About Us
St. Andrew’s Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts is where academicians, research scholars, students, culture enthusiasts, artists and community members work in a collaborative environment to create rich, engaged learning and teaching experiences in the field of Art, Literature and Performing Arts; the Centre is first of its kind in Mumbai with academically rich courses in the specialised fields of art and culture open to all. St. Andrew’s Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts is a brain child of Fr. Magi Murzello and Dr. Omkar Bhatkar. They at SAPP invite individuals to become members of an intellectually diverse, active learning community for lifelong learning. The Courses run by SAPP are usually priced at a lesser cost, as the Centre seeks to bridge the economic gap between the artist and art. SAPP curates lecture series, readings, workshop and performances.
NOVEMBER 2023
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
presents
TOSKA
(play performance)
Bibliophile
And Devoted Wife,
Briefly an Artist
And A Loving Mother,
An accomplished Life
Yet.....
What could it mean to be so close, so very close to our loved ones but also long to understand them? How fulfilling is life with our kin and how much of it is lived in Toska..... (in yearning)?
A Woman`s journey through a carton of books
Written and Directed by Dr. Omkar Bhatkar
Written and Directed by Omkar Bhatkar
December 3 , 2023 | 5:30 pm
at SAPP, Bandra.
SANSUHI
and
GRACIAS ART PRESENTATION
presents
SUMITRA BHAVE: A PARALLEL JOURNEY
(documentary film screening)
This documentary unfolds the life journey of legendary Indian filmmaker Sumitra Bhave through her perception about film medium, roots of values, and principles on which her kingdom was built.
The impact she has portrayed on her disciples and colleagues who are profoundly upholding her marvelous teachings. This documentary will testify to her efforts in the parallel cinema movement she had carried on through her meticulous work in the Marathi Film Industry which has been acknowledged by Girish
Kasaravalli (Indian filmmaker in Kannada films), N. Manu Chakravarthy (Professor and scholar of
culture, literacy, and film criticism).
Sumitra Bhave was a social scientist-researcher who turned to filmmaking in her 40s, with the need to communicate with illiterate women for their betterment. Sumitra Bhave and Sunil Sukthankar, her associate as a co-director, have directed 16 feature films, more than 70 short films, 3 TV serials and 5 telefilms, all of which were written by Sumitra Bhave. Her latest film Dithee was solely directed by her. Her films portrayed the socio-political and economic conditions of Indian society in rural as well as urban milieu. The films have been screened right from the grassroots level of rural parts to the international platforms in all six continents.
This documentary celebrates an internationally acclaimed Indian filmmaker who has been awarded 6 International awards, 11 National awards including Golden Lotus for the film Kaasav, and more than 45 State level awards. Sumitra Bhave is an auteur of Indian cinema as her work of excellence stretches to story, screenplay, lyrics, art- direction, costumes, and direction. These are glimpses of mesmerizing parallel journey of Sumitra Bhave through her devotional work in the field of cinema
which unravels tied-up complexities of humans, nature, and society. The Film will be followed by a conversation with the filmmaker and Dr. Omkar Bhatkar
A film by Dr. Santosh Pathare
November 27 , 2023 | 6 pm
at SAPP, Bandra.
Samsara Theatre and Films
presents
HUM AAGHOSH
(play performance)
Ham-AaGosh is a poetic conversation between two Poets portraying the various expressions of love, desire and heartache.
It contains a collection of several poetic verses and writing that explores and serves the channel of emotions we experience in our lifetime and in the moments of void .
‘Ham-aagosh’ translates as 'Embrace'
Designed and Directed by Mayuresh
November 25 , 2023 | 7 pm
at SAPP, Bandra.
Booking details coming soon.
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
in collaboration with
NCPA LIBRARY
and
St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts
presents
THE ART OF PERFORMING POETRY
(Poetry-performing workshop)
Performance is an art which complements written word and unlocks new meanings and perspectives to the written word. The written word in poetry is a monument frozen in time, it's performance is volatile, different each time.
This workshop looks at poetry as a performative piece, with emphasis on enunciation, tone and pauses, and how delivery unlocks new layers of meaning that otherwise would not have been found.
Applicants can bring along any poetry they personally feel strongly about and at the end of the workshop they will have found ease of performance at least 3 of their poems. The poems can be in any language but the medium of instruction of the workshop will be in English.
Hands-on workshop by Dr. Omkar Bhatkar
WORKSHOP FEE: Rs. 1500/-
Sunday, 19th November 2023 | 9am - 1pm
At St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts, (SAPP) Bandra (W)
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
presents
RAINDROPS ON MY WINDOW
(play performance)
We were together. I forget the rest
Walt Whitman
Life passes by and there comes a moment when you wonder whether you`re in love with the person or in love with the feeling of love itself?
How does one talk about separation? Do we even have the right words to describe something that can be both utterly mundane and completely transcendent, pulling us out of our everyday lives and making us feel a part of something greater than ourselves?
`Raindrops On My Window` provides an intimate window into the great events and quotidian trifles of being within a couple, giving you an indelible and deeply moving portrait of love in contemporary times.
A simple play about love and its loss; a couple`s contemplation — was it merely the loss of love or much more?
A Metamorphosis Theatre and Films production
Written and Directed by Omkar Bhatkar
An original play now published as a book. The book shall be available for signed by the author post the play.
November 19th, 2023 | 5:30 pm
at SAPP, Mumbai
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
presents
BOONDON KI JHILMIL KHIDKIYA
(RAINDROPS ON MY WINDOW)
(play performance)
We were together. I forget the rest
Walt Whitman
In the ten years of Theatre Making, for the first time, Metamorphosis Theatre brings a play in Hindustani
Life passes by and there comes a moment when you wonder whether you`re in love with the person or in love with the feeling of love itself?
How does one talk about separation? Do we even have the right words to describe something that can be both utterly mundane and completely transcendent, pulling us out of our everyday lives and making us feel a part of something greater than ourselves?
`Raindrops On My Window` provides an intimate window into the great events and quotidian trifles of being within a couple, giving you an indelible and deeply moving portrait of love in contemporary times.
A simple play about love and its loss; a couple`s contemplation — was it merely the loss of love or much more?
THIS SHOW IS IN HINDUSTANI.
Written and Directed by Omkar Bhatkar
Translated by Nipun Pandey from English
An original play is now published as a book. The book shall be available for sale and signed by the author post the play.
November 18, 2023 | 7pm
at SAPP Bandra
OCTOBER 2023
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
and
St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts
presents
CRY FOR THE BELOVED: SUFI POETRY - SHAH ABDUL LATIF
(poetic presentation)
Shah Abdul Latif was born in Hala, Sindh, in a notable Sayyid family. His lifetime was witness to many historical events, but he had little interest in politics. His life was dedicated to poetry and his poetry recorded his experiences. He has been aptly called the people’s poet, revered by common folk and the elite alike. He is one of the greatest sufi poets in history along with Rumi and Mir Dard. Latif’s poetry is largely about love, the love of the Supreme, the love of humanity, depicting the seeker’s direct relationship with the Supreme instead of any particular religious group looking for scriptural instructions and injunctions. His major work, Shah Jo Risalo, composed of thirty surs, can be described as one long wail of firaq or separation from God. Known as one of the greatest Sufi works in history, the Shah Jo Risalo is a prayer, a cry for the beloved. Written more than 250 years ago, Latif’s poetry is deeply rooted in the human experience of searching for the self - a self that is one with the nirakaar, the omnipresent, centered within, yet diffuse as attar.
Anju Makhija, joining hands with Sindhi poet Hari Dilgir, provides contemporary readers with a rendering in free-verse the English translation of the poetry of Shah Abdul Latif, that captures the spirit and essence of his surs. `Shah Abdul Latif: Seeking the Beloved` which is the first English-language translation of the poetry of Latif, won the Sahitya Akademi Prize for Translation in 2011. ‘
A Cry for the Beloved: Verses of Shah Abdul Latif’ is a poetic experience designed by Dr. Omkar Bhatkar using movement, music, visual aesthetics, and storytelling. Keeping in mind the formlessness of love and Sufi poetry, an attempt has been made here to create an experience for the audience by blending and breaking forms to create a harmonious picture transcending forms of theatre, dance, and film.
