3 Workshops as part of the Sunay’ha:Invitation Festival, 22-24 April 2005, oh!art @ Oxford House

For more details on the Sunay'ha:Invitation Festival - click here...

Workshop 1:

CONTEMPORARY FOLK INTERPRETATIONS

A workshop led by director Farhan Maqsood [>>> biography] 12-2 pm Sunday 24th April 2005

Folklore is an integral part of every society, revealing perennial human appetites with the power of transcending geographical boundaries.

South Asian theatre in particular has a great tradition of communicating and reinterpreting familiar stories, Heer Ranjha, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana. The workshop introduces archetypal folk motifs taken from a range of media; poetry, music and visual arts from Waris Shah’s Heer to Munshi Razi-ud-din’s Qawaali to contemporary bhangra, exploring contemporary paradigms. Farhan Maqsood reasserts the notion of natak- where all participants are actors, dancers, and singers, or at least prepared to try things out!

**A workshop for artists of any performance background- musicians, theatre practitioners, dancers. Musicians are requested to bring their own musical instruments to the workshop.**

Workshop 2:

DISPLACING THE COLONIAL CENTRE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

A writing workshop led by poet/ playwright Sarmad Sehbai [>>> biography] 12.30 – 2pm Saturday 23rd April 2005

Most creative writers whose mother tongue is not English but have chosen English for their creative expression go  through an existential dilemma of dual identity. The workshop explores this dilemma by analysing the global status of English language, taking references as diverse as MTV, Frantz Fanon, Lord Macaulay and Andhrhuti Roy.  Through practical activity Sehbai will work towards language as a craft and how its artistic use can subvert its socio-political character.  The workshop aims at bringing out the significant distinction between “assimilation” and “cultural co-existence” in terms of creative writing.

**A workshop for writers and theatre practitioners with a South Asian background who have chosen English language for their creative expression.**

Workshop 3:

STORYTELLING

A Workshop led by dancer Sheema Kermani [>>> biography] 2 – 4 pm Sunday 24th April 2005

In the tradition of the performing arts of the sub-continent dance, drama and music have been considered as one integrated and holistic form. The Natya Shastra is the oldest known treatise and contains information about all aspects of dance, drama and music. Our history had an oral tradition – it was the storyteller who narrated not only the stories, myths and legends but also the history .The storyteller used all at his/her disposal i.e. acting, singing, movement, expression, along with a few props  - and it was the magic of all of this combined that created a stunning performance. The workshop participants will explore this aspect of theatrical performance and try to discover the storyteller within.

**A workshop for artists of any performance background- musicians, theatre practitioners, dancers. Musicians are requested to bring their own musical instruments to the workshop.**

Maximum participants: 15

Background:

SUNAY’HA is part of oh!art’s seasonal programme, 'environments'

Venue: oh ! art, Oxford House, Derbyshire Street (off Bethnal Green road), Bethnal Green, London, E2 6HG, 5 minutes from Bethan Green tube station

Box Office for booking your workshop place: 020 7739 9001

Venue information: www.oxfordhouse.org.uk

© Context Theatre MMIV

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