BSSD’s Peter Pan will take you back to Neverland
The Hindu
BSSD’s Peter Pan will take you back to Neverland
The story of Peter Pan is the stuff dreams are made of — for both children and adults. Where else does one encounter sassy fairies, swashbuckling villains and a host of fantastical woodland creatures in a land with no bedtime, peopled by children?
J. M Barrie’s classic seemed the perfect choice for the Bangalore School of Speech and Drama (BSSD) to ring in their 25th year on stage. “It is a momentous occasion for us and I spent the last year reading innumerable scripts but nothing measured up,” says Zulfia Shaikh, director, Bangalore School of Speech and Drama.
She adds there was a two-point agenda to her choice of play. “It had to be challenging, complex and nuanced for my cast to push them to perform to their full potential. As for the audience, it had to be an experience beyond their expectation.”
“While Peter Pan is a story for children, the magic of this script is such that it is one for all age groups. If you read Peter Pan right now, I’m sure you’d do a double take over many of its pages; lines such as, “...so long as children are gay and innocent and heartless,” among many others, definitely make it one for an older audience.”
Though BSSD has presented Peter Pan twice before, in 2006 and 2010, this time round they’ve pulled out all the stops for its presentation. “Visually, we have gone above and beyond. It’s going to be fun to watch — the stage has been designed for every scene to be elaborate as well as multidimensional and it will be an immersive experience for the audience,” she says, not wanting to give away too much.
However, the ultimate aim of their production, according to Zulfia is a revival of the reading habit. “Theatre and Literature are linked; they go hand in hand. There can’t be one without the other. We hope our rendition will inspire audiences and the cast to pick up a book and read. What one sees unfold on screen or on stage is the director’s imagination, but when an individual picks up a book, it is their own version of Neverland that plays out for them.”
“Today, it has become increasingly hard to pry people from electronic devices, especially for entertainment. The theatre is a viable solution where one can watch stories come alive. We really do want people to get back to books and reading.”
