Theatre Perfomance | Publications | Corporate Training | Seminars | Collaborations

On March 27th, 2021, Lokadharmi, on World Theatre Day, announced the launching of Lokadharmi Publishing House which is completely dedicated to publishing of books and research works related to theatre performance art forms, original plays, aesthetic, and cultural studies in English and in Malayalam, in physical and electronic formats.

We have published two books

1. Myriad Spaces: Indian Theatre and Beyond which is edited by Dr. Chandradasan
2. Ramgavatharanathinte Rasasastram (A collection of articles on performance studies written by Chandradasan)

Myriad Spaces: Indian Theatre Performance and Beyond surveys the history, aesthetics, strategies, and practices of modern Indian theatre from a contemporary political and cultural perspective. This book echoes multiple voices and streams in the practice of Indian theatre; a vivid and myriad spectrum of cultural, ethnic, and aesthetic concerns in the theatre performance practice that ranges between the traditional and the contemporary. The inherent characteristic/ objective/ concern is the expression of the multiplicity and manifold nature of performance modes as the truth and essence of ‘Indianness’ that encapsulates the republic of ‘Indian Theatre’. This will be a valuable reference resource, assisting the study of the theatre of India, its history, methodology, aesthetics, and its diverse perspectives.

The different articles are The Actor and Space (Bansi Kaul), Indian Method in Acting (Prasanna), Indian Shakespeare’s (H.S. Shivaprakash), Abhinaya in Natyashastra (KG Paulose), Kashmir and its Performance Tradition (M.K. Raina), Parsi Theatre-Revisited (Hema Singh), Production and Process (Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry), Actor, Voice and Speech (Chandradasan), Theatre and Music (Subhadeep Guha), Space and Objects in Theatre (Deepan Sivaraman),  Devising Theatre (Kirti Jain), and Post dramatic Theatre. (Abhilash Pillai). This book contains 55 rare and important photographs.This will be a valuable reference resource, assisting the study of the theatre of India, its history, methodology, aesthetics and its diverse perspectives

