AKSHAYAMBARA Breaks 800 Year-Old Yakshagana Tradition In Tour De Force Production

Akshayambara is an award-winning experimental play incorporating traditional Yakshagana dance-drama to create a contemporary story that raises questions about female representation and male ownership.

The performance imagines a reversal of roles in the popular Yakshagana plot of Draupadi Vastrapaharana from the Hindu epic Mahabharata. A male artist in streevesha plays the virtuous female Draupadi while in a tradition defying move, a woman is cast as the male Pradhana Purusha vesha of Kaurava. As they move from green room to stage, the boundaries of performance, reality and gender are blurred.

Exploring the conflicts around tradition, gender, power and morality, the play confronts female representation in the male-dominated practice of Yakshagana, a traditional theatre form that has been performed only by men in India for the past 800 years.

Akshayambara was created through personal collisions that playwright and director, Sharanya Ramprakash experienced as a woman in the male dominated art form.

It was nominated in eight categories at the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META) '16 where it won Best Original Script & Best Actor (Male).

Akshayambara

Presented by Dramanon Bangalore (Theatre)

Blue Room, Southbank Centre

Thurs 5 and Fri 6 October, 7.45pm (running time approx. 90mins)

Tickets £15 (concessions 50% off)

Mac Birmingham

Sunday 8 October, 3pm & 7pm

Tickets £11 (£9.90)

For more information visit www.indiaatuk2017.com.

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