Theft of Sita

[Kevin Robert Dean]

Theft of Sita
" This musical shadow play takes up the classical
Indian saga, the Ramayana, transposing its dramatic
action to the modern colonisation of countries and
cultures. The plot follows the showmen of the
traditional Wayang Kulit puppet theatre out of their
ancestral lands and into a world characterised by
burning tropical forests, the furniture industry,
highways left unfinished and squalid suburbs. The
performance refracts the classical legend of the
abduction of Sita into a mirror image of contemporary
events such as have recently taken place in Indonesia,
but also on every other continent. The breadth of
association which the performance evokes arises from
the combined use of classical puppets and contemporary
comic-strip figures moving in front of landscapes and
cities produced by computer and graphic animation. The
heroine Sita remains a symbol of hope and beauty. Her
clear singing is accompanied by 11 virtuoso musicians.
The seriousness and tragedy of an endlessly repeated
story of exploitation and oppression are coupled with
passion, humour and confidence. THE THEFT OF SITA
provides an evening of committed, poetic theatre about
a society which is constantly changing. "
http://www.theaterformen.de/en/programm/01lin.html

Sita's world tour turns to Indonesia 

http://www.smh.com.au/news/0107/03/features/features11.html

By Lauren Martin 

Director Nigel Jamieson is hoping to take the epic
multinational production of Theft of Sita to
Indonesia.

The Adelaide Festival show will make its Sydney debut
in October, opening at the Opera House before moving
to New York, London and a month-long tour of Britain.

A modern take on a traditional Balinese tale which
throws in references to globalisation and
environmental destruction, Theft of Sita mixes
traditional Indonesian music and jazz, shadow puppetry
and high-tech animation, news footage and Reg Mombassa
figures.

The contemporary spin even has the mythical character
Sita potentially sold off on the New York stockmarket.

It would be a challenging production to mount in the
politically fragile democracy of Indonesia, where
traditional puppet shows are said to be used for
subtle political commentary.

"The Indonesian [collaborators] would love to take it
there, but they aren't in a position to foot the bill
because of the huge currency differences," Jamieson
says.

It is a large group show, but Jamieson says everyone
would make themselves available "just to get there and
perform for those people".

After two weeks in Sydney from October 3, Theft of
Sita moves to the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Harvey
Theatre.

"It's the most exquisite space in the world," Jamieson
gushes. "It's a bit of a dream for me."

It will then be featured in the London International
Festival of Theatre before travelling to Belfast and
Oxford for its four-week British season.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/0107/03/features/features11.html

Other Links:
http://www.performinglines.org.au/touring_2001/sita.html

=====
Kevin Dean
Buffalo, NY
ICQ: 8616001
http://www.yaysoft.com

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