Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 14: 'In a
remote village in eastern Tibet lives Deshar, a self-confident young woman who
has chosen to live as a Buddhist nun. When the nuns resist ordering
re-education measures, the convent is closed by order of the Chinese police
officer Deng. Deshar loses her last bit of freedom. The feeling of powerlessness
in the face of permanent oppression leads down the path of ultimate
non-violence.’
NCPA in collaboration with Tibet Theatre and Tibetan Institute
of Performing Arts (TIPA) is proud to present the Tibetan theatre production
“Pah-Lak” on Saturday, 25 March, at 7 pm.
“Pah-La” (Tibetan for “Father”) is originally an English play
based on intensive research – it is an examination of the future of
non-violence. The play focuses on the role of Buddhism in the lives of Tibetans
and the dichotomy of the resistance movement that has emerged from decades of
oppression, discrimination and marginalisation.
Indian theatre director and playwright Abhishek Majumdar
developed the play through rigorous research in Tibet and in collaboration with
the Tibetan community in exile. Abhishek met with His Holiness, the 14th Dalai
Lama as part of his research. He was supported by a grant from the Foundation
for Universal Responsibility of HH, The Dalai Lama. “Pah-La” premiered on 3rd
April 2019 at Royal Court Theatre, London, with support from Reimagine India,
Arts Council England.
Now, the Tibetan director and head of “Tibet Theatre” Lhakpa
Tsering and German theatre director Harry Fuhrmann in collaboration with
Abhishek, have realised a production of “Pah-Lak”, translated into the Tibetan
language by Lhakpa, with Tibetan actors and musicians. They are chosen from the
Tibetan community in collaboration with TIPA.
Playwright Abhishek Majumdar says, “I am honoured that finally,
this play is having its Tibetan production in the Tibetan language with Tibetan
actors. I am grateful to all the hundreds of people who have made this play
happen around the world over the years so that now it can come home. It was not
easy, but it was definitely worth this. Very grateful to HH the Dalai Lama for
his time and blessings and to Tibetans around the world.”
After premiering at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts on
01 October 2022, the show travelled to Bir, Delhi, Dehradun, and Mussoorie. It
has performed at Prithvi Festival, Mumbai and Serendipity Arts Festival, Goa.
It is being hosted at NCPA as part of its second tour across various urban
cities and Tibetan settlements in India. After this, the show will travel to
Germany and Switzerland in the summer of 2023. Further international tours are
being planned.
“Pah-Lak is the biggest theatre tour for a Tibetan play
performed by an all-Tibetan cast”, says writer and director Lhakpa Tsering.
This collaborative project between Tibet Theatre and the Tibetan Institute of
Performing Arts, the only arts and culture centre under the Central Tibetan
Administration, provides Tibetan artists with the opportunity to deeply engage,
share experiences and introspect about Tibetan culture and history.
Director Harry says. “I am grateful to be allowed to help the
first all-Tibetan acting ensemble tell their story in India and in Europe and
create awareness for the Tibetan issue.”
The show offers Tibetans a platform where their voices,
experiences and demands can be heard. It will provide the community with the
urgently needed protection of the Tibetan language, threatened with extinction
by the Sinicisation efforts of the People's Republic of China. The tour would
inspire even more people to actively support the Tibetans' striving for
self-determination and the observance of human rights.
Here's
the ticket link to our show in Bangalore.
https://in.bookmyshow.com/plays/pah-lak-father/ET00353256
Here's
the ticket link to our show in Mumbai
https://in.bookmyshow.com/plays/pah-lak-father/ET00350980