RAMGAVATHARANATHTHGINTE RASASHASTRAM The Alchemy of Theatre) written by Dr Chandradasan, contains 18 essays on performance, in Malayalam. രചിതപാഠത്തിൽ നിന്ന് രംഗപാഠത്തിലേക്ക് ഒരു നാടകം പരുവപ്പെടുന്നതെങ്ങിനെ എന്ന് വിശദീകരിക്കുന്ന ലേഖനങ്ങളാണ് ഈ പുസ്തകത്തിൽ. അരങ്ങിന്റെ സാംസ്കാരിക രാഷ്ട്രീയം, പുതിയ നാടകവേദിയുടെ സാംസ്കാരിക സാങ്കേതിക പരിസരം, കലയിലും രാഷ്ട്രീയത്തിലും നടക്കുന്ന ആഗോള പരിവർത്തനങ്ങൾ ഇന്ത്യൻ നാടകവേദിയിൽ സൃഷ്ടിക്കുന്ന ഭാവുകത്വ പരിണാമം, അതിന്റെ രാഷ്ട്രീയ വിവക്ഷകൾ എന്നിവ വിശകലനം ചെയ്യുന്ന ഈ ലേഖനങ്ങൾ മലയാളത്തിൽ അപൂർവമായ രംഗാവതരണപഠനങ്ങളുടെ മികച്ച മാതൃകകളാണ്. നാടകവേദിയുടെ പ്രയോഗവും സൈദ്ധാന്തിക സമീപനങ്ങളും ഈ ലേഖനങ്ങളിൽ ഇഴചേർന്നു നിൽക്കുന്നു. ചന്ദ്രദാസൻ സംവിധായകനെന്ന നിലയിൽ രൂപപ്പെടുത്തിയവയും താൻ കണ്ട പാശ്ചാത്യ പൗരസ്ത്യ വേദിയിലെ പ്രഗൽഭരുടെ സൃഷ്ടികളും രൂപപ്പെട്ട വഴികൾ പ്രതിപാദിക്കുന്ന ലേഖന സമാഹാരമാണിത്. സ്റ്റാനിസ്ലാവ്സ്കി, ബ്രെക്ത്, അന്റോണിൻ അർതാഡ്, കാവാലം, ഹബീബ് തൻവീർ, അല്‍കാസി, ജി ശങ്കരപ്പിള്ള തുടങ്ങിയ നാടക പ്രതിഭകളുടെ രീതിശാസ്ത്രവും ചന്ദ്രദാസന്റെ തനതു വഴികളും സ്വാംശീകരിച്ച അവതരണ രസശാസ്ത്ര വായന ഒരു നാടക പ്രവർത്തകന്റെ ദർശനത്തെ നവീകരിക്കും. സി.ജെ.യുടെ ആ മനുഷ്യൻ നീതന്നെ, കാവാലത്തിന്റെ പൊറനാടി, ഭാസന്റെ കര്‍ണഭാരം, സി. എന്‍റെ ലങ്കാലക്ഷ്മി, ലിത്വാനിയയില്‍ ചെയ്ത ആഗ്ലെയും ക്ലിയോപാട്രയും, കർണാടകയില്‍ ചെയ്ത എച്ച്.എസ്. ശിവപ്രകാശിന്റെ മദുവേ ഹെണ്ണ് തുടങ്ങിയ നാടകാവതരണങ്ങളിലെ സമീപനങ്ങളും സവിശേഷതകളും മഹാഭാരത കഥകള്‍ ഇന്ത്യന്‍ നാടകവേദിയെ സ്വാധീനിച്ചതു എങ്ങിനെ, എന്നൊക്കെ വിശദമാക്കുന്ന അടങ്ങിയ ലേഖനങ്ങളും ഈ പുസ്തകത്തില്‍ ഉണ്ട്.

This book contains essays explaining how a play is fostered from the script to the theatre performance. The political influences of/on theatre, Social, Cultural, and the technical premises of the new theatre, the influence of Global transitions in art and politics in the evolution of the sensibility, practice, and aesthetics transitions in Indian theatre performance, etc. are discussed in these articles. These essays in which Practical and theoretical approaches are intertwined are excellent examples of performance studies that are rare in Malayalam. This is a collection of essays that inscribe the ways in which Chandradasan’s work as a director and also about the works of the luminaries from the Western and Eastern stages to develop a stage language. Many articles that imbibe the methodology of theater geniuses like Stanislavski, Brecht, Antonin Artaud, Kavalam Narayana Panikkar, Habib Tanveer, G Sankara Pillai, and Chandradasan’s own works, will renew the awareness of theatre in the reader.

Lokadharmi utilizes theatre and theatre-based activities for Corporate Training. We engage the participants in theatre-based workshops that use various techniques and exercises including physical training such as Yoga, movement, histrionics, imaginative interpretation, responding to the immediate demands of diverse contexts, Role-playing exercises, Improvisational exercises, techniques of Forum Theatre, Storytelling and story making, work on vocal projection, body language, public speaking, and presentation skills, etc. We supplement the sessions with the use of music, rhythm, properties, masks, stories from myths, epics, and folklore, performance elements extracted from folk and classical performance tradition, etc. that will connect the participants easily with the activities, making it enjoyable and fun. Group exercises that require participants to work together, trust one another, and coordinate actions foster a sense of camaraderie and teamwork.

The sessions are envisaged to improve communication skills, and conflict resolution, augment leadership skills, inculcate a deeper understanding of various perspectives and challenges, encourage creativity, adaptability, quick thinking, and decision making, enhance emotional intelligence, innovation, mutual and effective collaboration, deeper understanding of various perspectives and challenges, problem-solving and responding to unexpected and difficult situations, fostering overall confidence etc. The sessions will reinforce the values and ethics within the context, and deliver complex information in an engaging and relatable way. The incorporation of theatrical techniques into training programs can make the learning experience more engaging, memorable, and impactful. These activities can help participants to explore and understand emotions, both their own and others that can lead to improved interpersonal relationships and communication within the workplace.

