Bibhaban - The Experimental Theatre Company
Φέτος (2015) τον Αύγουστο στην Καλκούτα ...
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Η ουσία για το «ταξίδι» είναι να ξεκινήσει κάτι. Αυτό που ξεκίνησε το 2002 με μια ιδέα και μια σειρά από μουντζούρες κατέληξαν σε μια μορφή συμμετοχικού θεάτρου που έσβησε τη διαχωριστική γραμμή ανάμεσα στη σκηνή και το κοινό. Τελευταία (26-1-15), στην Καλκούτα, το Bibhaban σε συνεργασία με το Κέντρο Τέχνης Προσκήνιο στην Καλκούτα, παρουσίασε το «ταξίδι», μια ανοικτή θεατρική πρωτοβουλία. Το Bibhaban περιγράφει δικαίως τον εαυτό του σαν «ένα σύστημα για όσους αγαπούν το θέατρο, ζουν για το θέατρο ή ίσως κάνουν θέατρο για να ζήσουν."
The essence of ‘Journey’ is to start something. What began in 2002 with an idea and a set of scribbles has culminated into a form of participatory theatre that has erased the line between the stage and the audience. On 26th January, 2015, Bibhaban, in association with Proscenium Art Centre, presented ‘Journey’, an open theatre initiative. Bibhaban rightfully describes itself as “A system for those who love theater, live for theater or perhaps do theater to live.” |
Supriyo Samajdar, founder of Bibhaban
Confession
Confession is an English word and I am Indian, born in West Bengal, my mother language/mother tongue is Bengali. So when I look for this word in the dictionary I saw the Bengali meaning of it ---- “Aparadh Shikar” which means acknowledge something which is not correct. In terms of our social aspects now I disclose to you something, which is not correct in my doing with my theatre.First I want to confess that my English is not correct, so you can say when I choose this language to communicate with you that means I start doing wrong(wrong in terms of our institutional knowledge of knowing English) thing from the very beginning. What for? The answer is to communicate with you, in a language, which has been known as a universal language in the world for communication. Is it? If you ask this question I want to say yes it is ; because if I look at me besides my mother language Bengali, I only know this language in my limitations to communicate my thoughts with my friends who are not Indian. In India there is also common language Hindi which rules our culture, our political identity as an Indian.
Coming back to the point “confession” here I try to give an outline where I am trying to confess with my work, my theatre, my process, my friends, my family, my self.
To start with my work – Theatre – consciously, I know the term what it means to a theatre. It begins when I was at the age of 24¸ now I am near 42. In this time the word theatre changed it’s meaning in-terms of my working with this art form. Art is the sense of which is an aesthetic value in our society code. When I was involve in theatre as an actor the first thing I recognize that it has something where you can feel your existence. When you act in a play, first think you try to forget your present reality and go in to the character reality and there you try to communicate the situation with that state of mind of the character and simultaneously your real presence feel that now what I am saying its not only for me but people also listening to me, trusting me. Which I can not do in my real life it can be done in theatre so in my age my 24 I fell in love in this magic where you feel you are self important without acceptance of our social norms means you say I am doing theatre, society says you “ok, I understand but besides this what you do?” that means theatre is something for society which can not gave you fame, money, status and so on. When I was ask the same question at my present age then the answer came from me yes I am doing only theatre and that means I am not only doing acting/directing in a play but to understand the life in theatre form. Where and how it take the life to our way, where we can see our self more clear, more meaningful. And now the thing is when you take a form for your life then what you expect from it without knowing what will be the next. At least you need an outline to see the next step. And if you think about the teacher who is in the same form, their life was like a beggar. The only difference between two approaches is someone thinks that for him/her there is no work to contribute in our society and another try to contribute our society but society think that their work “theatre” is not so important in our society like other work. And we are try to communicate our voice with this conflict. Why? How can we relate our work in our social context? Let say in this way, it sounds more positive what are we trying to relate with our work, with our performance, or with our research may be the answer to communicate my self, and now if I say you which self? That means I want to say that when I used the word confess for this text then who is going to confess, Supriyo the man of his social existence or Supriyo the man who is in theatre, and with whom I share my feelings? Who are observing me as a performer or who are thinking we are in same space, same time, same human being may be the language are different but we are in a same mental landscape and so we are here.