Directed by Omkar Bhatkar
Team : Omkar Bhatkar | Anosh Aibara | Viraj Dey
October 29, 2023 | 5pm
at SAPP, Bandra.
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
presents
PERHAPS TEA
(Film Screening)
“There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be diminished by a nice cup of tea.”
Bernard Paul Heroux
For some people it`s tea and for others, it`s coffee. These are moment to slow down and contemplate or energy boosters to work. Perhaps tea is the coming together of people living their everyday lives amidst their loss and loneliness. For a short time of an ordinary day, they meet someone with whom they can share their interiority before they can go back to their buried lives. Perhaps Tea is like a ritual between two people that can stop the world from falling on them, a moment of peace in a cup of tea.
One day, One cafe, One Table, 3 stories
Writing, Mise-en-scène, Direction by Dr. Omkar Bhatkar
October 22nd, 2023 | 5pm
At SAPP, Bandra
Golpo Productions
presents
PAPER WALLS
(play performance)
Synopsis
A daughter starts experiencing strange pain in her hips only to realize that the answer lies in her mother's past. This journey through unusual sensations, soured relationships leaves her with revelations that she isn’t prepared for. But who is ever prepared for change?
Gentle Warning: The play deals with themes of implicit sexual abuse, trauma and mental health.
Written and Directed by Sharodiya Choudhury
October 15th, 2023 | 7pm
at SAPP, Mumbai
For Bookings
Contact Kumar
Story Circus
presents
BALLAD OF DESIRES
(play performance)
Ballad of Desires is an evocative dance theatre piece that retells stories of women from Indian mythology- stories of those women who were told not to desire or who were punished harshly for desiring. Taken from scriptures like Ramayan, Mahabharat, Upnishads and even folk mythology, the play presents tragic tales of women like Ahalya, Ruchi, Renuka, Rambha, Menaka and Hirapath as well as brings hilarious counter narratives.
These vignettes from mythology run parallel to the play’s probing of the enigma called desire. Using the spectacular dance movements of Pasodoble, Bharatnatyam, Butoh, Salsa and Contemporary dance, the play looks at the complexity and ambiguity of desires, while featuring select poems of Khalil Jibran, Pablo Neruda, Maya Angelou and Hafiz. A visual treat, Ballad of Desires presents Indian mythology like never done before.
Written, directed and choreographed by Ulka Mayur
October 8, 2023 | 7pm
at SAPP Bandra
SEPTEMBER 2023
St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts
and
CineShorts
presents
THE SHORTS PREMIERE
(A short-film marathon)
Join us for an evening where we celebrate short films. The Shorts Premiere is one such event where we curate some short films followed by discussion with the filmmakers cast & crew. If you're someone who loves watching short films & is interested to know the overall journey involved in this process alongside gaining some hands on learning followed by an up-close meet & greet with fellow cine enthusiasts, then this event is for you.
September 23, 2023 | 6pm
at SAPP, Bandra.
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
and
St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts
presents
TIME, DISTANCE, MEMORY ON FEATHER OF A WING
(Film Screening)
One night after an incomplete meet in a café, several strangers fall asleep in the arms of nocturnal dreams. In the dreamlike state, the characters find themselves in a mysterious world that is almost real. It is in this space that love manifests through their subconscious mind transcending time and distance.
Set partly in a café, Time, Distance, Memory on Feather of a Wing skips from the present century to timeless dimensions exploring the concept of freedom, waiting, unsaid desires, and deceit across space and time.
Time, Distance, Memory on Feather of a Wing revolves around people from across time periods as well as geographic locations meeting in a common dreamscape but whose dream is it always remains a mystery.
Written & Directed by:
Omkar Bhatkar
September 24th, 2023 | 5pm
At SAPP, Bandra
(Booking details coming soon)
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
and
St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts
presents
How to make Experimental Films with Less Money
(Weekend course)
Rules are meant to be broken. Surely, this rule applies to any living human, but perhaps more so to artists, especially filmmakers. Throughout the history of cinema, many filmmakers have experimented with movies and bent the rules of what film-making should be. But of course, some have done their films poorly, and others have delighted their audiences.
Course conducted by Dr. Omkar Bhatkar
September 24th, 2023 | 7pm onwards
at SAPP, Mumbai
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
in collaboration with
St. Andrew`s Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts
present
ONLY THE SOUL KNOWS HOW TO SING: POETRY OF KAMALA DAS
Kamala Das was born in 1934 in India into an artistic family with a father who was the managing editor of the Daily Mathrubhumi and a mother who was a much-respected poetess. She is noted for her honest poems and other writings that cover a wide range of issues. Kamala Das`s taboo-breaking work explores themes of love and betrayal, the corporeal and the spiritual while celebrating female sexuality and remaining deeply
rooted in the poet`s ancestral tradition and landscape. In English, she published six collections of poetry in her lifetime-Summer in Calcutta (1965), The Descendants (1967), The Old Playhouse and Other Poems (1973), Collected Poems vol. I (1984), Only the Soul Knows How to Sing: Selections from Kamala Das (1996), Encountering Kamala (2007)-and her autobiography, My Story (1976). She was recognized with many literary prizes, including the Sahitya Akademi and the Vayalar awards.
A rigorous selection from her oeuvre-six published volumes and other uncollected and previously unpublished poems, published by Penguin Classics in 2014 - Kamala Das: Selected Poems offers a unified perspective on her poetic achievement. ‘Only the Soul knows how to Sing: Poetry of Kamala Das’ is a poetic experience designed by Dr. Omkar Bhatkar using movement, music, and visual aesthetics along with the text.
Cast and Crew : Meeta Bagwe, Preeti Singha, Rekha Shetty, Omkar Bhatkar, Anosh Aibara , Viraj Dey
Designed and Directed by Omkar Bhatkar
A Metamorphosis Theatre and Films Experience
September 30, 2023 | 7pm
OCtober 1st, 2023 | 5:30pm
at SAPP Bandra
AUGUST 2023
St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts
and
Brief Encounters Film Club
presents
MY HOME INDIA
A Film by Anjali Bhushan
Both in films and history books, a lot is spoken and known about the World War II, however outside of Poland little is known about what happened to the Poles who survived Soviet Siberian labour camps and found their way into INDIA. These Poles have different stories to tell but have one common link - KIRA Banasinska. WHO IS KIRA BANASINSKA? The wife of Eugene Banasinski, the first Polish Consul General of Poland in Bombay, 18 years her senior, admired by many men whose affections she gave into even with in her marriage, Kira was perceived as a social butterfly and artistic soul. World War II changed all that. Kira was instrumental in seeing that thousands and thousands of Poles found safe passage and home in India. My Home India is about the fragile but stubborn and strong willed Kira Banasinska's phenomenal struggle to make a home for the Polish war refugees in India. The film is a rare collection of previously unseen archives combined with first hand testimonies from the survivors - a discovery of the extra ordinary in the ordinary. Personal history is seldom the same as projected history. KIRA did not choose greatness. Greatness chose her. While making a home for them in India, INDIA became her HOME.
DIRECTED BY ANJALI BHUSHAN
THURSDAY, 3RD AUGUST 2023 | 6PM
TAMASHAA THEATRE
presents
BE-LOVED: Theatre, Music and Ishq
(Play Performance)
Gaysi Family’s newest theatre production, in collaboration with Tamaasha Theatre, is a kaleidoscopic exploration of queer love and companionship through an enthralling evening of theatre, music, poetry and movement. The piece draws from powerful writings from desi queer history and literature. It weaves a rich tapestry of the dynamic and evolving conversations the community is currently engaging with, in the form of songs, satire, musical storytelling, and more!
