A Directors Diary - Perspective
notes…Posted in Afghan Women, Pictures on October 30, 2006 by dst
Scene One: Malalai being intimidated by “The Afghan Women” (Picture: Mayur)
Notes on the scene from director: There is something about showing intimidation by going around this way. Although it violates all stage norms, and is more of a street play style. The actors and crew were apprehensive about delivering their dialogues in this manner and I can understand their doubts… it took a lot of persuasion on my part to let the collective voice listen to mine, but in the end… the result was extraordinary. What would have been nicer, is, if the three women would have worn burqas.. they look like Israilies instead of Afghani’s (feedback from most people who came in to watch the play). Burqa would have had a terribly fantastic effect, what with large volumes of material swaying around… creating ripples. Maybe next audition I will get actors who find it easier to pull off the look.
Scene Two: Malalai in her refugee camp. (Picture: Mayur)
Notes on the scene from director: I was a little, okay, a lot preturbed about the irregular attendance of my light and sound guy at rehearsals as he was hardly seen, it worried the hell out of my actors and me … got someone else in the end. The lighting was good, considering the fact that the pictures have come out so well. Proof enough that all critics can be put to rest!!!
Scene Three: Malalai preturbed and turns her head away(Picture: Atul Prabhu)
Notes on the scene from director: There is something about this scene, the anguish, the worry the troubles one has to go through… need I say much??
Scene Four: Malalai in the blue Burqa (Picture: Mayur)
Notes on the scene from director: Yeah, okay, no one wears a royal blue burqa. But sometimes for stage effect, one has to let his/her artistic juices flow, and look how the final product turned out. The burqa gleamed on stage, everyone noticed it. I do not think, red, black, white or even light blue would have achieved this effect.
Scene Five: Omar and Mahmood - the last words(Picture: Atul Prabhu)
Notes on the scene from director: This, according to me was the strongest scene in the show. The tension in the scene was immense. The scene always turned out better than before, everytime we rehearsed. Irrespective of what the audience was doing or even during rehearsal for that matter, what I was doing; we could not help but look up and get engrossed in it. Purely captivating, enticing and edge of the seat effect… a movie is nothing compared to seeing this live.
There were two other scene that I absolutely loved in the play. One: The women in Scene one movin like ghosts around Malalai and Two: where Mahmood pulls Malalai to the ground before he is stabbed by the women.
Afghan Women, staged on 27th of October, 2006 at Good Shepherd Audi, Residencydirectors perspective: part one(will write more later…)
Road, Bangalore.
Scene One: Malalai being intimidated by “The Afghan Women” (Picture: Mayur)
Notes on the scene from director: There is something about showing intimidation by going around this way. Although it violates all stage norms, and is more of a street play style. The actors and crew were apprehensive about delivering their dialogues in this manner and I can understand their doubts… it took a lot of persuasion on my part to let the collective voice listen to mine, but in the end… the result was extraordinary. What would have been nicer, is, if the three women would have worn burqas.. they look like Israilies instead of Afghani’s (feedback from most people who came in to watch the play). Burqa would have had a terribly fantastic effect, what with large volumes of material swaying around… creating ripples. Maybe next audition I will get actors who find it easier to pull off the look.
Scene Two: Malalai in her refugee camp. (Picture: Mayur)
Notes on the scene from director: I was a little, okay, a lot preturbed about the irregular attendance of my light and sound guy at rehearsals as he was hardly seen, it worried the hell out of my actors and me … got someone else in the end. The lighting was good, considering the fact that the pictures have come out so well. Proof enough that all critics can be put to rest!!!
Scene Three: Malalai preturbed and turns her head away(Picture: Atul Prabhu)Notes on the scene from director: There is something about this scene, the anguish, the worry the troubles one has to go through… need I say much??
Scene Four: Malalai in the blue Burqa (Picture: Mayur)Notes on the scene from director: Yeah, okay, no one wears a royal blue burqa. But sometimes for stage effect, one has to let his/her artistic juices flow, and look how the final product turned out. The burqa gleamed on stage, everyone noticed it. I do not think, red, black, white or even light blue would have achieved this effect.
Scene Five: Omar and Mahmood - the last words(Picture: Atul Prabhu)Notes on the scene from director: This, according to me was the strongest scene in the show. The tension in the scene was immense. The scene always turned out better than before, everytime we rehearsed. Irrespective of what the audience was doing or even during rehearsal for that matter, what I was doing; we could not help but look up and get engrossed in it. Purely captivating, enticing and edge of the seat effect… a movie is nothing compared to seeing this live.
There were two other scene that I absolutely loved in the play. One: The women in Scene one movin like ghosts around Malalai and Two: where Mahmood pulls Malalai to the ground before he is stabbed by the women.
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