The School of Theatre and Dance will produce Girish Karnad's drama Naga Mandala on select dates March 1-9.
Drawing upon Indian folktales and myths, Karnad creates supernatural worlds where he poses universal and philosophical questions, and challenges sociopolitical issues. The play weaves two traditional folktales together to present a story of a young woman who discovers her courage via the metamorphosis of a cobra.
Radhica Ganapathy, director and assistant professor of theatre history and criticism, undertakes Karnad's work along with a talented set of student actors and designers.
"The play depicts a woman's oppression and her paradoxical subversion of patriarchal control," Ganapathy said. "Our staging incorporates imaginative elements to support 'a play within a play' format that constructs and defines space and time turning the stage in to the site of 'magic.'"
Abby Cyphert, a senior Bachelor of Fine Arts student, playing the physical representation of Story and Song has found this practical form of storytelling crucial to her educational experience at WVU.
"I get to interact with the people who are inside the story as well as the people who are outside looking in," Cyphert said. "I get to be a crucial part in telling the story that we have to tell. I get to do a little bit of everything in this show. I use tools of movement, song, and text in order to bring life to the world around me. It is a great way to use all of the skills that I have learn in the classroom during my time at WVU."
"Naga Mandala" plays at 7:30 p.m. March 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 and 9 and 2 p.m. Sunday (March 4) in the Gladys G. Davis Theatre at the Creative Arts Center. Tickets are available through the WVU Box Office's on-campus locations, by phone at 304.293.SHOW or by visiting Ticketmaster.com.
For more information visit the School of Theatre & Dance website.