Writers:
Aditi Angiras, Akhil Katyal, Amrita Sher-Gil, Bhupen Khakhar, Dhiren Borisa, Josh Malihabadi, Madhvi Menon, Maya Sharma, Nikhita Singh, Ruth Vanita, S Chandramohan, Saesha, Saleem Kidwai, Sapan Saran, Shakti Milan Sharma, Shruti Sonal, Smita V., Tanishka Patidar, Utkarsh Mazumdar, Vimal Bhai
Script & Direction: Sapan Saran
Cast: Kalyanee Mulay Mithil Raj Goswami Mx.Siaan Ojaswi Bhattarai Prajesh Kashyap Prerana Rigved Singh Maurya
Musicians: Aks Ritesh Malaney
Music: Amod Bhatt, Mohit Aggarwal, Rohit Das
Choreography: Diya Naidu
Costume Designer: Bobby
Set Designer: Shridhar Mestri, Prashant Jagdale
Assistant Directors: Tanish Jacob-Rego Sakshi Kasare
Music: Amod Bhatt, Mohit Aggarwal, Rohit Das
Choreography: Diya Naidu
Costume Designer: Bobby
Set Designer: Shridhar Mestri, Prashant Jagdale
Assistant Directors: Tanish Jacob-Rego Sakshi Kasare
Directed by:
Sapan Saran
August 5th, 6th | 7pm
At SAPP, Bandra
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
and
St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts
presents
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF RED: A Novel in Verse by Anne Carson
(Play Performance)
Geryon, a young boy who is also a red monster, reveals the volcanic terrain of his fragile, tormented soul in an autobiography he begins at the age of five. As he grows older, Geryon escapes his elder brother and affectionate but ineffectual mother, finding solace behind the lens of his camera and in the arms of a young man named Herakles, a cavalier drifter who leaves him at the peak of infatuation. When Herakles reappears years later, Geryon confronts again the pain of his desire and embarks on a journey that will unleash his creative imagination to its fullest extent. By turns whimsical and haunting, erudite and accessible, richly layered and deceptively simple, Autobiography of Red is a profoundly moving portrait of an artist coming to terms with the fantastic accident of who he is.
The award-winning poet Anne Carson reinvents a genre in a stunning work with Autobiography of Red. Carson based her Novel on surviving fragments of the Greek poet Stesichoros's (c. 630 - 555 BC) poem, Geryoneis. This epic poem is reinterpreted by Dr. Omar Bhatkar and imagined for the stage with additional text, poems of Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, and Maya Angelou. The play is designed as an unconventional re-creation of an ancient Greek myth and a wholly original coming-of-age story using movement, music, haunting lyrical songs, and visual aesthetics.
Interpretation, Design, and Direction by Dr. Omkar Bhatkar
August 12th, 2023 | 7 pm
August 13th, 2023 | 5:30 pm
at SAPP, Mumbai
Bombay Theatre Group
presents
A theatrical adaptation of Saadat Hasan Manto’s story Shahid – Saaz is a sharp satirical look at the post partition era when people were swayed with the idea of sacrifice and martyrdom even as they struggled to adapt to a new national identity. The immense loss of life and property resulted in poor migrants living at the mercy of charity. And yet few shrewd businessmen profited from this, painting their profiteering with the colors of supreme sacrifice and martyrdom. Set in 1948 the story is about the journey of one such Punjabi migrant from Kathiawad, Gujarat in India to Lahore in Pakistan. Belonging to the class of ‘Baniyas’ the man, who had a successful business of cocaine in Kathiawad, Gujarat, travels to Pakistan in search of setting up a new big business in his newly formed homeland. Working hard to build his empire and multiply his wealth, he is suddenly struck by a misplaced angst that he had neglected doing any charitable work since his arrival here. He starts searching for that one charitable act which will earn him his place in heaven. But nothing seems worthy of his benevolence as he travels through the length and breadth of the city and shares his experiences after interacting with people of all types and classes.
PERFORMERS – NARENDRA SACHAR
SANJEEV MEHTA
VOICE OVER - NAVED ASLAM
STORY BY – SAADAT HASAN MANTO
ADAPTATION – SANJEEV MEHTA & MAYA RAO
LIGHTS & SOUND - MAYA RAO
COSTUMES & PROPERTIES - SONIA MEHTA
PRODUCER – MAYA RAO
DIRECTOR NARENDRA SACHAR
August 19th, 2023 | 7pm
at SAPP Bandra
July 2023
St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts
and
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
presents
TEXT AND THE BODY
A Production-oriented Workshop for Actors and non-Actors!
An Intensive workshop designed for those who wish to explore their body with text, images, and poetry. The workshop aims at opening up the body to communicate and be able to perform a complex text. The course will conclude with a full-fledged play.
COURSE CONDUCTED BY: DR. OMKAR BHATKAR
COURSE DATE AND TIME: 27TH JULY - 9TH AUGUST 2023
COURSE DURATION: 14 DAYS
COURSE FEE: Rs. 12,000/-
VENUE: SAPP, BANDRA
For queries, please connect via WhatsApp on: +91 9833647641
Department of German, University of Mumbai
in association with
St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts
presents
NAAV: A Marathi translation by Shrikant Pathak of Daniel Kehlmann's 'RUHM' (FAME)
(Book Discussion)
Fame (Ruhm) is a 2009 novel by the Austrian-German writer Daniel Kehlmann. The narrative consists of nine loosely connected stories about technology, celebrity and alienation. The book has the subtitle "A novel in nine episodes" ("Ein Roman in neun Geschichten").
Translated to Marathi by:
Srikant Arun Pathak
July 30th, 2023 | 5:30 pm
at SAPP Bandra
QTP
presents
A PEASANT OF EL SALVADOR
(Play Performance)
A powerful story of a land farmer and his family in Central America during the 1970's - where the sweat is salty, the feuds are bitter and the corn is sweet.
The story of A Peasant of El Salvador stayed with us for many years after we first read it, compelling us to finally stage it. We felt - and still feel - that the Indian agrarian economy and society are a few years away from the kind of chaos and anarchy that the peasants in El Salvador faced.
With one marked difference….
The violence in India has also been turned inward; evidenced by countless instances of farmers dying by suicide. Changing economic conditions and diktats, loss of ancestral land, the ever increasing use of unsustainable GM crops, a corrupt and myopic bureaucracy and government are some of the leading causes of bankruptcy, which drives famers to this unfortunate choice.
The Peasant of El Salvador is an incredible story about a farmer simply trying to get by and provide for his family. Along the way he encounters the military junta, the activist priests, and even revolutionaries. All he really wants to do is till his land, pick flowers and watch his kids play football in the street.
Written by: Peter Gould and Stephen Stearns
Directed by Q
July 27th, 2023 | 7 pm
July 28th, 2023 | 7 pm
at SAPP, Mumbai
Dot Line Space Art Foundation
Nine Fish Art Gallery
in collaboration with
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
“And she frequently forgot,
That her body (all our bodies) is a house of sand.
That it had shattered and is shattering still.
Slipping stubbornly through fingers."
- Han Kang, The White Book 흰
From the winner of the Man Booker International Prize for `The Vegetarian` comes a book like no other. `The White Book` is a meditation on colour, beginning with a list of white things. It is a book about mourning, rebirth, and the tenacity of the human spirit. It is a stunning investigation of the fragility, beauty, and strangeness of life. `A brilliant psychogeography of grief, moving as it does between place, history, and memory... Poised and never flinches from serene dignity... The White Book is a mysterious text, perhaps in part a secular prayer book... Translated from the Korean by Deborah Smith succeeds in reflecting Han`s urgent desire to transcend pain with language`.
Omkar Bhatkar has designed an aesthetic experience of `The White Book`, blending movement, colour, design, visuals, voice and music.
In this age of instant gratification and speed and short span of attention, the white book gives you an entirely different experience, Dr. Bhatkar`s work is complex, and may not be easy for some to comprehend but he is always saying something very meaningful.
- Vidyadhar Date, Columnist and Art Critic
The White Book` is a dramatic installation piece of theatre by Omkar Bhatkar, among the most unusual voices of Mumbai`s theatre world which leaves an enthralling effect.
- Meher Pestonji, Poet and Novelist.
