

Pallavi Ahobila
pahobila at yahoo dot com

Too Legit

2006-03-01T22:13:00.000-06:00

Shunya is now legitimate. When we started the troupe, I wanted us to focus on artistic matters and not get bogged down in beuracracy. I've seen groups get all of the organization right, but than fail because they lost track of their actual purpose to exist. Well, I wanted to make sure that didn't happen to us. Focus on the theatre, let the plays lead the way, and add organization as it is needed to support the productions. Therefore, in the past three years, we've had a remarkable run of plays, but not necessarily the most formal organization.

Well, all of that has changed now. We are now a formal incorporation! Yeah! And an official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization! Double Yeah!!

So this means that we will be able to solicit donations and also start applying for grants. But in the end, it's got to be about the plays. The additional funds will hopefully help us keep going and growing and allow us to add to our production values.

So thank you for all of your support all this time. I hope that our "legitimate" theatre is as good and hopefully even better than everything that's come before!

Gray Wolf Theatre Benefit Gala

2006-02-22T04:56:00.000-06:00

The theatre that we will be performing "Italian-American Reconciliation" is having their grand opening Benefit Gala. I will be attending. Come and support the opening of a new Houston theatre and help make it successful!

- Soham

Gray Wolf Theatre Benefit Gala & Mixe Performance

MIXER: Monday, February 27, 7:00 pm
SNEAK-PEEK PERFORMANCE: 7:45 pm
Tickets are $25.00

To RSVP Call 832 814 9804

Gray Wolf Theatre
12440 Oxford Park Drive B107
Houston, Texas 77082

www.graywolftheatre.org

Final Solutions Pictures Posted

2006-02-20T23:26:00.000-06:00

So just as we prepare to open are next production, I've finally posted pictures from our last play. To see the pictures, head to: http://www.shunyatheatre.org/pictures.htm. The set really looks pretty cool in stills!

Shunya Featured Amongst Top American South Asian Theatres

2006-02-17T00:03:00.000-06:00

At the end of 2005, Indo-American News ran a feature about the top South Asian theatre troupes in America. In addition, to troupes in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, the article covered Shunya and our activities.

Read the article to see quotes from Ninaad and Sara and see where we fit in the whole scheme of South Asian theatre in the diaspora:
http://www.shunyatheatre.org/news12-05.htm

Italian American Reconciliation Coming Soon!

2006-02-07T00:15:00.000-06:00

Okay, so we just uploaded information about our newest play. "The Italian American Reconciliation" by John Patrick Shanley opens this March 10th. Please come out to see it and support Ninaad Vaidya's Shunya directorial debut. This is the first time Shunya is doing a play that doesn't have a single South Asian character in it, so it should be interesting. Of course, Italy and India almost sound the same, so it shouldn't be too much of a stretch.

BBoy Hodown this Weekend!

2005-12-10T01:06:00.000-06:00

Rishi and Gunjen, two Shunya members, are two of the organizers behind BBoy Hodown this weekend – a break dancing, emcee, and graffiti competition. I went last year, and it was truly an incredible experience. You’ll be amazed with what these kids – most of them seem to be just high schoolers – can do with their bodies. And it’s not just the dancing, there’s a whole culture, wardrobe, and attitude that goes along with everything. You may have seen break dancing in a stage show or in a movie, but that’s nothing compared to this. So if you’re looking for a new experience this weekend, come out. I’ll be there on Sunday. For more information, visit: http://www.bboy-hodown.com.

Shunya Goes to Little Italy

2005-12-06T22:52:00.000-06:00

So we’re all set for auditions for our next play.

