Play: Ringan (The Caucasian Chalk Circle)
Playwright: Bertolt Brecht
Director: Praveen Bhole
Group: Lalit Kala Kendra, University of Pune, Pune, Maharashtra
Language: Marathi
Duration: 2 hrs( Including a 10 min interval)
The Group
Established in 1987, the Centre for Performing Arts at the University of Pune is popularly known as the Lalit Kala Kendra. The Centre offers courses in the performing arts on a self-supportive basis. The uniqueness of this course is evident – for the first time in India, full-time professional and residential courses in dance, music and theatre with a Gurukul pattern, are offered to students under one umbrella on a university campus. By this incorporation, the Centre pays tribute to the thousand year old oral music and dance traditions of our country. The Centre also tries to strike a balance between the rich cultural heritage of India, and an awareness of the contemporary sensibilities of young creative minds. The main objective is to provide professional training in the performing arts within a creative atmosphere, and to give performing artists and Indian traditions due respect and understanding, within the context of the socio-cultural history of a region.
The Play
The Caucasian Chalk Circle is actually two stories - of Grusha and Azdak - that come together at the end. The Governor has just had a child and his wife is incredibly jealous of the attention that he gives to his son. The Governor's brother, the Fat Prince, stages an insurrection on Easter Sunday. He kills the Governor and forces his wife to flee. In her haste, she leaves behind the child, who is found and taken care of by Grusha, a kitchen maid. Time passes as political upheaval continues. Azdak is appointed Judge and eventually he takes over the case of Grusha and the child. The Governor's wife wants the child back because without him she cannot take over the former Governor's estates. Grusha wants to keep the child, whom she has raised for the past two years and loves deeply. Matters come to a head as Azdak employs a unique strategy to resolve the situation.
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