Manjappa PA

This Foundation Project implemented by IFA aims to explore the inner world of actors through the medium of theatre. By focusing on the actor’s body, it seeks to investigate aspects of physical memory and the possibility of expansion of the acting processes through a theatrical experiment that will involve an actor and a dancer. Manjappa PA will be the Coordinator of this project.

Manjappa PA works as an actor, director, teacher, and designer. After completing his training at Ninasam Ranga Shikshana Kendra, he spent two years working at Ninasam Tirugata troupe as an actor and technician. He also briefly served as a trainer at Samudaya and other small troops in and around Bengaluru. Manjappa PA worked with several NGOs for six years before joining Ninasam in 2002, where he currently teaches. He has directed more than thirty plays in Kannada. Aside from this, he has a strong interest in martial arts, set design, costumes, and lighting. His book on design, Aharya Abhinaya was published by Kannada University, Hampi. Given his wide range of interests and experience, he is best suited to be the Project Coordinator for this Foundation Project of IFA. He will be working with actors Avinash Rai and Shweta Arehole, who will join him as collaborators. 

As a director, Manjappa PA believes that speech is not the only mode of expression for the actor and that theatrical movements are psycho-physical, drawing upon the actor’s sensory and emotional experiences. As such, he places a strong emphasis on the creative exploration of the actor’s body. The emotional world of the actor and the dynamism that it could bring to the stage become an integral part of the acting process. In this theatrical experiment, Avinash Rai and Shweta Arehole will come together as actors and dancers, respectively. The aim of this collaboration is to construct an extended visual language of the body by rediscovering the possibilities of expression, dialogue, movement, and meaning through an internal exploration of the character on stage.

The section Dasanana Swapnasiddhi from the epic Sri Ramayana Darshanam has been chosen as the stage text for the performance. According to the Project Coordinator, the complex composition of the text necessitates an exploration of multiple body cultures and a presentation of the psycho-physical experience. Apart from supplementary literature in Kannada, the research will closely study the postures, movements, and expressions of distinct art forms such as Yakshagana, Bharatanatyam, and Koodiyattam. Rather than performing them directly on stage, the work will be done with the belief that the nuances of these forms could work as a support for the stage text. Apart from this, the research methodology will include a rigorous textual analysis of the script and internal exploration of the character vis-à-vis the emotional expressions of the actors’ performing bodies on stage. Documenting key moments of the theatrical process will be part of their study.

The outcomes of this project will be audiovisual documentation of the process and a theatrical production. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the final reports, will be the audiovisual documentation, including photographs, video, brochures, show reports, and a series of performances of the final production.

This project suitably addresses the framework of IFA’s Arts Research programme in how it harnesses the collaborative potential of various mediums to bring out the power of body memory and expands the understanding of acting processes through a unique theatrical experiment between an actor and a dancer.

IFA will ensure that the project is implemented on time and that the funds expended are accounted for. IFA will also review the progress of the project at midterm and document it through an Implementation Memorandum. After the project is complete and deliverables are submitted, IFA will put together a Final Evaluation to share with the Trustees.

The project is made possible with support from BNP Paribas India.