"Necropolis" in Copenhagen

PERFORMANCE (one man show)

Necropolis: rehearsing Koltes in such times

A performance collaboration by Best of Kolkata Campus in association with Five Issues dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Solo performance, Direction and dramaturgy: Parnab Mukherjee

Language: English

Duration: 65 minutes without any intermission

Inspired from a poem of Nirmaldendu Goon Thangjam Ibopishak and In the Solitude of Cottonfields by Bernard Marie Koltes

Additional text: Manto, Hijam Irabot, Saratchand Thiyam, Rajkumar Bhubonsana, Bhaskar Chakraborty, Rabindranath Tagore and Mishing and Kokbork proverbs

Collaboration: Gautam Bajoria and Five Issues

Synopsis:

Necropolis is a part of a three part repertoire called The Trilogy of Unrest, the first two being Hamletmachine: Images of Shakespeare-in-us and an installation performance with a series of visual artistes called This room is not my room.

The repertoire has toured the north-east, Siliguri, Kolkata, Pune and Mumbai. The touring performance will culminate in the release of a special commemorative edition of Five Issues on Indian theatre and subversions-dedicated to Badal Sircar, Vijay Tendulkar, Bishnu Rabha, Ranjabati Chaki Sircar, Chandrasekhar and Arambam Samarendra.

Necropolis has opened three international events: the prestigeous Amnesty International Festival on the 60th year Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 5, 2008 at the India Islamic Centre in New Delhi, the 9th conference of Comparitive Literature Association of India at the Hyderabad Central University on January 27, 2009 and the first Patumthani International Festival in Bangkok orgsnised by Mordokmai theatre group(the show was held on February1, 2009 at the Supreme Artist Hall-Patumathani . The production has also closed two important festivals. It has been the final event at the Chhobi Mela V-an International Festival of Photography organised by Drik at Dhaka and the inaugural Awami theatre festival organised by Awam Jaipur on March 23, 2009.

The production has completed more than 30 shows and now we are glad to recieve Mr Parnab Mukherjee here in Copenhagen!

About Khosro Adibi

Khosro Adibi is a multidisciplinary artist currently working as a teacher, performer, director, video/ photographer, visual artist and light/stage designer in different projects, theatre and dance theatre productions.

Khosro Adibi graduated in fine arts from HKU (Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht). He has studied dance at SNDO (School for New Dance Development in Amsterdam) as well as in New York City.

Khosro Adibi is facilitating workshops/ laboratories with an interest in using his knowledge to stimulate a more integrated process of creation for the artist/performer. His aim is to encourage the performer to develop a greater awareness of the external 'theatrical' space without losing his/her connection and trust in the internal physical exploration.

In 2001 he founded Laster Studio (Center for Contemporary and Experimental Dance and Music) in Brussels, I.P.L (International Performers Lab) in 2004, Les PesPis (Company) in 2005 And C.A.E (Children Art Education) in 2008.

Most recently, Khosro Adibi has been teaching, performing and Exhibiting throughout Europe and Latin America, regularly trained the Rosas Company in Brussels, Maguy Marin Company in Lyon and has been performing with Les Ballets C. de la B.

About Parnab Mukherjee

An independent media analyst and a performance consultant by profession, Mr. Parnab Mukherjee is one of the leading alternative theatre directors’ of the country. He divides his time between Kolkata, Imphal and the Darjeeling hills. Currently, a consultant with a publication initiative, he has earlier worked for a sports fortnightly, an English daily and a Bengali daily. He is an acclaimed authority on Badal Sircar’s theatre, Shakespeare-in-education and specialises in theatre-for-conflict-resolution and theatre-of-the-campus.

He is considered as a leading light in alternative theatre in the country having directed more than 50 productions of performance texts including three international collaborations. He has also performed 14 full length solos which include an acclaimed series of plays on trafficking, HIV and segregation called the River series, Living Text series and Foothills to Hills, a series of plays with Darjeeling as the living inspiration.

Parnab has created a personal idiom of using spaces for theatre exploration. He has extensively worked on a range of human rights issues which include specific theatre projects on anti-uranium project struggles in Jadugoda and Turamdihi, Save Tenzin campaign, rehabilitation after industrial shutdowns, shelter issue of the de-notified tribes, a widely acclaimed cycle of 12 plays against Gujarat genocide, and a range of issues on north-east with special reference to Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958.

Four of his major workshop modules: Freedomspeak, The Otherness of the Body, Conflict as a Text and The Elastic Body have been conducted with major theatre groups and campuses all over the country. He has written five books on theatr and his production of Tagore’s Muktadhara in darjeeling and Sikkim is an important landmark to raise voice on ctiizens affected by projects in Teesta.