JoeGoaUk's Konkani Tiatr, VCDs, Films: 37th tiatr Competition 2011 ABRAS

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

37th tiatr Competition 2011 ABRAS

Tiatr ABRAS
by Francisco Rebello
(St. Francis Xavier Cultural Troupe, Carmona)
37th tiatr Competition organised by Kala Academy and supported by Tiatr Academy of Goa. Staged on 4th Oct. 2011

Today’s tiatr was the 12th entry and opened at the hands of a member of the audience, one of the regulars Mr. Nazareth Branganza (of Braganza Travels)

Tiatr ABRAS talks about God, faith, poverty, childlessness, adoption etc.

A Childless couple living in a bungalow across the river. Husband is an ex-serviceman.
Like any other childless couples, they too are longing to have a child of their own.
Husband seems more desperate than his wife. One day, they go for a walk on the other side of the river. There they found a lone house with a father and his only daughter.

The couple request the daughter for adoption and the father agreed wholeheartedly for he wanted his daughter to live a better life – away from poverty and also away from the wicked Barabas who set his eyes on his late wife and now on his grown up daughter.

Girl now lives in a bungalow and she got all the love and the happiness from her adopted parents.
She was even engaged to one Police Inspector who is a friend of the couple.

However, the father feels there is still a gap in the family and that it can only be filled by having their own child. Wife tries to convince her husband even by quoting ‘Biblical phrase’ that Abraham become father at the age of 100. God was their only hope now.

One day, hopes of husband’s get shattered when he received a call from doctor that his wife will never be able to conceive as her womb is damaged due to an injury caused by the intruder- The wicked Barabas.

At this time, a devilish thought comes to his mind - Oh, yes, that’s the only way out now (to have a child of his own).

He spent no time to commit incest as if, by doing so; a child can be born overnight.

Well, we don’t know the dilemma of childless couples ‘only the wearer knows where the shoe bites’

But that does not mean that they should go any extent. But again, I guess, whatever happened has happened at the spur of the moment or not being pre-planned etc. Devil’s temptation to blame, I suppose. Technically, incest may not be the right term here.

Roles well played by the Playwright/Director Francisco Xavier Rebello as father very traditional, Martha Rodrigues as typical house wife (who dies at the child's birth), Elice Correia as daughter sung beautiful cantos, Andrew Fernandes of AVA trio fame as retired Major and Sharon Gonsalves as his wife. Besides, Clarence Dias as Inspector/fiancée and Roger Mendes as Parish priest.

Rosario Bothelo, a multi-talented, as the wicked Barabas. We see Rosario here every year and won several awards.

Comedy provided by Succoro Colaco, Basil Aguiar, Sunny Vaz and Macklyn Fernandes

The tiatr was good with beautiful depiction of traditional village life and household items like Banc, Bankin, Buddkulo, korond (coconut leaves weaved), soro, mattul (earthen bowl), Pez (Kanji), pollgo, doulo etc

It has beautiful cants too.

However, it would be nice if a child artist character/Role was shown (of the young daughter) at the time of adoption.

The Cantaram Part.

Most songs beautifully sung by the child artistes. It was like a talent show from the South.

The very first song sung by Master Aaron Rodrigues who sung so well the he gets JoeGoaUk’s top prize for child singer. Tiatr fans on Facebook already declared him a winner. An award well deserved. (watch a special clip below). Then come master Leander da Costa who says life is like 6 acts of tiatr (poddo), another comedy solo by master Rodnil Fernandes on ‘Margai’, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E54VG_Ah-WE
a quartet, 4 as orphans sung by Shari da Costa, Shanaiah da Costa, Enosh D’Silva & Rodnil, duo by Liezel da Costa & Andrea da Costa. Songs also supported by J.A.Monteiro, Martha, Roger and Sharon.

Band by Antonio D Diniz – intro added to the slide show in the end.

some stage pics:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauktiatr10/6212195724/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauktiatr10/6212197876/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauktiatr10/6212200118/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauktiatr10/6212202246/in/photostream/