Fresh from participating in the Shunya directing workshop earlier this year and assistant directing Bricks and Lyrics, Ninaad Vaidya is ready to make his directorial debut. He’ll be assisted by Sara Kumar. Even before the first rehearsal, they’re already taking the troupe to new places. A month ago, Sara, Ninaad, and I met and discussed possible scripts. We discussed the need to do something different. Sure, it’s great to do hard-hitting theatre, but we also need variety. Life is not always tragic. So Sara and Ninaad set out to find something fun, engaging, and edgy. Well, I went away to India for a month and when I got back…

They had chosen, “Italian-American Reconciliation” by John Patrick Shanley. Well, it’s extremely funny. It’s about love which is always engaging. It’s got enough attitude to be way past edgy. The only trouble is… it’s Italian. I reminded them that we’re a South Asian troupe. Most of our members, most of our actors, and most of our audience is South Asian. So why should we do a play about Italian-Americans? More importantly, why would anyone want to watch a South-Asian troupe do a play about Italian-Americans? Well, we discussed it, and I think we have some pretty good answers to that question. We’ll discuss our ideas through more blog entries throughout the rehearsal process.

But first, we have to cast this play… So if you’re interested in auditioning or know someone who is interested in auditioning, here are the details:

Italian American Reconciliation
by John Patrick Shanley
directed by Ninaad Vaidya
Auditions:
Sunday, December 11th 5-8pm (this Sunday)
Tuesday, December 13th 8:00-10:00pm
Anjali Center for the Performing Arts
(http://www.anjalicenter.org/)

You only need to attend one of the audition times. Plan to attend for at least one hour. Wear comfortable clothing. You do not need to prepare anything. Simply show up ready to read!

Although there are only 5 characters, there are many opportunities to get involved. Please note the character descriptions and story below. Also, you do not need to be a specific ethinicity to audition for this script. We welcome all comers.

Cast: 2 males, 3 females

Aldo Scalicki (major role): An intense guy, about thirty years old.

Huey Maximillian Bonfigliano (major role): Aldo's best friend since childhood. Huey is more obviously vulnerable.

Aunt May (mid-level role): A handsome woman in her middle years (early to mid-30s acceptable).

Teresa (mid-level role): A striking girl in her mid to late twenties.

Janice (mid-level role): An angular, patrician woman with austere good looks. She's in her late twenties to early thirties.

THE STORY: Huey Maximilian Bonfigliano has a problem: While he is safely divorced from his shrewish first wife, Janice, who shot his dog and even took a bead on him, he feels he cannot regain his "manhood" until he woos and wins her one more time—if only to put his broken marriage behind him once and for all. He enlists the aid of his lifelong buddy, Aldo Scalicki, a confirmed bachelor who tries, without apparent success, to convince Huey that he would be better off sticking with his new lady friend, Teresa, a usually placid young waitress whose indignation flares when she learns what Huey is up to. In a moonlit balcony scene (hilariously reminiscent of Cyrano de Bergerac) Aldo pleads his lovesick friend's case and, to his astonishment, Janice capitulates—although not for long. However we do learn that her earlier abuse of Huey was intended to make him "act like a man" which, at last, he does. And, more than that, he (and the audience) become aware that, in the final essence, "the greatest—and only—success is to be able to love"—a truth which emerges delightfully from the heartwarming, wonderfully antic and always imaginatively conceived action of the play.

COMMENTS/REVIEWS: A fanciful, lighthearted and zestfully comic exploration of male/female relationships, and the sometimes unsettling (and very funny) complications that can ensue. An award-winning success in its initial production in Los Angeles, the play was subsequently presented by New York's famed Manhattan Theatre Club as well. "He writes wonderful Runyonesque dialogue—a sort of gritty, downtown version of sparkling drawing-room comedy—and highly rhetorical speeches that are fun to hear, because actors love to perform them." —The New Yorker. "Ultimately Shanley is telling us a tall tale but he does it with so much humor, so much winsome charm that it is almost irresistible." —NY Daily News. "…bathed in the same moonlit madness that gave his Moonstruck screenplay its savor and flavor…A lovely play." —NY Post.

Big Weekend

2005-10-20T15:22:00.000-05:00

After 2 months of rehearsal, day and night, I can safely say that the big day is almost upon us. Its been almost 2 years since I have performed on stage and i'm nervous. I guess that is a good thing...but i'm hoping that once the lights are on the show runs smooth like clockwork.

