TORONTO, January 21, 2004 -- On the heels of the sold-out run of Big Love, comes Theatre @ York’s scintillating production of Kalidasa’s Shakuntala. Directed by Charles Roy, this ancient gem, described as a "necklace of poetic love strung with humour," will open on January 27 in the intimate Joseph G. Green Studio Theatre at York University.
Shakuntala, a 5th-century classical Sanskrit masterpiece, is a simple story of profound romantic love, intensified by adversity. A king falls in love with a girl of humble origins — the beautiful Shakuntala — a golden lotus. Fate, however, intervenes and diverts their happiness when the king is put under a spell that erases Shakuntala entirely from his memory. But, true love is destined to win the day.
Kalidasa’s poetic language and sentiment draw the audience through the mythical pages of ancient India and Vedic culture.
Roy adapted this production of Shakuntala based largely on P. Lal's 1956 translation of the play, combined with a close reading of previous versions. "I incorporated the formality, piety and magnificent poetry and passion that I found scattered amongst the various translations," Roy said.
While honouring the distinctive conventions of Indian theatre, he blends in mime and dance elements drawn from western theatre. "This production of Shakuntala is an experiment in merging the theories and cultural practices of ancient Sanskrit drama with contemporary western theatre," said Roy.
Charles Roy has directed extensively in Toronto and Montreal and is the co-founder and artistic director of two theatre companies, Talking Camel Productions and The Classical Theatre Project. Recent productions include Hamlet (Hart House Theatre), Scenes from a Jazz Bar (Poor Alex Theatre Cabaret), Ordering Ives (Talking Camel Productions) and Romeo and Juliet (Classical Theatre Project). A graduate of McGill University and a Fellow of Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, India, Roy is currently completing his MFA in directing in the Department of Theatre at York University.
One of the notable features of this production is the costumes. The Theatre @ York wardrobe crew, under the supervision of Bill Corcoran, shopped locally in Little India, searching for fabric and notions that would breathe life into characters and help actors draw out personae.
Underscoring the dedication and attention to detail involved, Corcoran said: "We created 217 costume pieces for Shakuntala. On average, we were building a costume or accessory every 17 minutes. We even hand-spun the dreadlocks for this production."
Theatre @ York productions showcase the talents of students in York University’s theatre department. The cast for Shakuntala is drawn from the fourth-year acting ensemble. Set design is by Olive Lam, costume design by Sarah Melamed, and lighting design is by David Janzen.
Shakuntala previews Sunday, January 25 and Monday, January 26 and runs through Saturday, January 31 in the Joseph G. Green Studio Theatre at York University, 4700 Keele Street. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. with matinees at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 28 and Friday, January 30. Admission is $12, $8 for students & seniors and $5 group rate. The Sunday preview is pwyc and the Monday preview is $5. Box office: 416-736-5172, ext. 3.
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For more information, please contact:
Mary-Lou Schagena
Communications, Faculty of Fine Arts
York University
416-736-2100, ext. 20421
schagena@yorku.ca
