PRODUCTION INFORMATION

The relationships of mother and son, of teacher and protégé, collide in The Necessary Stage's Gitanjali [l Feel The Earth Move], an interdisciplinary and intercultural production written by Haresh Sharma and inspired by the writings of Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore and his acclaimed poetic work of the same name.

Directed by TNS’ Artistic Director, Alvin Tan, the production featured movement by French-Laotian choreographer-dancer Olé Khamchanla, Jereh Leong and Raka Maitra, a renowned Odissi classical/contemporary dancer, and vocals by Hindustani singer, Namita Mehta. The set design was by Wong Chee Wai and lighting design by Adrian Tan, accompanied by interdisciplinary sound artist Bani Haykal and multimedia artist Brian Gothong Tan.

The cast of eight actors, singers and dancers starred Vasantham Star’s Ebi Shankara and Life! Theatre Awards nominees Sharda Harrison and Padma Sagaram. An original work developed through various workshop stages, exploring and integrating the tensions between traditional and contemporary, poetic and realistic. The TNS creative process is collaborative: devising and improvising before scripting, with input from all members of the production.

Founded in 1987 by current Artistic Director, Alvin Tan, The Necessary Stage aims to create challenging, indigenous and innovative theatre that touches the heart and mind. Producing an average of two original plays a year and with a history of over a hundred productions, TNS has also curated and organized the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival since 2005.

(Synopsis and Theme)
Will you fight for freedom knowing the inevitable loss ahead?
A mother pins her hopes upon her son, unknowingly hindering his own dreams.
A teacher struggles to accept her protégé whose ambitions steer her away from tradition.
A writer drawn to his muse faces the reality of their unresolved chapter.
These works raises many questions such as: For whom do we live our lives?
What happens when traditional practice has no host to carry it forward, as practitioners become indifferent to the canon and want to forge new practices?
How do we approach truths put forth by the authorities of science, politics and economics?

Gitanjali [I Feel The Earth Move] is about the dilemma of Savitri, an Indian traditional dance teacher, whose obligation to carry on the heritage handed down to her by her father is smashed when her chosen disciple opts to leave the dance academy to pursue her journey in Vancouver. Priya, the dance disciple, has other plans. She knows what she doesn’t want but only has a sketch of what she wants - enough to prompt her to leave India, propelling her out of Savitri's shadow into the unknown in search of her story. lt was only upon meeting Jeremy, a contemporary dancer, in Vancouver that her vision took flight.

CAST
Dancer .................... Olé Khamchanla
Dancer .................... Raka Maitra
Dancer/ Performer .. Jereh Leong
Performer ................ Sharda Harrison
Performer ................ Padma Sagaram
Performer ................ Ebi Shankara
Vocalist .................... Namita Mehta
Voice Over Talents .. Timothy Chow, Christopher Fok, Bani Haykal, Namita Mehta, Kamini Ramachandran, Ebi Shankara

PRODUCTION
Playwright ................... Haresh Sharma
Director ....................... Alvin Tan
Assistant Director ....... Felipe Cervera
Set Designer ............... Wong Chee Wai
Lighting Designer ........ Adrian Tan
Multimedia Designer ... Brian Gothong Tan
Sound Artist ................ Bani Haykal
Choreographer ........... Olé Khamchanla, Raka Maitra
Dramaturg .................. Charlene Rajendran
Research Assistants .. Christopher Fok, Bernice Lee, Sim Yan Ying, A Yagnya
Production Stage Managers .. Jason Ng, Azyyati Binte Alias
Multimedia Operator .. Yusri Sapari
Sound Engineer ......... Soundwave Industries
Translator ................... Chan Sze Wei
Make-up Artist ............ Haslina Ismail
Make-up Artist Assistant ... Nur Jana Shah
Wardrobe Mistress ..... Lim Zhiying
Crew ........................... Ayda Noor, Abdul Ameer Bin Syed Abdul Ghani, Samuel Tan
Project Manager ......... Irma Ruslan
Photographer ............. Caleb Ming (SURROUND)
Photography Assistants .. Collins Kajengo, Marina Sinitsyna, Linh Trinh
Graphic Designers ..... Bryan Wong, May Lim (Qu'est-ce Que C'est)
Photographer ............. Tan Ngiap Heng