I think that I start from that Supriyo who is in theatre, latter I can move with that Supriyo who is not in front of you. Which appear after this confession. Every communication depends on the relationship between the doers and receivers, with whom I can try to communicate with feelings and the question is for why that is important for us at least we can know our motive, where we want to go with this. When I see Supriyo as a theatre activist I saw a man who is moving with his limitations towards his way, journey. Let see how Supriyo confess his work in his theatre life.
(Change costume, now Supriyo as a theatre activist)
Supriyo – Hi friends, thank you for coming here to see my work allow me to share the space with you, what I confess with you, here I want to tell you something which I do not tell in any of my work in this approach. I think you are now thinking what I am going to say, what thing which you do not know yet. Lets start from here, like my non grammatical bad English my theatre is like that where you can find a man who is not prepare for his art form but as Supriyo told you before that when he chooses this language then he tries to communicate with you. Why I want to communicate with you, who are you, what is the relation between you and me? In my theatre life, which is now only 15 years old, you can say a boy who is just try to understand the things which came in his life in his age you can say the adolescent period where your thoughts are going more than your reality, where you fall in love with women, where you can feel your physical existence, where you are growing up towards the age of maturity, where your wrong step taken as a mistake, the age of dreaming.
My 18 years of theatre life started in a different way, my family backgrounds are not in the art field so there was not any observation in my childhood to see theatre art form. So at the age of 24 when I was searching something meaningful of my life without knowing what is that I involve in a play in our small town (Malda,West Bengal) where I spent my age (between 17-24) as a table tennis player, trying to be a good player but I have limitations. I can say without the proper guidance or a coach you can not go beyond with your limitations because I think in a sport you need someone who can give you the training, as you need. Without this you can be a good player, who is a loser but not a champion, when you go for a competition then you have not only need training but to know how to use your training. So when I was lose in the competition I try to think why I am losing, what is the problem? Later I realize that when you love with some one then your way of thinking is very much concentrate with the think you love. It is a problem for us, normal human being. We cannot think for why is this love. Our all involvement goes with the feelings but if you think about the reality then you have to go with your brain. Heart may be help you to flow with the time but you have the think about the time, where you and how. At present I am in front of you, with my friends, with whom I am trying to disclose my reality, my truth in a artistic form which is called theatre, which is known as a very important art form other than any art form. In this art form you can articulate or collaborate any thing which is not possible any other art form. The living communication, to feel the existence each other is an important part of this form.
When you talk about process in theatre there came a word research, re-search means a careful search, systematic investigation towards development of knowledge so now if someone ask me about my search in theatre in this fifteen years. I just say that I am just starting to find the meaning of the word research. For me when I am trying to write this text confession, I don’t think about the end but try to think that in my limitations I try to write my feelings as they came. May be there are grammatical mistakes, may be there are spelling mistakes, may be the construction of the sentence are wrong but after all this is a text which I want to write and I write it in a language which I do not know completely but if someone asks me then why you choose this language when you know that you are doing wrong? Yes, this is a good question why I choose this form, I think there is something which may be I can communicate with this language, that is my feelings and also my existence as I am, like my open theatre, where for last nine years (approx) besides from our performance audience actor relationship I am working with a concept call ‘Journey’. The form Open Theatre came from the thought of our existence. Not know too much theatre craft, not so knowledge about the history of theatre, just to communicate our existence we try to make a process with ourselves that is nothing but to know our relationship with whom I want to share my words. In our work journey we try to say the words, which was from the beginning since February 2002. We cannot change the word normally, we try to think the changing time, how the same word change in our relationship with whom we are doing this word. For last 9 years (approx) we are in this research and every time the meaning of the same word change the expression with the time with our relationship, who are participating in our work.