Guru is on a mission. Working with him for these past couple of months has given me a different perspective on what it entails to be a director. I respect him, Soham, and Sara for the dedication they put into the craft of directing really complex pieces. Directing is not easy, I REPEAT, not easy. I figured out for myself that acting and marketing are as far as I can take it. But who knows....I never thought I would act again, but here I am.

Enough rambling...I'm looking forward to all the Shunya folks to come out in full force and support our vision. Put another production down to Shunya's credit.

Regards to all....and special thanks to (in no order): Shweta, Anosh, Jaime, Adam, Jay Akin, Lulu, Soham, Sara, Ninaad, Sundy, Preity, Selina, Yaksha, Mohini, Husayfa, Jay Raman, Caleb, Evan, Autumn, and GURU!!! Let's have some fun.

Rishi

When Mahesh Dattani Speaks, People Listen…

2005-10-20T01:48:00.000-05:00

This Friday, we’re opening Mahesh Dattani’s “Final Solutions”. Mahesh Dattani is an actor, a dancer, a screenwriter, and a director, but he’s most famous as a playwright. In the past fifteen years, he’s carved out a place as one of India’s premiere English-language playwrights.

His plays routinely tour the United States. Here in Houston, thanks to Sanskriti, I’ve been able to see both “Dance Like a Man” and “30 Days in September”. The characteristic that sets Dattani apart is that each of his plays tackles a different important social issue. “Dance Like a Man” addressed gender roles in a family where both the wife and husband are classical Indian dancers. “30 Days in September” turned its attention to child molestation. One of my favorite Dattani plays, “Tara” questions the relative worth of a male versus a female child.

“Final Solutions” is no exception to this pattern. Written in 1992, the play explores and questions the communal violence that shook India during that time. The title itself implies that Dattani is hopeful that maybe we can somehow resolve these problems once and for all and move on.

To read more about Mahesh Dattani, visit his website (http://www.maheshdattani.com) or just google him – you’ll find several interesting interviews and articles.

I hope you’ll join us during our run of “Final Solutions” and see the work of one of India’s modern theatre masters.

soham

Bricks Wrap

2005-09-27T01:51:00.000-05:00

So it’s been a few weeks since the end of “Bricks and Lyrics”. It’s taken me that much time just to land on my feet. Those who know me well have gotten used to me disappearing for a while after a show.

Well, I just wanted to chime in and thank you for all of your support during the play. The positive feedback that we received has really been overwhelming. People were really moved by the production. It was definitely an extremely ambitious project with so many characters, such a prestigious venue, all the original music, and finally with Abhijat flying down to see it. So thank you for your support in making it such a great success. Your support, encouragement, and feedback is what drives us and makes all of this possible. So thank you!

I’m still adding up all of the numbers, but all in all, over 850 people saw the play making it our most successful show yet!

And for our next project, Guru Singh is directing Final Solutions this October, so please stay tuned for that!

soham

Abhijat Joshi flying in for Saturday Show

2005-09-03T01:32:00.000-05:00

The playwright himself, Abhijat Joshi, has just returned from India and is flying into Houston tomorrow to see the show. He’s been in India for the past two months working on two Bollywood scripts. The first, the sequel to Munnabhai, is already shooting. The second, Yagna starring Amitabh Bachchan, will start shooting soon.

After the show on Saturday, we will hold a talkback with the cast, crew, and Abhijat. So if you haven’t seen the show yet, there’s no better chance! If you have already seen the show, but would like to attend the talkback, just drop by the theatre around 10:15 on Saturday.

soham

Living Art Interview

2005-09-02T12:36:00.000-05:00

Just returned from an interview on Living Art with Michael Woodson on KPFT 90.1. We had a great time talking about the play and it's themes. Thanks Michael for inviting me on your show!

