This Marathi folk-style play for children uniquely brings together music, dance, and drama

Sangale at a performance

Rupesh Sangale, a theatre maker, recollects a memory from his childhood of watching the Nandiwalas perform. He remembers the sound of the bells, the sight of the decorated Nandi bull cut-outs, and the beating of the drum. "Nandiwala is a style of folk storytelling, a lok kala that uses art forms like puppetry, music, and dance to tell stories," Sangale tells us. This makes it a dynamic style that calls upon its audience to participate. Children tend to find joy in it the most, possibly because it keeps up with the energy they bring to any room.

Inspired by the potential of this style, Sangale decided to put together a show called Gubu Gubu with the Gillo Repertory Theatre. The play is about a hardworking and honest farmer whose landlord, Saheb, tries to exploit him. But as it unfolds, we see the farmer use his intelligence and his knowledge of the crops to escape the exploitation. When we try to prod him to find out the significance of the title, Sangale refuses to reveal. "It's a surprise. The audience must come and experience the play to figure out," he says.

Rupesh Sangale

He also promises that despite being written in Marathi, it will delight and arrest the attention of those who aren't familiar with the language. The various elements have been arranged in a manner that makes the play interactive. "The audience is a crucial part of it at each stage. I am not the sole performer," he adds, recognising the power of an actively engaged audience in performances such as these. At the beginning, he, therefore, plans to invite them to enter the story. "Aapko bhi mere saath kahani mein aana hi padega" (You, too, will have to step into this world and experience it with me).

Observing how children respond to performances like these, he shares how it was necessary to transform monotonous narration of a story into a theatrical show. Children get excited by the various moving parts that have been included. "They are curious to know how puppets talk. They are very playful. Stories hold their attention; music and dance hold their attention," he notes. Sangale believes that the theme will leave the kids growing up in urban environments with something to reflect on as well. "We all have some roots that go back to a rural setting, whether that is through our parents or grandparents. We must know where the food on our plate comes from," he adds, before he returns to his rehearsals for the big day.

ON April 28; 5 and 7 pm
AT Prithvi House, 20, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Juhu.
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COST Rs 200