The open theatre concept basically focuses on participation, participation of friends with whom we share our views. Any one accepted in our work with their own limitations. Journey moves with our relationship, for to live our life happily, happy in terms of to live our life with our own limitations and existence. Thus our research work journey continue till now, the search is communicate to the people and myself without my social mask where there is no director, no actor, no audience, all are one, human being and we try to spend a time in a space with our own way without our class difference. Now we do this work not one’s in a month, it change the movement now we do this work in different spaces like universities, cultural organisations and any space, where we think we can do our work in our way. It is true that we not take any charges for this work. If someone think to help or support our way of thinking he or she will come after all very true to say we need money for survive. Still now we did not take any grant from the government or any sponsorship from outside. Our works continue with the help of our friends, who are truly our friends. So we think about money in theatre, it is a question which continue from past to present and may be continue the same think with a theatre activist who try to exist only with this art form in future so if I go back to this context then I can say I used a word beggar but now I can say the beggar in true sense like party member who devoted his or her life to build something new which was not seen by the people normally. Every theatre group doing their own works for betterment of our society with their own approach. So you can say as a political person who try to make our society with their own sense more meaningful. Our way of expression not only for entertainment people but to think their reality also, it is one of point of view to work with theatre. Sometimes our work has been appreciated by the audience sometimes not, sometimes I feel happy with my work, sometimes sad, but all this are into our life, if we accept our life (theatre life) to do something meaningful with our own limitations then our existence with this society became more important. My eighteen years stay with this form(theatre) and for nine years (approx) with open theatre I experienced lot of things which moves my work in its own way. I try to correct my self, try to do my work consciously but sometimes I learned many things in this journey with my relationship which I can say I am grateful for their thoughts without their sharing thanks for their feelings towards me.
Now I want to move my communication with my friends who are most important in my theatre. When we talk about communication for me its only sharing feelings verbally, but physically also. The intensity in this two communication are very much different. Verbally when I communicate it is like something you know the form but not known yet and in physically you are in that form and you know that where you are. So sometimes there came miscommunication and from this miscommunication you know about communication which came from the space between this communication and miscommunication.
Physical communication with women as a men help me to think about the form with whom I am doing my work. May be it sound not so good but when you think about your desire, love in terms of your work then nothing is wrong, yes may be that moment you need to do this with your form but for why? Sometimes I have the answer why I am doing this but sometimes there are no such answer it just follow the emotions, and you move with this realization that next time you may be more conscious about your emotions with your form like your every day life. For me sometimes I think when you do something which is not correct in terms of our society code then may be you can know what is right one. In this time when nothing is going with rules and regulations then why theatre try to do all perfect thing. We can not stop war, we can not stop politics which is very much concentrate on the system of power, we not know what is our next?
We do art, but for why? Is this a time to make a good art or do something where art can help people to see our brighter tomorrow! For me good art is that which can give confidence to people to live his/her life more effectively or may be with their own existence. What someone do with his/her own ability that his for him/her the whole means if somebody doing a job in an office or someone sells something in a shop the two person are same important in our society may be their works are different and that is very important how we see our society. As a theatre activist when I think about this text I know that it is very personal and can be share only with someone with whom I try to correct my mistakes. You can call this an affection, may be love as you wish but I believe without this emotions any art activist can not do anything with his/her art form.
Confession about my theatre life what I try to say here that sometimes I am selfish with my needs sometimes I am rude with my colleagues, sometimes I am very much individualist in my family but I am grateful that I belong to a family where a person age of forty two have no permanent income through his work but they support my work till now. So when I look back in my theatre life I just wonder how can it be possible, what is that power in it that moves a person into a depth of life. And I am also grateful with my friends who rejected my work, who criticized my work, who gave me pain and love, who share their space with me as I am.
When I start this text I try to concentrate about my confession in my theatre life, I think I try it as my level best. May be something I can not articulate in this language which can be easy to express in my language Bengali but when I write about my confession in this language I feel that without the language barrier may be their some feelings are true which can communicate you. Life is a movement in a relationship so what I try to say here it is from my core of heart. It something is missing that can be said in other way when our relationship needed it. Now I think I have to change my costume as a theatre activist and move to Supriyo who wants to say you about the work.
(Change costume )
Supriyo – Thank you friends, thank you for your patience to listen to Supriyo’s confession as a theatre activist. I want to say few words about myself that in this age of near 42(forty two) I have gone through many experiences my (10-24) 14 years gone as a table tennis player where I was try to be honest in my work and as a theatre activist (24-42) just crossing 18 years here I also try to be honest with my work in my limitations. Confession is a word, but life is something that you have to live, every human being choose his/her life as their conditions we try to be perfect in our lives with our work.