LivingArt - Friday: 11:00 AM-Noon.
LivingArt is a community art program which hosts performances, interviews, talkback, and discourse with community artists from around Houston. LivingArt gives voice to community poets, writers, theatre groups, performance artists, visual artists, car artists, just about any type of artistic personal and political expression.
The show is designed to engage, educate, promote, and advance art and artists in the Gulf Coast region.

Why such a small venue?

2005-09-02T01:20:00.000-05:00

After seeing our shows, well-meaning Indian uncles or aunties (adults) often ask me why we perform at such small venues. Sometimes, with the sincere desire to support our young troupe, they even offer to help pay for a larger venue such as the Stafford Civic Center, the Jewish Community Center, or Duchesne Academy -- all venues commonly used for Indian programs. What they don't realize is that the theatres that we use actually cost us 3 to 6 times more over a run than these larger venues.

So why do we choose to pay so much more money to perform our plays at strange theatres unfamiliar to the Indian community?

1) Bridging the Gap
A part of Shunya's mission is to create a South Asian American theatre troupe like the African American or Hispanic American theatre troupes in Houston. As South Asians, we often complain about the lack of South Asian representation in America's mainstream media (just how long did it take to get an Indian doctor on ER?). Well, in our own humble way, we are trying to do something about it. By performing in proper theatre venues, we get noticed by the Houston Chronicle, the Houston Press, and other mainstream media. We are taken seriously by Houston's other theatre troupes. We become an option for the mainstream theatre-going public. We are making a place for the South Asian experience in the mainstream Houston theatre scene. More people are learning about our culture and our stories. And some of those people are artists themselves. They will go and create their own plays and their own films with South Asian characters and slowly we will have a greater place in the mainstream media.

2) An Intimate Theatre Experience
From the beginning of Shunya, we wanted to offer our audience a uniquely intimate theatre experience. Why go to theatre? I think that one of the things that makes theatre so moving compared to film is the intimacy and immediacy of seeing real people facing human drama right in front of you. You can feel their energy, and when they cry or laugh, you want to join them. In an intimate theatre, you feel like a voyeur right in the middle of the characters’ lives. There’s no experience like that. You cannot duplicate it in a larger venue. When a touring troupe comes from India with Shabana Azmi, they cannot stay in Houston and offer 9 shows in a small venue. It would be too expensive. So they book the Wortham for one show, and we all go to see Shabana Azmi and are happy. At Shunya, we may not have Shabana Azmi, but instead, we can offer an intimate theatre experience like no other.

3) Long Runs
I think that it’s better to do 9 shows with a 100 seats each than 1 show with 900 seats. There are several reasons for this. The first is that the cast rehearses for the same amount of time whether they do one show or nine. By running for nine shows, we stretch out the reward for all of their hard work during rehearsals. Remember our actors, in fact everyone in our troupe, is completely volunteering their time simply out of love of theatre. So I think they deserve as many performances as possible. The second reason is that the South Asian calendar so filled with events, it’s virtually impossible to pick one day that does not conflict with something. By running for multiple shows, we give everyone an opportunity to see the show. Finally, by running a play for more shows, we give word of mouth time to spread. It’s amazing to see the audience demographic change over the course of three weekends. The first weekend, the house is usually filled with friends and family. By the second weekend, you see friends of friends. By the third weekend, if the show was good, you start seeing friends of friends of friends. It’s actually a wonderful feeling when I see an audience where I don’t know anyone. That means that we’re reaching new people.

4) Broadening our Horizon
By going to new venues, we’re also exposing South Asians to the Houston theatre scene. As we grow and mature as a community, we cannot stay hidden away in Sugarland or some other suburb. We have to integrate, explore, and become socially and politically involved in the city. The Ensemble Theatre and Stages Repertory Theatre are nationally reputed theatres. Houston has a very rich theatre scene – second only to New York in America. We should take advantage of it. When you go to these new venues, I encourage you to sign up for their mailing lists, pick up a copy of their season, and see some of their plays. If you ever want someone to go see a play with in Houston, just shoot me an email (soham@shunyatheatre.org) and maybe we can get a group together.

