ArtsWest to Present GUARDS AT THE TAJ by Rajiv Joseph

ArtsWest and Pratidhwani will co-produce GUARDS AT THE TAJ by Pulitzer Prize Finalist Rajiv Joseph, directed by Samip Raval. This dynamic two-hander features actors Sumant Gupta and Varun Kainth along with live musicians Sampada Bhalerao playing sitar and Jayant Bhopatkar on tabla. GUARDS AT THE TAJ performs at ArtsWest from September 12 through October 6, 2024. Tickets are available online at artswest.org or by phone at (206) 938.0963.
 
In 1648 India, two Imperial Guards watch from their post as the sun rises for the first time on the newly-completed Taj Mahal—an event that shakes their respective worlds. When they are ordered to perform an unthinkable task, the aftermath forces them to question the concepts of friendship, beauty, and duty, and changes them forever. 
 
This is ArtsWest’s second co-production with Pratidhwani, a South Asian arts organization whose goal is to give fellow immigrants from South Asia a supportive platform to practice their art. ArtsWest and Pratidhwani’s first co-production, THE WHO AND THE WHAT by Ayad Akhtar, also directed by Samip Raval, opened ArtsWest’s 2017 season. Earlier, that same year, Raval was the Thomas S. Kenan Directing Fellowship recipient at ACT Theatre, and directed GUARDS AT THE TAJ. Raval’s symbolic and reverent approach to this funny, tragic, poetic, and at times brutal play had a huge impact on audiences.
 
It is not often that a director has the chance to tackle a modern classic like GUARDS AT THE TAJ for a second time. Raval remarks, “The most exciting part of revisiting the play is not how I’ll approach it differently, but rather rediscovering this story within me at the given moment. The story will inevitably ask the members of this production to find the play’s themes within themselves as they approach their designs, as they speak the words. We’re playing with comedy and tragedy with different shades that don’t always play into their obvious tropes. We’re working to stay out of the way of the play, and to flow down the river which Rajiv Joseph has paved for us, making sure to explore every crevasse of this path.”
 
This production is highly immersive. The actors are accompanied by two live musicians, Sampada Bhalerao on sitar and Jayant Bhopatkar on tabla, who will not just be scoring the production, but providing foley as well. In the Indian tradition, the theater offers floor seating as well. Audiences have the option of witnessing the show from a gau takiya, a cushioned floor seat, along with the musicians. This tradition maximizes audience interaction and eye-contact so the performer can receive continuous inspiration and appreciation. “When the audience shares the floor as the performer, the audience in a most subtle way is invited to become a part of the story, to become a part of the character’s life,” Divya Rajan, Assistant Director.
 
ArtsWest will present GUARDS AT THE TAJ Thursday through Saturday at 7:30pm and Sundays at 3pm.

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