It’s been 12 years of theatre for Sujay Saple. Having worked with the likes of Rajat Kapoor and Atul Kumar – revered names in Indian theatre – this actor-cum-assistant director-cum-lighting design person, says he’s been putting off directing a play for quite a while now. “I think I’ve been quite cowardly about doing it,” he laughs. But from the description of his new solo production that will be staged in Chennai today, the wait may well have been worth it. Titled Unselfed, the performance raises the simple question, ‘what if you were to meet another you?’ The piece, produced by The Company Theatre in association with Saple’s own Shapeshift Collective, has been developed as a collaboration between theatre actors and contemporary dancers.
Interesting to note is the fact that are no fixed measures to this theatre experience: there’s no script for one, no scene-to-scene format and no specified choreography. “It will be a free flowing non-narrative, integrating action scores and dance,” he says attempting to explain the performance. Apparently ‘integration’ is the key word here – metaphoric of various aspects of one’s self that one loathes, loves or is simply uncomfortable with. Saple elaborates further, “In other words, how do we deal with different aspects of ourselves that we like or despise. Do we integrate them within ourselves or ignore them altogether?”As one can only imagine, a great deal of introspection has gone into the pre-production of Unselfed. Asked whether the concept took some time to explain to his cast, and the director responds with a loud laugh, “Oh yes!”
Their nine months of investigative introspection as a cast seem to have paid off. Their debut performances at Pondicherry received positive responses. Saple reveals, “I think it moved a lot of people.” One has to wonder, with such a non-conformist view of the grand stage, how did this graduate in English literature start with theatre in the first place? Turns out, it found him. He smiles, “I walked into a theatre workshop by accident and that’s where it started.” For the present, the plan is to take Unselfed around the country. But what could trigger this director’s experimental thirst next? “I have absolutely no idea,” he says, rather thoughtfully. “It could be anything from the Pythagoras theorem to memory, or memory loss,” he finishes spontaneously. “For me, the stage is a place for absolute madness...”
(Unselfed, presented by Basement 21 in association with the Alliance Française of Madras, will be staged on October 3 at 7 pm at the Alliance Française of Madras. It will also be staged at Spaces, No 1, Elliot’s Beach Road at 7 pm on October 4.)
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