An Experience Designed and Directed by Dr. Omkar Bhatkar
Tue 25th July 2023, 6 pm
The Great Eastern Home: Mumbai
This is the closing show at a venue, which is very much like The White Book, it's also Free, but only RSVP if you're surely coming
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
in association with
St. Andrew`s Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts
presents
Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) was probably the greatest and certainly the most prolific of twentieth-century Latin American poets. He brought out his first collection at the age of seventeen, and quickly developed an assured and distinctive poetic voice.
This poetic evening draws from the poems that are the heart of the film Il Postino, a cinematic fantasy spun from an apocryphal incident in the life of the Chilean poet and Nobel laureate, Pablo Neruda. Few writers of any age have described the pleasures and torments of erotic love with such unsentimental directness and sensual precision. This poetic experience is an amalgamation of the famous early collection Twenty Love Songs and a Song of Despair (1924) to the key works of his maturity, Residence on Earth (1935), Elemental Odes (1954), and the autobiographical Memorial de Isla Negra (1964), all suffused in the film Il Postino.
This poetic experience is designed by Dr. Omkar Bhatkar using movement, music, and visual aesthetics along with the text.
Designed and Directed by Dr. Omkar Bhatkar
A Metamorphosis Theatre and Films Experience
July 20th, 2023 | 4:30 pm
at Godrej Dance Theatre, NCPA
Passes on BookMyShow
AND ON
July 21st, 2023 | 7 pm &
July 22nd, 2023 | 7pm
at SAPP Bandra
Tickets on BookMyShow
Nine Fish Art Gallery
Dot Line Space Art Foundation
in association with
Backwaters Collective
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
presents
THE DIVINE LEELA: NARAYANA GURU'S VERSES TO THE GODDESS
(Play Performance)
O Mother, Your sacred limbs precede the earth,
So say the silent sages. They are unable to say
anything else, and Your new word now comes to me
at this silent state and reverberates here.
Narayana Guru (1854 - 1928) composed a compact body of writing in prose and verse of exceptional potency. These are stimulating, deep and original explorations, entryways into a profound appreciation of the human condition. Though he wrote poems exploring diverse themes ranging from the soul to Shiva. The Divine Leela is delicately crafted by hand-picking his poems on the goddess described through the idea of elemental, existential and mystical poems talking about the luminous play of the self and the Song of Kundalini. The evening flows with hymns offered to the eternal goddess creating a mélange of music, movement, poetry, and mysticism.
The experience is designed and directed by Omkar Bhatkar based on the newest translation of Narayana Guru’s poems titled ‘A Cry in the Wilderness’ by Vinaya Chaitanya.
Designed and Directed by Dr. Omkar Bhatkar
July 8th, 2023 | 7 pm
at SAPP, Bandra
Tickets on BookMyShow
AND ON
July 9th, 2023 | 6 pm
at Nine Fish Art Gallery, Great Eastern Home, Byculla (East)
Passes on BookMyShow
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
in association with
St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts
presents
THE WHITE BOOK, BY HAN KANG
(A reading designed by Dr. Omkar Bhatkar)
From the winner of the Man Booker International Prize for The Vegetarian comes a book like no other. The White Book is a meditation on colour, beginning with a list of white things. It is a book about mourning, rebirth, and the tenacity of the human spirit. It is a stunning investigation of the fragility, beauty, and strangeness of life. 'A brilliant psychogeography of grief, moving as it does between place, history, and memory... Poised and never flinches from serene dignity... The White Book is a mysterious text, perhaps in part a secular prayer book... Translated from the Korean by Deborah Smith succeeds in reflecting Han's urgent desire to transcend pain with language'
Conceptualized and Directed by
Dr. Omkar Bhatkar
July 1st, 2023 | 7pm &
July 2nd, 2023 | 5:30pm
at SAPP, Bandra
JUNE 2023
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
in association with
St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts
presents
THE WHITE BOOK, BY HAN KANG
(A reading designed by Dr. Omkar Bhatkar)
From the winner of the Man Booker International Prize for The Vegetarian comes a book like no other. The White Book is a meditation on colour, beginning with a list of white things. It is a book about mourning, rebirth, and the tenacity of the human spirit. It is a stunning investigation of the fragility, beauty, and strangeness of life. 'A brilliant psychogeography of grief, moving as it does between place, history, and memory... Poised and never flinches from serene dignity... The White Book is a mysterious text, perhaps in part a secular prayer book... Translated from the Korean by Deborah Smith succeeds in reflecting Han's urgent desire to transcend pain with language'
Conceptualized and Directed by
Dr. Omkar Bhatkar
July 1st, 2023 | 7pm &
July 2nd, 2023 | 5:30pm
at SAPP, Bandra
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
in association with
National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA)
presents
THE WHITE BOOK, BY HAN KANG
(A reading designed by Dr. Omkar Bhatkar)
From the winner of the Man Booker International Prize for The Vegetarian comes a book like no other. The White Book is a meditation on colour, beginning with a list of white things. It is a book about mourning, rebirth, and the tenacity of the human spirit. It is a stunning investigation of the fragility, beauty, and strangeness of life. 'A brilliant psychogeography of grief, moving as it does between place, history, and memory... Poised and never flinches from serene dignity... The White Book is a mysterious text, perhaps in part a secular prayer book... Translated from the Korean by Deborah Smith succeeds in reflecting Han's urgent desire to transcend pain with language'
Conceptualized and Directed by
Dr. Omkar Bhatkar
June 29th, 2023 | 4:30pm
at Godrej Dance Theatre, NCPA
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
in association with
St. Andrew`s Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts
presents
WHAT'S ON A MAN'S MIND?
(Play Performance)
The anthology of stories written long ago by Woody Allen.
The Lunatic`s Tale
Dr Francis Dimello, who has all he needs for a good life, swaps the brain of his wife with that of his girlfriend in the pursuit of true love. After a few years of joy with his dream woman, he finds himself at a crossroads. See the surgeon turned lunatic tell his story to find out why and what happens next.
Retribution
Rustom Bilimoria, a 28-year-old aspiring dramatist is afraid of falling for his girlfriend`s quite flirtatious sister. Fortunately, he doesn`t. Instead, he falls for someone you can`t imagine, leading to a lot of bizarre twists in the unreasonable assigning of roles that occur in all of the emotional dramas of our relationships.
Directed by Vishal Singh
Supported by Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
June 17th, 2023 | 7pm
at SAPP, Mumbai
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
in association with
St. Andrew`s Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts
presents
THE DIVINE LEELA: NARAYANA GURU'S VERSES TO THE GODDESS
(Play Performance)
O Mother, Your sacred limbs precede the earth,
So say the silent sages. They are unable to say
anything else, and Your new word now comes to me
at this silent state and reverberates here.
Narayana Guru (1854 - 1928) composed a compact body of writing in prose and verse of exceptional potency. These are stimulating, deep and original explorations, entryways into a profound appreciation of the human condition. Though he wrote poems exploring diverse themes ranging from the soul to Shiva. The Divine Leela is delicately crafted by hand-picking his poems on the goddess described through the idea of elemental, existential and mystical poems talking about the luminous play of the self and the Song of Kundalini. The evening flows with hymns offered to the eternal goddess creating a mélange of music, movement, poetry, and mysticism.
The experience is designed and directed by Omkar Bhatkar based on the newest translation of Narayana Guru’s poems titled ‘A Cry in the Wilderness’ by Vinaya Chaitanya.
Designed and Directed by Dr. Omkar Bhatkar
June 10th, 2023 | 7pm
at Little Theatre, NCPA
Passes on BookMyShow
AND ON
June 11th, 2023 | 5:30pm
at SAPP, Bandra
Tickets on BookMyShow
St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts
presents
IN SYNC: A FORUM FOR INTERFAITH DIALOGUE THROUGH INDIA'S SYNCRETIC ARTS
( India’s first ever Interfaith Art and Dialogue forum )
As a people, we've forgotten to listen.
We are forever ready with a retort on how the other is wrong. We've forgotten to see people as wholes. We've forgotten that they are more than their just their singular identities. We've forgotten about their humanity, about the things that make us more similar than different. We snarl with impatience at those unlike us, and with each year, the chasms grow wider.
But we have history on our side. And hope.