Coming to the end theatre for me a space where feel your existence, where you can find peace your mind. When we confess something that means we want to be more correct with our emotions, here what you listen to, it is a draft the final text may be written by someone who moves our life everyday. So I think I have to finish here. May be you can say this is not a confession as Jerzy Grotowski says “...... an inarticulate confession is no confession at all.” But you cannot ignore that here in this text I used the word confession in my own way and that is for me theatre. It is not only performance, it is between you and me, the rest is life........Supriyo Samajdar
Acknowledgement
Agnieszka Pietkiewicz &Friends of Bibhaban
November 2008
Confession is an English word and I am Indian, born in West Bengal, my mother language/mother tongue is Bengali. So when I look for this word in the dictionary I saw the Bengali meaning of it ---- “Aparadh Shikar” which means acknowledge something which is not correct. In terms of our social aspects now I disclose to you something, which is not correct in my doing with my theatre.First I want to confess that my English is not correct, so you can say when I choose this language to communicate with you that means I start doing wrong(wrong in terms of our institutional knowledge of knowing English) thing from the very beginning. What for? The answer is to communicate with you, in a language, which has been known as a universal language in the world for communication. Is it? If you ask this question I want to say yes it is ; because if I look at me besides my mother language Bengali, I only know this language in my limitations to communicate my thoughts with my friends who are not Indian. In India there is also common language Hindi which rules our culture, our political identity as an Indian.
Coming back to the point “confession” here I try to give an outline where I am trying to confess with my work, my theatre, my process, my friends, my family, my self.
To start with my work – Theatre – consciously, I know the term what it means to a theatre. It begins when I was at the age of 24¸ now I am near 42. In this time the word theatre changed it’s meaning in-terms of my working with this art form. Art is the sense of which is an aesthetic value in our society code. When I was involve in theatre as an actor the first thing I recognize that it has something where you can feel your existence. When you act in a play, first think you try to forget your present reality and go in to the character reality and there you try to communicate the situation with that state of mind of the character and simultaneously your real presence feel that now what I am saying its not only for me but people also listening to me, trusting me. Which I can not do in my real life it can be done in theatre so in my age my 24 I fell in love in this magic where you feel you are self important without acceptance of our social norms means you say I am doing theatre, society says you “ok, I understand but besides this what you do?” that means theatre is something for society which can not gave you fame, money, status and so on. When I was ask the same question at my present age then the answer came from me yes I am doing only theatre and that means I am not only doing acting/directing in a play but to understand the life in theatre form. Where and how it take the life to our way, where we can see our self more clear, more meaningful. And now the thing is when you take a form for your life then what you expect from it without knowing what will be the next. At least you need an outline to see the next step. And if you think about the teacher who is in the same form, their life was like a beggar. The only difference between two approaches is someone thinks that for him/her there is no work to contribute in our society and another try to contribute our society but society think that their work “theatre” is not so important in our society like other work. And we are try to communicate our voice with this conflict. Why? How can we relate our work in our social context? Let say in this way, it sounds more positive what are we trying to relate with our work, with our performance, or with our research may be the answer to communicate my self, and now if I say you which self? That means I want to say that when I used the word confess for this text then who is going to confess, Supriyo the man of his social existence or Supriyo the man who is in theatre, and with whom I share my feelings? Who are observing me as a performer or who are thinking we are in same space, same time, same human being may be the language are different but we are in a same mental landscape and so we are here.
I think that I start from that Supriyo who is in theatre, latter I can move with that Supriyo who is not in front of you. Which appear after this confession. Every communication depends on the relationship between the doers and receivers, with whom I can try to communicate with feelings and the question is for why that is important for us at least we can know our motive, where we want to go with this. When I see Supriyo as a theatre activist I saw a man who is moving with his limitations towards his way, journey. Let see how Supriyo confess his work in his theatre life.
