Orchestra of 100 snake charmers on stage on May 4

A hundred snake charmers from across north India will deliver an orchestral performance. It will be conducted by Abel, who is celebrated in the theatre scene for folk art and music-focused productions such as ‘The Manganiyar Seduction’, and ‘Weaving Voices’. The event aims to create awareness about the plight of the snake charmer community in the country.

Roysten Abel is bringing his musical production ‘A 100 Charmers’ to Bengaluru for the first time since its premiere in 2007. It will be staged tomorrow.

As the title suggests, a hundred snake charmers from across north India will deliver an orchestral performance. It will be conducted by Abel, who is celebrated in the theatre scene for folk art and music-focused productions such as ‘The Manganiyar Seduction’, and ‘Weaving Voices’.

They will perform folk melodies, Scottish bagpipe tunes, and Bollywood songs, on the been (Indian pipe) in the hour-long concert. But Abel says more than their music, the highlight of the show is the coordination among them. “It’s powerful, unlike anything the audience has seen before. The synchronicity is intoxicating,” he adds.

The event aims to create awareness about the plight of the snake charmer community in the country. “Bahar Dutt, who runs the Jeevika Foundation in Delhi and works with the community, approached me with the idea of involving them in theatre. There are a lot of misconceptions about the community. Plus, their livelihood has been greatly affected since the ban on the use of snakes in performances. The objective was to help them find alternate careers,” he tells Metrolife.

The community responded to the idea enthusiastically. “Over 500 of them came for the audition. Today, the team has snake charmers from various regions including Delhi, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra. This has also helped them make a career in the field of music. They have made smaller groups and perform regularly,” he says.

The production has completed close to 50 shows in India and abroad, including a performance at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, the world’s oldest functioning opera house.

“We haven’t travelled much with this production as it involves a lot of logistics. It’s expensive. But (arts trust) Bhoomija was keen on staging the production in Bengaluru, so it’s finally here,” he says.

He assures “there will be no snakes involved in the concert”.

‘A 100 Charmers’ on May 4, 5 pm and 8 pm, at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Vyalikaval. Tickets online.