Theatre Made Why the Mahabharata
Theatre Made Ready, set, stage
Theatre Made Designing the production
Theatre Made
Theatre Made Why the Mahabharata
An introduction to Kingdoms Apart
Episode 1: An introduction to Kingdoms Apart
What is the Mahabharata? Why the Mahabharata? In episode 1 of this behind-the-scenes series, Dr Nidya Shan guides you in examining how the ancient text has acquired its unique universality through its themes and explorations, becoming an important lived tradition across several Asian cultures.
Playwright and director Chong Tze Chien is no exception, having been intrigued by the Mahabharata and its parables for decades. The seminal poem was thus the stimulus behind Kingdoms Apart, one of the opening productions for Esplanade’s Singtel Waterfront Theatre in 2022. Written and directed by Chong, the three-hour play is a contemporary reimagining of the longest epic poem in world literature about war, politics and family feuds.
Featuring:
Independent research practitioner: Dr Nidya Shanthini Manokara
Director/Playwright: Chong Tze Chien
Actors in this episode: Ghafir Akbar, Jean Ng, Lian Sutton
“As mankind, we love to share stories. We love
to listen to stories. Mahabharata, it’s a story
that everyone wants to share…We need to
look and re-understand the Mahabharata
beyond this Indian marker and really look at
it as cultural capital.”
Dr Nidya Shanthini Manokara, independent research practitioner
“...When you finally bring it from idea to stage, when it is finally performed, is a beautiful moment in time in space, it's precious, because it's transient...to be able to live that moment with the audience and the team when it finally gets on stage—that, for me, is what is really special about making a theatre production, because it takes a village.”
Joyce Yao, producer at Esplanade
Theatre Made is a three-part series that takes you behind the scenes of how a production goes from idea to stage, illustrated through the development, staging and performance of Kingdoms Apart, an intercultural theatre work commissioned by Esplanade.