(Change costume, now Supriyo as a theatre activist)
Supriyo – Hi friends, thank you for coming here to see my work allow me to share the space with you, what I confess with you, here I want to tell you something which I do not tell in any of my work in this approach. I think you are now thinking what I am going to say, what thing which you do not know yet. Lets start from here, like my non grammatical bad English my theatre is like that where you can find a man who is not prepare for his art form but as Supriyo told you before that when he chooses this language then he tries to communicate with you. Why I want to communicate with you, who are you, what is the relation between you and me? In my theatre life, which is now only 15 years old, you can say a boy who is just try to understand the things which came in his life in his age you can say the adolescent period where your thoughts are going more than your reality, where you fall in love with women, where you can feel your physical existence, where you are growing up towards the age of maturity, where your wrong step taken as a mistake, the age of dreaming.
My 18 years of theatre life started in a different way, my family backgrounds are not in the art field so there was not any observation in my childhood to see theatre art form. So at the age of 24 when I was searching something meaningful of my life without knowing what is that I involve in a play in our small town (Malda,West Bengal) where I spent my age (between 17-24) as a table tennis player, trying to be a good player but I have limitations. I can say without the proper guidance or a coach you can not go beyond with your limitations because I think in a sport you need someone who can give you the training, as you need. Without this you can be a good player, who is a loser but not a champion, when you go for a competition then you have not only need training but to know how to use your training. So when I was lose in the competition I try to think why I am losing, what is the problem? Later I realize that when you love with some one then your way of thinking is very much concentrate with the think you love. It is a problem for us, normal human being. We cannot think for why is this love. Our all involvement goes with the feelings but if you think about the reality then you have to go with your brain. Heart may be help you to flow with the time but you have the think about the time, where you and how. At present I am in front of you, with my friends, with whom I am trying to disclose my reality, my truth in a artistic form which is called theatre, which is known as a very important art form other than any art form. In this art form you can articulate or collaborate any thing which is not possible any other art form. The living communication, to feel the existence each other is an important part of this form.
When you talk about process in theatre there came a word research, re-search means a careful search, systematic investigation towards development of knowledge so now if someone ask me about my search in theatre in this fifteen years. I just say that I am just starting to find the meaning of the word research. For me when I am trying to write this text confession, I don’t think about the end but try to think that in my limitations I try to write my feelings as they came. May be there are grammatical mistakes, may be there are spelling mistakes, may be the construction of the sentence are wrong but after all this is a text which I want to write and I write it in a language which I do not know completely but if someone asks me then why you choose this language when you know that you are doing wrong? Yes, this is a good question why I choose this form, I think there is something which may be I can communicate with this language, that is my feelings and also my existence as I am, like my open theatre, where for last nine years (approx) besides from our performance audience actor relationship I am working with a concept call ‘Journey’. The form Open Theatre came from the thought of our existence. Not know too much theatre craft, not so knowledge about the history of theatre, just to communicate our existence we try to make a process with ourselves that is nothing but to know our relationship with whom I want to share my words. In our work journey we try to say the words, which was from the beginning since February 2002. We cannot change the word normally, we try to think the changing time, how the same word change in our relationship with whom we are doing this word. For last 9 years (approx) we are in this research and every time the meaning of the same word change the expression with the time with our relationship, who are participating in our work.
The open theatre concept basically focuses on participation, participation of friends with whom we share our views. Any one accepted in our work with their own limitations. Journey moves with our relationship, for to live our life happily, happy in terms of to live our life with our own limitations and existence. Thus our research work journey continue till now, the search is communicate to the people and myself without my social mask where there is no director, no actor, no audience, all are one, human being and we try to spend a time in a space with our own way without our class difference. Now we do this work not one’s in a month, it change the movement now we do this work in different spaces like universities, cultural organisations and any space, where we think we can do our work in our way. It is true that we not take any charges for this work. If someone think to help or support our way of thinking he or she will come after all very true to say we need money for survive. Still now we did not take any grant from the government or any sponsorship from outside. Our works continue with the help of our friends, who are truly our friends. So we think about money in theatre, it is a question which continue from past to present and may be continue the same think with a theatre activist who try to exist only with this art form in future so if I go back to this context then I can say I used a word beggar but now I can say the beggar in true sense like party member who devoted his or her life to build something new which was not seen by the people normally. Every theatre group doing their own works for betterment of our society with their own approach. So you can say as a political person who try to make our society with their own sense more meaningful. Our way of expression not only for entertainment people but to think their reality also, it is one of point of view to work with theatre. Sometimes our work has been appreciated by the audience sometimes not, sometimes I feel happy with my work, sometimes sad, but all this are into our life, if we accept our life (theatre life) to do something meaningful with our own limitations then our existence with this society became more important. My eighteen years stay with this form(theatre) and for nine years (approx) with open theatre I experienced lot of things which moves my work in its own way. I try to correct my self, try to do my work consciously but sometimes I learned many things in this journey with my relationship which I can say I am grateful for their thoughts without their sharing thanks for their feelings towards me.