Before we drift too far from each other, it is time to redeem our common ground, our legacies of love and harmony. It's time to revisit our past, which testifies how India's different faith communities have eaten, prayed, and made art together for centuries. We've witnessed and produced countless syncretisms, with our religions, languages, and cultures fusing into each other.
Despite the challenges of our pluralism, we've created the most wonderful tapestries of culture, be it music, dance, food, theatre, poetry, architecture, the fine arts, you name it...
In Sync - A forum for interfaith dialogue through the syncretic arts of India, is meant
to remind us of some of the wonderful things co-created by India's different faith communities throughout history. Conceptualised and curated by Urmi Chanda, a Mumbai-based peacebuilder and interfaith scholar, it is meant to help us remember that we have worked and played together before, and to know that we can do it again. The hope is that this exhibition of syncretic and intercultural art forms will help us bond over shared beauty, engage in mutually respectful interfaith conversations, and inspire understanding. Here is to coming together, and learning to be In Sync.
Curated by
Urmi Chanda
June 2nd, 3rd & 4th, 2023
at SAPP, Mumbai
may 2023
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
in association with
St. Andrew`s Church, Bandra
presents
MORNING STAR: THE EARLY LIFE OF MARY
(Play Performance)
`Morning Star` ends with the Annunciation and rather goes back to trace her life as the Immaculate Conception.
Mary is known from biblical references, which are, however, too sparse to construct a coherent biography. Morning Star is an attempt to create a biopic of the life of Mary on stage.
Drawing from the mystical visions of Saints, private revelations, and artistic depictions in Poems and Paintings, Morning Star brings to the stage the life of Mary right from her conception to the Annunciation in this costume drama. The play is a splendid spectacle of minimalism and evocatively portrays the life of early life of Mary through delicately crafted scenes.
After four eclectic performances on the 27th, 28th, 29th and the 30th of April at SAPP, Bandra, Morning Star continues to shine on. It's the people who have come forward to hold it's light.
St. Andrew's Church , Bandra has been kind to bring the story of Mary to a larger audience at the St. Andrew's Auditorium, Bandra.
Written and Directed by
Dr. Omkar Bhatkar
Monday, May 29, 2023
7:00pm
REGISTRATIONS FULL!
St. Andrew's Educational Foundation* and
St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts (SAPP)
presents
AWESUMMER 2023, YOUR VERY OWN SUMMER SCHOOL!
CLASSICAL SANSKRIT PLAYS: AN INTRODUCTION
(short-term course)
CONDUCTED BY: DR. RADHA KUMAR
Ancient Indian Literature is a storehouse or a treasure trove of information.
It is an important source to also study the Socio-economic, political conditions of our Ancient civilization.
The blend of prose and poetry is reflected in the writings of Kalidasa, Bhasa, Sudraka to cite a few names gives a holistic study of the epoch.
In this course, by studying Sanskrit literature we will discover the essence and the beauty of writers who explored through their writings human emotions, conflicts, their trials and tribulations.
The course will focus on four writers and five plays. Viz
BHASA's
SWAPNA VASAVADATTA AND URUBHANGA
KALIDASA's
ABHIJANAN SHAUNTALAM
SUDRAKA's
MIRCHHAKATIKA
BHAVABHUTI's
UTTARARAMACHARATU
The course is open to all and can benefit theatre enthusiasts, actors, readers, students, working professionals, artists, and everyone interested to explore Sanskrit plays but never had an opportunity to do so.
Course Fees:
Rs. 2,000/-
OPEN TO ALL
22nd to 26th MAY, 2023
5PM-7PM
VENUE: SAPP, BANDRA
To Register, contact: +91 9769296630
St. Andrew's Educational Foundation
and
St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts (SAPP)
presents
AWESUMMER 2023, YOUR VERY OWN SUMMER SCHOOL!
FILM AS PHILOSOPHY
(Short-term course)
CONDUCTED BY:
Dr. Omkar Bhatkar
Dr. Amita Valmiki
Film as Philosophy suggests that films themselves can take up philosophical issues, and can contribute to a range of philosophical debates. The prime motive of this course is to read films philosophically and the possibility of confabulating a film from a multi-disciplinary perspective. The course will engage in deep reading of specially curated seven films over the span of the course from a range of diverse genres, cultures, countries, and filmmakers.
Course Fees:
Rs 3,000/-
OPEN TO ALL
9TH MAY - 15TH MAY, 2023 | 5:30PM - 7:30PM | VENUE: SAPP, BANDRA
To Register, contact: +91 9769296630
St. Andrew's Educational Foundation
and
St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts (SAPP)
presents
AWESUMMER 2023, YOUR VERY OWN SUMMER SCHOOL!
LEARN TO READ IN URDU: THE POETRY AND PROSE OF FAIZ AHMED FAIZ, MIRZA GHALIB AND AMRITA PRITAM
( Short-term course)
CONDUCTED BY: Ms. SHIRLYN GALBAO
In today’s fast-paced and ever changing world India is in the unfortunate process of losing her indigenous or regional languages. It’s extremely disheartening as India is a repository of varied and exceptional regional languages such Kannada, Tamil, Marathi, Oriya etc. However, the one language that is synonymous with love, poetry, passion or Ada is our very own Urdu. Even though today not many people are attempting to learn this beautiful language, its heart still beats in our movies, songs, poetry and literature. It is inextricably intertwined with our people and our culture. This course is specially curated for those who love Urdu or Hindustani language. The course will, through a journey of approximately 10 hours, endeavour to talk about the nuances of the language and help with Urdu poetry recital. It will also help those who wish to learn dramatised story reading. Aspiring actors, students as well as media personnel will benefit from this course.
Course Fees:
Rs. 2,000/-
OPEN TO ALL (STD. XII & ABOVE)
13TH TO 27TH MAY, 2023 | 4PM-6PM | (SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS ONLY)
VENUE: ST. ANDREW'S COLLEGE CONFERENCE HALL, BANDRA
To Register, contact: +91 9769296630
St. Andrew's Educational Foundation* and
St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts (SAPP)
present
AWESUMMER 2023, YOUR VERY OWN SUMMER SCHOOL!
WRITE YOUR OWN PLAY
( Short-term course)
CONDUCTED BY
Dr. Omkar Bhatkar
Theatre is one of the most visceral forms of
storytelling, a living and breathing collaborative art-form. At the heart of all play is conflict. Whether you’ve never written anything before, you’re experienced in any form of writing, or you’re a playwright looking to sharpen your skills, “Write Your Own Play” offers clear, step-by-step guidance in characterization, conflict, and structure, setting, knots of tension, codes of character, dialogue, and formatting.
Towards the end of this course, the participants will have finished writing a play or at least gained the knowledge to write one.
COURSE FEES:
Rs. 4,000
OPEN TO ALL
13TH MAY - 4TH JUNE, 2023
9AM-11AM
(SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS ONLY)
VENUE: SAPP, BANDRA
To Register, contact: +91 9769296630
Ramblers Essential Theatre
presents
WHERE IS MY MIND?
(Play Performance)
Written and Directed by Rohit Chauhan
“I have been living moments with a feeling of no feeling. Is this a void or emptiness in which I am just sinking in? I see people moving in their rhythm. What’s my tune? Or am I just a distorted musical note sticking out from their composition?
I grasp things so I can be whole. Just how you all are. Why do I choke? Why is it suffocating when these things clutch back on me?
What is it to be free? Is it the death of your thoughts or is it death from your thoughts? Maybe I was not born for this pattern of a suitable pattern. It was passed on to me like a baton”.
13TH MAY, 2023 | 7PM
at SAPP
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
in association with
National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA)
presents
BLUETS, BY MAGGIE NELSON
(A Reading designed by Dr. Omkar Bhatkar)
Bluets by Maggie Nelson winds its way through depression, divinity, alcohol, and desire, visiting along the way famous blue figures, including Joni Mitchell, Billie Holiday, Yves Klein, Leonard Cohen and Andy Warhol. While its narrator sets out to construct a sort of ‘pillow book’ about her lifelong obsession with the colour blue, she ends up facing down both the painful end of an affair and the grievous injury of a dear friend. Bluets is an extremely unusual book. Though it is about Nelson’s obsession with, love for, the color blue; it is also about a love affair that has ended; it is also about Nelson’s life, in a jumping-in-and-out way. It is about pain and loss, and always about blue. It takes the form of 240 “propositions". About 200 propositions from the book shall be read by an eclectic mix of readers interspersed with sounds of an acoustic guitar to create the blue effect.