I hope this answers some of the questions about the venues that we select. Let us know what you think and post your comments to this blog.

soham

Bricks and Lyrics: Audience Comments

2005-08-22T22:50:00.000-05:00

Did you see the play? Please let us know what you thought. We'd love to hear your feedback.

Also, check out the pictures at:
http://www.shunyatheatre.org/pictures.htm

Good luck Sara!

2005-08-21T04:24:00.000-05:00

So today Shunya loses its leader. Saraswati Kumar is leaving Houston to start law school in Boston. Sara led Shunya as the managing director for the past two years.

For those of you don’t know, here’s a quick rundown of Sara’s contributions:
Triple Bill – wrote and directed Pahachaan
Hayavadana – producer and music director
Indian Wants the Bronx – producer, documentary team
Queen of the Remote Control – played the role of Padma, stage manager
International Festival – produced, wrote, directed, and acted in Shunya skit
Bricks and Lyrics – music director and marketing director

Of course, these credits only tell part of the story. As the managing director, Sara has put her stamp on everything that Shunya has done over the past two years. She personally ensured the success of every Shunya production by always being there to pick up any pieces that fell through the cracks. She has been the ultimate safety net for everything we have done. In truth, Shunya would not be where it is if not for her energy, passion, talent, and inspiring personality. Everyone loves working with her, and she always knows how to bring the best out of each person.

Ninaad Vaidya will be taking over Sara’s role as managing director. And even though Sara is stepping down from this position, she will continue to be involved with Shunya as a board member. And we’re all still going to try to lure her back to town for her summer breaks! So if anyone has a good lead on a summer law internship let us know!

Good luck Sara! We will all miss you dearly.

soham

Thank you all!!

2005-08-20T02:14:00.000-05:00

Well, opening night has come and gone. The adrenaline has dissipated, but hopefully the buzz will continue. I think I speak for all of the actors when I say we truly appreciated the strong support from you, our audience. We had a great time today and we hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did.

At that I leave you with a goodnight. Please continue to support us because without you, we would be pointless.

Oh, and tell your friends who haven't come about the show :).

Passage to India Tonight

2005-08-19T12:37:00.000-05:00

If you don't have tickets to Bricks tonight, there's still another theatrical option:

Samskriti Society of for the Indian Performing Arts is presenting "A Passage through India" tonight at the Miller Outdoor Theatre.

For details:
http://www.tickets2events.com/events.asp?Category=SpecialEvent

Last Rehearsal Down

2005-08-19T00:46:00.000-05:00

So that’s it. Eleven weeks of rehearsal, three to four days a week, three to four hours a day, and it all comes down to one night -- Opening Night.

Opening Night Sold Out!

2005-08-18T01:28:00.000-05:00

Woohoo! See you all at the show! And even if you were not able to get tickets to opening night, you are still welcome to the Premiere Party at the Social. Tickets are still available for Saturday and Sunday so don’t worry, but get them fast.

soham

To thrust or not to thrust?

2005-08-18T01:23:00.000-05:00

We just wrapped up our first dress rehearsal at Stages. Man, seeing the play with costumes makes a huge difference. We have one more full dress and make-up rehearsal tomorrow before opening on Friday.

We’ve spent much of our time at Stages this past week adjusting our blocking to the thrust space. Before this week, we were rehearsing at the Anjali Center and although we had visited the space and kept it in mind during rehearsals, there are always adjustments to be made once you move into the actual venue. Complicating matters, this is the first time Shunya is doing a play in a thrust theatre. In fact, it’s the first time I’m directing a play for a thrust. So it’s been a bit of a learning experience.

First some background. There are a few basic types of theatres. If you’ve ever gone to a play in a school cafetorium, chances are you know what a proscenium theatre looks like. Basically, the audience is all on one side separated from the actors by an invisible “fourth wall”. Theatre in the round or arena seating is where the audience sits around the playing area, completely surrounding the actors. A football stadium is the easiest example of this sort of arrangement. A thrust theatre places the audience on three sides of the playing area. It’s sort of a compromise between the other two extremes.