Overall, theatre-based corporate training provides a dynamic and immersive learning experience, enabling employees to develop essential skills that are directly applicable to their roles within the organization, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement, and addressing challenging situations, such as customer complaints or workplace conflicts. It also contributes to a positive and inclusive learning culture, helping employees to connect and learn from each other in a creative and enjoyable manner.

We also do performances for corporates on issues and topics within the context and demands of the milieu.

Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL), Ramco Cements Ltd, Titan, and Medical Trust Hospital Ernakulam are a few corporate organizations in our clientele

Lokadharmi organizes seminars, symposia talks, and discussions on various aspects of performance. A three-day Seminar/workshop on ‘Gender and Theatre’ held from the 22^nd to 24^th of September, 2017 was one among them which was supported by USIEF. The interactive and informal round table sessions of the workshop were inspiring with the participation of renowned personalities from various walks of life. The purpose of the workshop was to introspect and share ideas and experiences related to gender equality in performance arts, especially theatre. The workshop ruminates gender insensitivity as a multi-dimensional universal issue: all workspace performance could be related to theater performance; therefore, it took a rather cognitive stand, so that the effort taken is percolated in nature and would trespass time. A series of talks on Natyasastra by Dr.KG Paulose is another important one.

Lokadharmi collaborates with Theatre groups, Artists, institutions, and other organizations to create new productions, engage in workshops, and foster other activities connected with theatre.

Lokadharmi has undertaken collaborative and intercultural work with many groups and institutes from India and abroad. One of them is a 2-year long collaborative work with De Montfort University Leicester UK, in a Research project on Mental Health Literacy using Theatre as a Research Tool. This ended in eight performances done for mentally challenged people, their immediate relatives, doctors, and caretakers. The performance shared the stories, performance space, food, music, movement, and songs and rejected the usual proscenium spaces, opting for non-theatrical spaces like community halls, courtyards of houses, etc., which can accommodate an intimate experience of performing and watching. An intimate, immersive, and inclusive theatre was successful in initiating a discourse between the audience and the researchers. Also, 4 short films were produced that speak about different cases of mental health issues.

We have done a collaborative production with artists from Finland named Two Mothers in the Realm of Death. The project from the North Karelian Arts Council to Lokadharmi for a collaborative workshop with artists from Finland and Lokadharmi ended in the production, based on a story from Kalevala, the Finnish national epic, and was performed in the languages of Malayalam and Finnish. The participating artists were Eija Jalkanen, Mari Kortelainen, Anna Venalainen, Martta Hyytiainen, Janne Hyytiainen, (from Finland) along with Charu Narayanan, Adithye K Narayanan, and Selvaraj VR (from Lokadharmi); and musicians Laura Vuorjoki-Elo, Mammu Koskelo Kishore NK; Antti Koukonen as the sound technician. The lighting designer was Gireesh Menon from Lokadharmi. Chandradasan and Tuire Hindikka directed the play, with the support of Pirkko Kurikka.

The Collaboration with Patrick Vella, a director and actor trainer from Malta, Europe resulted in a one-week international workshop on Ritual and Theatre performance, in which 7 actors from Malta, and 11 actors from different parts of India participated. We had actors from Guwahati, Kolkata, Varanasi, Pune, Mangalore, and Kerala along with actors from Lokadharmi interacting in the workshop that ended in a devised performance. The workshop looked at the physical theatre performance practice of the West, and the physicality of the ritual and traditional theatre practices of India.

Also, students from foreign countries visit and take short-term courses in the Indian methodology of Acting and Indian Theatre and aesthetics. Also, researchers on Theatre from India and abroad visit and collaborate with Lokadharmi.