The book reading is conceptualised by Dr. Omkar Bhatkar. He writes and directs plays and makes independent feature films and documentaries. He has been teaching Film and Aesthetics and involved in theatre making, poetry, and cinema for a decade now and hopes to die painting. He is the artistic director of Metamorphosis Theatre and Films and the co-founder and Head of St. Andrew’s Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts.
Conceptualized and Directed by
Dr. Omkar Bhatkar
Wednesday, 17th May, 2023
4 :30 pm
at Godrej Dance Theatre, NCPA
Admission on a first-come-first-served basis.
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
in association with
St. Andrew`s Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts
presents
BLUETS, BY MAGGIE NELSON
(A Reading designed by Dr. Omkar Bhatkar
What do you mean when you say `I`m feeling blue?`
Does it mean that you`re sad and lonely, if it is so then why don`t we say `I`m feeling lonely?`
What exactly is this feeling of being Blue? Blue and the zillion emotions associated with it.
In 1975, William Glass wrote a book titled `On Being Blue - A Philosophical Inquiry`
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe published his Theory of Colors in 1810. He wrote “We love to contemplate blue,” Goethe wrote, “not because it advances to us, but because it draws us after it.”
Exactly a century after Goethe, the great Russian painter and art theorist Wassily Kandinsky examined the psychological and spiritual dimensions of art through the lens of form and color. In Concerning the Spiritual in Art , Kandinsky devotes an especially impassioned section to the color blue and writes `the power of profound meaning is found in blue`..........The inclination of blue to depth is so strong that its inner appeal is stronger when its shade is deeper. Blue is the typical heavenly colour… The ultimate feeling it creates is one of rest… "
In 2009, Maggie Nelson wrote an unusual book called Bluets.
Sometime in the final years of WWII, the trailblazing Scottish mountaineer and poet Nan Shepherd began composing what would become The Living Mountain — her poetic inquiry into the interconnectedness of nature and human nature. “Place and a mind may interpenetrate till the nature of both is altered,” Shepherd wrote. She found the most powerful transmutation agent of that alchemy in the singular blue of the mountain air.
To bring Blue through Literature, Poetry, Music, Arts, and in life is the attempt of this performance piece.
But what exactly is this piece Bluets?
Philosophy, philology, monologue, prosody, a mere performance? All of these? None of these?
To put it simply, Bluets is a panegyric to the splendor of language, an obsession of the playwright/director Omkar Bhatkar, and is his acuity for metaphor.
Bluets winds its way through depression, divinity, alcohol, and desire, visiting along the way with famous blue figures, including Joni Mitchell, Billie Holiday, Yves Klein, Leonard Cohen, Andy Warhol, Virginia Woolf, Titian. Bluets is a spatial experience Though it is largely based on Maggie Nelson’s obsession with and love for, the color blue; it is also about a love affair that has ended; it is also about Nelson’s life, in a jumping-in-and-out way. It is also about the director Omkar Bhatkar and his longing for the color Blue. Of the several plays that he has written, three of the plays include the word Blue in their title, such as Desires Blue, Song of the Blue Sea, and Blue Storm. Blue Storm was also selected for the Asia Playwrights Festival 2020 held in Incheon, South Korea.
Bluets is a delicately crafted experience of the color blue. In short, it is about pain and loss, and always about blue.
Conceptualized and Directed by
Dr. Omkar Bhatkar
Saturday, 20th May, 2023 | 7:00pm |
Sunday, 21st May, 2023 | 5:30pm |
at SAPP
APRIL 2023
Dept of German, University of Mumbai
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films, SAPP
presents
THE BOOK OF HOURS: Echoes of Rainer Maria Rilke
(Play Performance)
Written and Directed by Omkar Bhatkar
"I live my life in widening circles
that reach out across the world.
I may not even complete the last one,
but I give myself to it.
I circle around God, the primordial tower.
I have been circling for thousands of years,
and I still don`t know: am I a falcon,
a storm, or a great song?
- Rainer Maria Rilke
One night after watching Tarkovsky’s film, Andrei Rublev, the young poet goes to sleep only to be visited by Rilke`s angel in his dreams. The poet, in his awakened sleep, listens to the echoes of Rilke’s elegies, raising existential questions about his own inner life, his struggles toward comprehension, and, above all, his perils as a poet.
The young poet starts reading Rilke`s `The Book of Hours` and sees himself falling deeper in love with Rilke`s icon painter-monk. He now wonders if Tarkovsky`s Rublev is the unnamed monk in Rilke`s apotheosis of art. The night is a surreal meeting of these monks in the young poet’s mind. It results in an indescribable poetic affair that lasts until the sun rises and disappears into the void, leaving no trace as if the night was real and everything delusional or vice versa.
The play is an attempt of a modern (hu)man to orientate himself within his chaotic world, undertake the quest of a beloved, and embark on the journey in search of truth and the promise of a better life. In this long loneliness, the young poet`s reading of ‘The Book of Hours’ brings together poets, mystics, artists, and seers to confabulate the meaning of life.
The play opens for a Q and A after the performance for those interested to discuss the play with the team.
THU 6th April, 2023 | 2 PM
at Pherozeshah Mehta Auditorium,
University of Mumbai, Kalina Campus
ENTRY FREE
SEATING ON A FIRST-COME BASIS
SAPP
presents
Dhi V: At the Intersections of Family and Filmmaking
(Short-term course)
With
Dr. Omkar Bhatkar
Dr. Amita Valmiki
Many of prolific filmmakers often return to screen with films on their childhood experiences or largely about their family amidst the world of arts and cinema. Family on one hand and Filmmaking on another, how does one affect the other? How does family influence filmmaking and vice versa? What is the process of making a film? What does it take to keep a family together? Does filmmaking have a role to play in reconciliation? Do filmmakers often turn to semiautobiographical narratives to tell such stories about the matrix of living in a family and the pursuit of filmmaking or arts?
The Intersections of Family and Filmmaking aims at answering such questions by exploring the gamut of filmmaking and the attempts of keeping a family together.
This course will dwell on the intersections of family and filmmaking, exploring the ritualistic and the chaotic, the sacred and the every day, the repressive and the cathartic process that can make or break an artist.
The course is a confabulation of artistic processes, the yearning to create art and beauty, the realm of aesthetics to create infectious feelings; it is about nothing less than what it means to be an artist and also what it means to be a 'human'
Course Fees:
Rs 3000/- (Open to All)
Rs 2500/- (For SAPP Members/Dhi Vol I-IV participants)
10th APRIL to 26th APRIL, 2023
MON & WED
5 PM to 7 PM (IST)
Online/Offline
SAPP & Center for Study of Society and Secularism
organize
Becoming Baba Saheb - Birth to Mahad (1891 -1929) by Aakash Singh Rathore
( Book Discussion )
Panelists include
Dr. Gautam More
Mr. Irfaan Engineer
Dr. Kavita Pai
Author: Aakash Singh Rathore
Moderator: Dr. M.T. Joseph
There are many intellectual biographies of Dr B.R. Ambedkar, but until now none has sought to reveal the personality of the man. They will tell you what he thought or what he wrote, but remain silent about who he actually was, his inner struggles, how he felt. They give information about Ambedkar, but do not talk about his interior life, his personal growth or how he came to be the man who left such an indelible mark on modern India's constitutional, political, social and religious landscapes.
The first of an ambitious two-volume biography, Becoming Babasaheb traces Ambedkar's life journey, from his birth in 1891 to the transformative Mahad Satyagraha in 1929. It takes a completely fresh look at Ambedkar's lived experiences and teases out the nature and character of the man behind the legend. It offers an extensive, personality-driven narrative covering Ambedkar's life, along with salient aspects of his contemporary legacy, unfolding as a tale of remarkable tenacity, which it chronicles in all its rich vitality.