Now I want to move my communication with my friends who are most important in my theatre. When we talk about communication for me its only sharing feelings verbally, but physically also. The intensity in this two communication are very much different. Verbally when I communicate it is like something you know the form but not known yet and in physically you are in that form and you know that where you are. So sometimes there came miscommunication and from this miscommunication you know about communication which came from the space between this communication and miscommunication.
Physical communication with women as a men help me to think about the form with whom I am doing my work. May be it sound not so good but when you think about your desire, love in terms of your work then nothing is wrong, yes may be that moment you need to do this with your form but for why? Sometimes I have the answer why I am doing this but sometimes there are no such answer it just follow the emotions, and you move with this realization that next time you may be more conscious about your emotions with your form like your every day life. For me sometimes I think when you do something which is not correct in terms of our society code then may be you can know what is right one. In this time when nothing is going with rules and regulations then why theatre try to do all perfect thing. We can not stop war, we can not stop politics which is very much concentrate on the system of power, we not know what is our next?
We do art, but for why? Is this a time to make a good art or do something where art can help people to see our brighter tomorrow! For me good art is that which can give confidence to people to live his/her life more effectively or may be with their own existence. What someone do with his/her own ability that his for him/her the whole means if somebody doing a job in an office or someone sells something in a shop the two person are same important in our society may be their works are different and that is very important how we see our society. As a theatre activist when I think about this text I know that it is very personal and can be share only with someone with whom I try to correct my mistakes. You can call this an affection, may be love as you wish but I believe without this emotions any art activist can not do anything with his/her art form.
Confession about my theatre life what I try to say here that sometimes I am selfish with my needs sometimes I am rude with my colleagues, sometimes I am very much individualist in my family but I am grateful that I belong to a family where a person age of forty two have no permanent income through his work but they support my work till now. So when I look back in my theatre life I just wonder how can it be possible, what is that power in it that moves a person into a depth of life. And I am also grateful with my friends who rejected my work, who criticized my work, who gave me pain and love, who share their space with me as I am.
When I start this text I try to concentrate about my confession in my theatre life, I think I try it as my level best. May be something I can not articulate in this language which can be easy to express in my language Bengali but when I write about my confession in this language I feel that without the language barrier may be their some feelings are true which can communicate you. Life is a movement in a relationship so what I try to say here it is from my core of heart. It something is missing that can be said in other way when our relationship needed it. Now I think I have to change my costume as a theatre activist and move to Supriyo who wants to say you about the work.
(Change costume )
Supriyo – Thank you friends, thank you for your patience to listen to Supriyo’s confession as a theatre activist. I want to say few words about myself that in this age of near 42(forty two) I have gone through many experiences my (10-24) 14 years gone as a table tennis player where I was try to be honest in my work and as a theatre activist (24-42) just crossing 18 years here I also try to be honest with my work in my limitations. Confession is a word, but life is something that you have to live, every human being choose his/her life as their conditions we try to be perfect in our lives with our work.
Coming to the end theatre for me a space where feel your existence, where you can find peace your mind. When we confess something that means we want to be more correct with our emotions, here what you listen to, it is a draft the final text may be written by someone who moves our life everyday. So I think I have to finish here. May be you can say this is not a confession as Jerzy Grotowski says “...... an inarticulate confession is no confession at all.” But you cannot ignore that here in this text I used the word confession in my own way and that is for me theatre. It is not only performance, it is between you and me, the rest is life........Supriyo Samajdar
Acknowledgement
Agnieszka Pietkiewicz &Friends of Bibhaban
November 2008