Directing a play for a thrust is considerably different than directing for a proscenium. When directing for a proscenium, I can create one stage picture after another. In a thrust, I have much less control over the pictures because there are so many different angles from which the audience is taking in the play. Further, I’ve had to be very careful in how I position the set pieces and the actors for visibility. There will be moments were some sections of the audience will not be able to see everything – the nature of the space makes that unavoidable. However, we’ve spent a lot of effort in minimizing these occurrences and limiting them to less important moments.

On the positive side, by utilizing three sides, a thrust puts the audience closer to the play. I have more entrances to play with, a greater amount of depth to utilize, and generally a lot more flexibility in the possible movement. All in all, the play becomes much more dynamic and real. It’s like the difference between watching a sit-com with its standard fourth wall set and stationary cameras and watching a film where they can take the camera right into the middle of the action. It’s theatre in 3-D!

soham

Shunya Presents 'Bricks and Lyrics'

2005-08-17T00:22:00.000-05:00

Shunya's production of "Bricks and Lyrics" by Abhijat Joshi opens this Friday, August 19th, and runs through September 4th.

Bricks and Lyrics represents a milestone for Shunya in my mind. While studying theatre at the University of Texas, one of my playwriting professors first introduced me to Abhijat Joshi, a student in the school’s prestigious creative writing graduate program. A year later, I became involved with a workshop production of Bricks. During this time, Abhijat and I became very close, and I spent several dinners at his home discussing the play. I watched in amazement as Abhijat, already an accomplished playwright and screenwriter, tirelessly reworked scene after scene, over and over again, refusing to settle for anything less than perfection.

From the beginning of Shunya three years ago, Bricks always sat at the back of my mind for a future production. But, I always hesitated to take it on. With a comedy, you can always fall back on the humor, audiences can easily relate to characters in a social drama, and magic realism provides so many distractions. But a play like Bricks and Lyrics leaves everything bare. There’s nothing to hide behind, no crutch to cling to. The script stands powerfully on its own. All we can do is present it honestly. Ironically, that is much more difficult than falling back on trusted gimmicks and demands so much more of the production, particularly the actors. It’s only now that I feel Shunya is ready. I hope that you agree.

Moving beyond the script, we're producing the play in cooperation with Stages Repertory Theatre. This is an honor in itself. Stages is one of Houston's most reputed theaters, probably falling second only to the Alley in terms of reputation and importance on Houston theatre scene. Right from the beginning, Stages and Artistic Director Rob Bundy welcomed us with open arms. It's wonderful to see such an established theatre taking an interest in developing fresh, new voices.

So please come out to the show! It's a truly remarkable script, presented in a beautiful venue, with some incredible acting talent.

Once you see the show, I'd love to hear your thoughts about it. Feel free to praise and criticize. We want to hear your honest opinions! It's the only way that we will be able to develop theatre that you are interested in seeing.

soham

Hello, World!

2005-08-16T23:55:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Shunya Blog!

Generally, theatre groups are slow to adopt new technologies. So we've decided to make our own little contribution to counter that trend by starting our own weblog.

The Shunya Blog will be your place to get the latest Shunya news including audition information, tech help calls, and announcements for upcoming Shunya productions and events. It will be a place for you to provide your own feedback on what we're doing, what we should stop doing, and what you would like to see us start doing. We will also try to give you a behind the scenes look at the process of running a theatre troupe and producing plays. Finally, we'll post our own thoughts on theatre, film, and other related topics. Hopefully, it will help Shunya be more responsive to the needs of the community, make it easier for everyone to get involved with the troupe, and extend the theatre experience beyond the stage!

We started Shunya to provide a voice to the South Asian experience. With this blog, we're trying to turn our monologue into a dialogue. So welcome to the conversation!

Sincerely,
Soham