Denis Maillefer invited by National School of Drama

'one billion one hundred thirty-nine million nine hundred sixty-four thousand nine hundred thirty-two and me' - an improvised multilingual play presented by Swiss theatre director Denis Maillefer and students of NSD.

'one billion one hundred thirty-nine million nine hundred sixty-four thousand nine hundred thirty-two and me' - an improvised multilingual play about “Here & Now”' presented by Swiss theatre director Denis Maillefer and third year students of NSD. 

After the very successful presentation of the theatre production For the First Time – ‘La Premiere Fois’ by Théâtre en Flammes,as part of the 11th  Bharat Rang Mahotsav in January 2009, the Director Denis Maillefer was invited to conduct a workshop with the final year students of the National School of Drama, New Delhi. The premier of the production that Denis Maillefer is working on with the NSD final year students is on 20 November, 2009 at Bahumukh, the black box theatre of the school.   

The production
one billion one hundred thirty-nine million nine hundred sixty-four thousand nine hundred thirty-two and me - an improvised multilingual play about “Here & Now” 
Direction:  Denis Maillefer
The performances are scheduled from 20th to 25th November 2009 at 6.30 pm daily with two additional shows on 21st & 22nd November 2009 at 3.00 pm. at Bahumukh, Bahawalpur House, Bhagwandas Road, New Delhi.  

Entry cards can be collected for the performance from the NSD reception on first come first served basis between 11.00 am & 1.00 pm and 2.00 pm & 4.00 pm. 
Seats are limited in Bahumukh Studio Theatre. 
Please note that children below 8 years will not be allowed into the show. 
For more information please contact 23073236.
To view poster click here

Director's note:
This project is an interrogation into the place that everyone has and shares in the world. This world could be the world at large or a country like India with its many different languages, traditions and ways of being. This project also seeks to display the opposition between collectivity and intimacy. It explores the multiple personal histories of all students on stage, perennially placed within the context of a larger collective history.
We principally devised the show through a series of exercises and improvisations. The students brought unscripted stories to the floor (some true, some not!) that were tiny, yet big and extremely funny yet tragic in their own ways. Their banality belonged to the everyday, yet their telling made them very special. They dealt with insightful details about life and the drama that surrounds us in our lives today. The process of rehearsals sought to build a microcosmic world of this collection of students, and by consequence leads us to feel the pulse of the country they live in. However small this part may be, we hope it rings true for you as it did for us. Following these simple ideas in rehearsals, we took ourselves back to the beginnings of theatre – storytelling.

The preparatory work has primarily been based on solo improvisations and its juxtaposition with a collective symphony. We also took the help of interviews and testimonies found in daily newspapers and magazines published during the time of our rehearsals. The attempt was to find a way to be on stage ‘here and now’. I believe this is the most important aspect for an actor. To be (or not to be) here and now, is the biggest and most difficult question for an actor. The students learnt to be aware of themselves, while discovering how to connect with the audience in a deep and personal way and further, how to sustain such a relationship through the performance. Scenes from the European repertoire (a familiar world for me amongst mostly unfamiliar all else!) were inserted to discover a similar and simple way of playing and performing great plays of the past. It proved to be just another way for the actor to expose more (although in a different way) about him/herself. Through all this, a sincere and intense connection with the audience has been emphasized while providing enough space for the audience’s associations to freely occur through the show.   

The show we present to you largely consists of live and spontaneous improvisations.