“If music be the food of love, play on,
Give me excess of it; that surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.”
Life is a comedy, and man is a giddy thing. Over the past few weeks, Shunya members have been drinking excess amounts of green-happy bhang-like mazaa madness. Perhaps a little too much…ahem. But such is the cyclical nature of the dramatic life. In classical comedies, this period of carnival is a licensed time of misrule and topsy turvy anarchy that gives way to a more austere time of testing and character building before the final reunification and celebration at the end.
This abnormal season of carnival and mistaken identifies ultimately necessitates plot and a sense of restored order. The tricks and excesses of theatrical Mardi Gras are just that. We get away with them because they are staged illusions that ultimately leave us longing for something true and most often difficult. In two weeks time, the cast and crew will begin rehearsals, a time of joyful testing and play building.
To lead us into the rehearsal season, we invite you to one last hurrah – Party on the Hill – at the Miller Outdoor Theatre. Join us on the hill as we watch a beautiful Odissi classical dance performance. We’ll be having a couple more events during rehearsals, including one where you can help us construct a Wonder Wall of Ideas and Quotes, which will be featured at the show in August! So stay tuned for that as well!
“O, wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in’t!”