One-woman show to showcase journey from darkness to light

The synopsis of the play said that the play is “the story of an innocent girl, a rebellious teenager and a free adult along with a red cardinal, a woodpecker, an ostrich, and many other birds, with the intergalactic council, the karmic tribunal and the multidimensional exchange office. The play is a self-fictional true story, a multidisciplinary one-woman show, and an absurd and crude tale...”

Ana Mirtha, a Spanish theatre artiste and artistic director of Knuk Theatre, is bringing her one-woman show to Ranga Shankara in J.P. Nagar on February 7 and at Jagriti Theatre at Whitefield on February 13.

Titled Birds or The Tale of When I Came Down To Earth, the play is produced by Sariego and directed by Sebastian Rad.  

The synopsis of the play said that the play is “the story of an innocent girl, a rebellious teenager and a free adult along with a red cardinal, a woodpecker, an ostrich, and many other birds, with the intergalactic council, the karmic tribunal and the multidimensional exchange office. The play is a self-fictional true story, a multidisciplinary one-woman show, and an absurd and crude tale...”

Speaking to The Hindu, Mirtha said that this play is autobiographical and close to reality. “The protagonist’s journey has been literally my journey from childhood till 2020 when I decided to reveal the secret that I had been holding on for 26 years. All of the galactic dimensions or characters of the play, that hold the narrative together, are for me a way of portraying an out of this world dimension or in other words, a higher and invisible order. Which gives us humans some sort of sense that something bigger than us orchestrates the part of our lives that escapes our control,“ she said.  

Asked what were the challenges she faced performing this play as a solo actor, Mirtha said that the biggest challenge was not really playing different roles, that is 15 characters. “It is actually a lot of fun for a performer, but to detach from such personal experiences to use those as dramatic material, to be able to make a play out of my most vulnerable and intimate life experiences was the challenge.“ 

Talking about balancing the darkness of human existence with moments of lightness and catharsis on stage Mirtha said, “I hope the audience can relate to the character’s journey in their own particular way. As no matter what the circumstances are, we all have gone through hell and back. We all have died and are reborn. But when we are experiencing the darkest and loneliest moments, we sometimes can doubt whether we will be able to make it to the other side.“ 

“I want to bring a positive and encouraging message. Yes, it is possible, yes we can heal, yes we can create a new reality. It is a tough journey sometimes, but we cannot forget it is a journey. So, there is always light at the other side of the tunnel, as long as we keep the trust and most importantly, we keep on moving forward. I want to share my personal experience to tell the audience that my message is not an empty or fake spiritual one. It is a message based on true experience. If I could make it, everyone can. We just need to remind ourselves it is possible,” Mirtha added.