All of Ambedkar's books and speeches are publicly available, so large volumes will forever appear interpreting his writings and presenting his ideas. Meanwhile, old myths and inaccurate 'facts' about his thought and life events, even his relationships, persist. Becoming Babasaheb has been written on the basis of entirely original archival research to set the historical record straight. A vivid portrait of the man in his times, both volumes of this biography will present readers with a new Ambedkar, the true Ambedkar.
Curated by :
Dr. Kanchana Mahadevan & Dr. Omkar Bhatkar
THURS 13 APRIL 2023 | 5 : 30 PM
at St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts (SAPP), Bandra
SAPP
present
ITALIAN OPERA: Part I- The Comic Genius of Rossini
( Short-term course)
By
Daryl Arambhan
In 1792, three months after Mozart died, another child prodigy was born in Italy: Gioacchino Rossini.
He is known for the beginnings of “Bel Canto” – the style of 19 th century Italian Opera. A composer of 39 operas in all, it was primarily his stamp on “Comic” opera which exemplified his style. Written at the age of 24 he wrote an opera which was to become his most popular work.
With the aid of images, recorded performances, and Drayl's narrative we will delve into the early life and works of this comic genius, culminating in an in-depth study of that opera.
During this series, Daryl will enable you to discover your unique voice using techniques based on the Italianate Method of Singing which can help release not only your vocal but also your dramatic expression.
24th, 25th, 26th, 28th, 29th APRIL, 2023
11 : 30 AM TO 1 : 30 PM
at St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts (SAPP), Bandra
Metamorphosis Theatre and Films
in association with
St. Andrew`s Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts
presents
MORNING STAR: From the Immaculate Conception of Mary to the Annunciation
(Play Performance)
Mary, the mother of Jesus, is venerated in the Christian church since the apostolic age and is a favorite subject in Western art, music, and literature. According to the Bible, The first mention of Mary is in the story of the Annunciation, which reports that she was living in Nazareth and was betrothed to Joseph (Luke 1:26 ff.)
This play `Morning Star` ends with the Annunciation and rather goes back to trace her life as the Immaculate Conception.
Mary is known from biblical references, which are, however, too sparse to construct a coherent biography. Morning Star is an attempt to create a biopic of the life of Mary on stage.
Drawing from the mystical visions of Saints, private revelations, and artistic depictions in Poems and Paintings, Morning Star brings to the stage the life of Mary right from her conception to the Annunciation in this costume drama. The play is a splendid spectacle of minimalism and evocatively portrays the life of early life of Mary through delicately crafted scenes.
Written and Directed by Omkar Bhatkar
Performed by a cast of ensemble
27th APRIL to 29th APRIL 2023 at 7 PM
30th APRIL 2023 at 5 : 30 PM
at SAPP
February 2023
SAPP
present
Dances Of Universal Peace
( Workshop )
By
Vladislav Kirbiatev (Russia)
Yelena Swarana (Latvia)
Christina Lausevic (UK)
Martine Pluchino (France)
Out beyond ideas of wrong and right,
there is a field. I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase ‘each other’
doesn’t make any sense.
~ Rumi
We collectively immerse into a circle, singing and dancing to sacred mantras from different spiritual traditions. Boundaries disappear, hearts open and we feel into the oneness of all. It doesn't matter where we come from, what tradition we individually practice, what language we speak, what version of god we pray to or choose not to pray to. Singing and dancing, we softly flow into a feeling of spiritual meditative oneness.
Dances of Universal Peace is a simple yet powerful movement practice that invokes an embodied sense of unity, shared presence, and unconditional love.
The Dances are for everyone, easy to learn, easy to sing, and easiest to feel.
Come, be a part of the magic.
Come, celebrate Oneness, Peace, and Love.
FRI & SAT | 10th& 11th | 5 PM TO 8 PM
at St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts (SAPP), Bandra
SAPP & Metamorphosis Theatre Inc.
present
Book of Hours : Echoes of Rainer Maria Rilke
( Play Performance )
"I live my life in widening circles
that reach out across the world.
I may not even complete the last one,
but I give myself to it.
I circle around God, the primordial tower.
I have been circling for thousands of years,
and I still don`t know: am I a falcon,
a storm, or a great song?
- Rainer Maria Rilke
One night after watching Tarkovsky’s film, Andrei Rublev, the young poet goes to sleep only to be visited by Rilke`s angel in his dreams. The poet, in his awakened sleep, listens to the echoes of Rilke’s elegies, raising existential questions about his own inner life, his struggles toward comprehension, and, above all, his perils as a poet.
The young poet starts reading Rilke`s `The Book of Hours` and sees himself falling deeper in love with Rilke`s icon painter-monk. He now wonders if Tarkovsky`s Rublev is the unnamed monk in Rilke`s apotheosis of art. The night is a surreal meeting of these monks in the young poet’s mind. It results in an indescribable poetic affair that lasts until the sun rises, and disappears into the void, leaving no trace as if the night was real and everything delusional or vice versa.
The play is an attempt of a modern (hu)man to orientate himself within his chaotic world, undertake the quest of a beloved, and embark on the journey in search of truth and the promise of a better life. In this long loneliness, the young poet`s reading of ‘The Book of Hours’ brings together poets, mystics, artists, and seers to confabulate the meaning of life.
The play opens for a Q and A after the performance for those interested to discuss the play with the team.
Team :
Sharmila Veslaskar Kadne, Prasant Nalaskar, Omkar Bhatkar, Hrishikesh Desai, Shubham Pangal, Chair Nair, Harshvardhan Shetye, Viraj Dey.
FRI 10 FEB 2023 | 2 PM
at National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Fort, Mumbai.
TICKETS ARE ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS.
SAPP
present
Sufi Swirling
( Workshop )
By
Sunil Sankara
SAT 11th FEB 2023 | 8 : 30 AM TO 9 : 30 AM
at St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts (SAPP), Bandra
SAPP
present
Mystical Worlds Spiritual, Social & Secular
Author: Amita Valmiki
( Book Discussion )
SAT 11th FEB 2023 | 10 : 00 AM TO 11 : 30 AM
at St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts (SAPP), Bandra
FIRST COME , FIRST SERVE BASIS
SAPP
present
The Principle/s Of "Other Faith" I Appreciate Most
( Plenary Session )
SAT 11th FEB 2023 | 1 : 30 PM TO 3 : 00 PM
at St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts (SAPP), Bandra
FIRST COME , FIRST SERVE BASIS
SAPP
present
"Cosmo-Feminist" Encounters In varkari Poetry : Refletions On Soyrabai, Janabai and Bahinabai
( Guest Lecture )
SAT 11th FEB 2023 | 4 PM TO 5 PM
at St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts (SAPP), Bandra
FIRST COME , FIRST SERVE BASIS
SAPP
present
Religious Imagery From Renaissance To Realism in The Works Of german Painters Some Thoughts And Refelctions
( Guest Lecture )
SUN 12th FEB 2023 | 9 AM TO 10 AM
at St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts (SAPP), Bandra
FIRST COME , FIRST SERVE BASIS
SAPP
present
A Cry In The Wilderness: the Works of Narayana Guru
Author: Vinaya Chaitanya
( Book Discussion )
SUN 12th FEB 2023 | 10 : 00 AM TO 11 : 30 AM
at St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts (SAPP), Bandra
FIRST COME , FIRST SERVE BASIS
SAPP
present
Ganikas And Their Impact On Social Systems Of Ancient India
( Guest Lecture )
SUN 12th FEB 2023 | 11 : 30 AM TO 12 : 30 PM
at St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts (SAPP), Bandra
FIRST COME , FIRST SERVE BASIS
SAPP
present
Incarnation In west theatre And It's Connection With Jesus Figure ( Double Essence )
( Guest Lecture )
SUN 12th FEB 2023 | 12 : 30 PM TO 1 : 30 PM
at St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts (SAPP), Bandra
FIRST COME , FIRST SERVE BASIS
SAPP
present
"Grinding Stories Retold- Songs From Goa" Heta Pandit in Conversation With Dr. Omkar Bhatkar
( Guest Lecture )
SUN 12th FEB 2023 | 2 : 30 PM TO 3 : 45 PM
at St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts (SAPP), Bandra
FIRST COME , FIRST SERVE BASIS
SAPP & METAMORPHOSIS FILMS & THEATRE
present
Seeking Beyond Religion
( Poems Of The Conclave )
SUN 12th FEB 2023 | 4 PM TO 5 PM
at St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts (SAPP), Bandra
International conclave religion and beyond... (feb 2023)
SAPP
organises
Religion And Beyond
( Conversations On Culture Care And Harmonious Living With Diversity)
“In the summer of 2011, a Japanese
farmer planted sunflower seeds in
the tainted soil of Fukushima, a few
miles away from the earthquake damaged
Daiei nuclear facilities.
