Experimental minds adapt Ibsen

The turmoil of the woman is staged through the metaphor of the sea; a Norweign Chamberlain turns into a village Pradhan from UP; John Osborne’s love triangle in Look Back in Anger meets Hedda Gabler and thus Henrik Ibsen breathes in contemporary India through productions of the younger generation of directors. So experimental was the staging of Ibsen’s plays during the recently concluded ‘University Ibsen Festival 2012’ at LTG auditorium.

To say that Ibsen was brought alive on stage would be wrong. His masterpieces were adapted so well into the Indian context that it could be considered his rebirth instead! Spread over five days, the festival organised by the Dramatic Arts and Design Academy (DADA) in collaboration with the Royal Norwegian Embassy, witnessed five plays – Lady From the Sea presented by the School of Arts & Aesthetics, JNU; Jai Jawan Party - an adaptation of The League of the Youth by Ramjas College; an adaptation of An Enemy of the People by St. Stephen’s; Burn, an adaptation of Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen and Look Back In Anger by John Osborne by Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR) and Bi-polars - an adaptation of Hedda Gabler by Maitreyi. The list was long but made interesting by the young minds.

Nissar Allana, the festival director says, “Each team did something new. They absorbed Ibsen appropriately and showed how Ibsen is relevant to us today, even though he is an 18th century playwright. Solid pieces of dramatic literature were presented by the students which made it possible to cross barriers of time. Thus they kept alive the purpose of staging Ibsen the way it was then but in the style of their college life today.”
The different styles of production were received well by audiences.

The research done by students was visible onstage. Some even surprised audiences with their adaptation. Ramjas which adapted The League of the Youth, set in UP and its politics calling the play Jai Jawan Party. The story revolved around an ambitious young man who poses as a political idealist and forms a new party. The play showcased the present political scenario of a small village in Uttar Pradesh and was hugely loved by its audience as well as festival organisers for the college had not just adapted the play but also translated it into Hindi.

The love for Ibsen doesn’t end here, for the Delhi Ibsen Festival will have its second edition in December. For those of you who have not had their fill yet, can look forward to more!