The radioactive leakage had
continued since the devastating
tsunami on March 11, 2011. Why
would he do that? It’s because he
learned that sunflowers have a
unique ability to take up radioactive
isotopes and store them in their
seeds. The farmer would harvest the
flowers, which contained pods of
radioactivity, making the earth less
polluted.”
- Makoto Fujimura
Families are being separated, and love is splitting, neighbors are turning indifferent, societies are conflicted in culture wars and the world is falling apart. There is a sense of loneliness and helplessness in the individual. Many bemoan the decay of culture. But don’t we all have a responsibility to care for it,
recreate a way of living a fulfilled life, and nurture life in ways that help people thrive? Religion as much as it created a culture of caring and bringing people together but also it has acted as a driving force and wars have been fought in the name of it. Is religion dead?
It is no longer valid, as it was believed to be until relatively recently, that with the age of enlightenment and modernity, religion and god have declined from people's lives. The world today is as religious as
it ever was, in places more so than ever. It's conventional wisdom not to bring up religion in casual conversation. The subject tends to polarize people into believers and skeptics. But between the believers and the skeptics, there is an entire spectrum. The aim of this conclave is to come together to discuss Atheism, theism, and everything in between. Religion and Beyond ….. is a festival of ideas, and an ongoing series of face-to-faith conversations of the real, the mystical, and practical; an opportunity for those who would like to explore the phenomenon of ‘faith’ and its absence.
Click The Link To Download The Brochure -
https://drive.google.com/file/d/184dtWQbfC5FYfzmwEpOeaAGkoG4asaz6/view?usp=sharing
10th ,11th , 12th FEB 2023.
9 : 00 AM to 5 : 00 PM
at SAPP, Bandra
JANUARY 2023
SAPP
present
Beloved
( Play Performance )
Your task is not to seek love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”
― Rumi
Poets, time and again, have tried to pen the mystery of love in words, knowing very well that words can express love, and yet they never stopped writing about it. Love as desire, longing, passion, and union with the beloved have been the themes of centuries in East and West.
Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings that can’t be expressed in prose. Therefore, the reader and listener can fill in these blanks with their imaginations.
`Beloved` is a journey beginning from the 3rd century BCE to contemporary times on which we meet Rumi, Soyrabai, Amir Khusrao, Kabir, St.Teresa of Avila, Tukaram, Hafez, Surdas, Sohrab Sepheri, Shamz Tabrizi, Janabai, St.John of the Cross, Amrita Pritam, Gathasaptasati poems, HomaKatouzian, Kusumagraj, Grace, Nida Fazli, Bahinabai, St. Thomas of Aquinas, Maya Angelou, Sangam poems, Nahid Yousefi, Bhavabhutti, Forough Farrokhzad, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Meister Ekhart.
Let us come together at the beginning of the new year season to celebrate the poetry of love, longing, and devotion in this delicately crafted experience.
Designed & Directed by Omkar Bhatkar
A Metamorphosis Theatre and Films experience
Language: English and Multilingual
Team : Prasant Nalaskar, Meeta Bagwe, Shirlyn Galbao, Amit Rai, Omkar Bhatkar, Harshvardhan Shetye, Viraj Dey, Mohit Raghuvanshi, Nitin Tomar
SAT 14 JAN 2023 | 7:00 PM
SUN 15 JAN 2023 | 5:30 PM
at St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts (SAPP), Bandra
SAPP & Metamorphosis Theatre Inc.
present
Book of Hours : Echoes of Rainer Maria Rilke
( Play Performance )
"I live my life in widening circles
that reach out across the world.
I may not even complete the last one,
but I give myself to it.
I circle around God, the primordial tower.
I have been circling for thousands of years,
and I still don`t know: am I a falcon,
a storm, or a great song?
- Rainer Maria Rilke
One night after watching Tarkovsky’s film, Andrei Rublev, the young poet goes to sleep only to be visited by Rilke`s angel in his dreams. The poet, in his awakened sleep, listens to the echoes of Rilke’s elegies, raising existential questions about his own inner life, his struggles toward comprehension, and, above all, his perils as a poet.
The young poet starts reading Rilke`s `The Book of Hours` and sees himself falling deeper in love with Rilke`s icon painter-monk. He now wonders if Tarkovsky`s Rublev is the unnamed monk in Rilke`s apotheosis of art. The night is a surreal meeting of these monks in the young poet’s mind. It results in an indescribable poetic affair that lasts until the sun rises, and disappears into the void, leaving no trace as if the night was real and everything delusional or vice versa.
The play is an attempt of a modern (hu)man to orientate himself within his chaotic world, undertake the quest of a beloved, and embark on the journey in search of truth and the promise of a better life. In this long loneliness, the young poet`s reading of ‘The Book of Hours’ brings together poets, mystics, artists, and seers to confabulate the meaning of life.
The play opens for a Q and A after the performance for those interested to discuss the play with the team.
Team :
Sharmila Veslaskar Kadne, Prasant Nalaskar, Omkar Bhatkar, Hrishikesh Desai, Shubham Pangal, Chair Nair,
THU 26 JAN 2023 | 7:00 PM
FRI 29 JAN 2023 | 7:00 PM
at St. Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts (SAPP), Bandra
December 2022
BRIEF ENCOUNTERS
present
In Search Of Guru Dutt
( Film Screening)
In Search of Guru Dutt is a three-part tribute to one of India’s finest directors, Guru Dutt, who died in 1964 at 39 leaving behind a legacy of film classics. The documentary traces Guru Dutt’s personal story through many interviews with his family members and colleagues (many of whom have since passed away) and observes his work through extensive film excerpts starting from Baazi (1951), Guru Dutt’s first film as director.
The documentary provides a lyrical and evocative insight into the life of this distinctive filmmaker whose following continues to grow worldwide as each new generation discovers the poetic subtlety of his work. Mr & Mrs 55, Pyaasa, Kaagaz ke Phool and Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam remain proof of Guru Dutt’s unique talent.
The film will be Followed by a Q & A between the Director and Nandini Ramnath (Editor,Scroll.in)
Produced & Directed by: Nasreen Munni Kabir
Photography: Peter Chappell
Sound: Ashley McDuffie
Editor: Martin Roche
Production Company: Hyphen Films for Channel 4 Television, UK. Also broadcast on Doordarshan and on Zee, India.
6th DEC - 6:00 PM
at SAPP, Bandra
SAPP
present
Flowers In December
(Play Performance)
In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.
- Albert Camus
On a Numb November Sunday, Hyacintha receives a call from her mother whom she hasn`t seen for the last seven years wanting to spend this Christmas season with her. Not the kind of Christmas Holidays she planned for herself. Now, all that she feels is a profound sense of nausea and a feeling of helplessness at the thought of spending the Christmas season with her mom. She tries out to reason that she should be happy, but she isn`t................. probably something was lost in these last several years, but how does one fix it?
Life often leaves many chapters incomplete only one day to arrive at them after a long passage of time has passed. When these chapters are revisited, how much is that we remember, and how much is it that we have forgotten? The scars of the past are visible but what about the joys of the past, Don`t they leave any scars?
Flowers in December is a play about the frozen hearts of winter and the burning desire in each one of them to feel the warmth.
A Metamorphosis Theatre Inc experience
Written and Directed by Omkar Bhatkar
21st ,22nd ,29th ,30th DEC
7:00 PM
at SAPP, Bandra
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