GURU OF CHAI
Belvoir presents an Indian Ink production
GURU OF CHAI By JACOB RAJAN & JUSTIN LEWIS Director JUSTIN LEWIS This production of Guru of Chai opened at Belvoir St Theatre on Wednesday 17 May 2017. Dramaturg MURRAY EDMOND Lighting Designer & Technical Manager CATHY KNOWSLEY Composer & Sound Designer DAVID WARD Set & Costume Design Concept JOHN VERRYT Musician ADAM OGLE With JACOB RAJAN
PHOTOGRAPHY Robert Catto
DESIGN Alphabet Studio
CREATORS'’ NOTE Jacob Rajan, Co-Writer & Performer Justin Lewis, Co-Writer & Director We met Nyoman Sukerta in Bali. He was a master mask dancer and shadow puppeteer. A squat little man who moved with astonishing grace and fluidity; always smiling, always laughing, possessing a weakness for beer and cockfighting, steeped in the traditions and nuances of shadow puppetry and masks, yet desperate to have a Facebook page. Gently worried about his growing paunch, his ambition toward wealth and status were at odds with his desire to go fishing at every opportunity. Indulging his children and exasperating his long-suffering wife, the man literally danced into our lives, and onto the pages of this play as a fully formed character. Sadly, Nyoman died in 2014. In Bali we experienced the arts as part of daily life; alive in all sorts of contexts, needing only the simplest of technologies yet displaying incredible sophistication of form. And of course the island and the people inspired us. The world of street carts and hawkers where ancient and modern collide informed the world of our Guru. The story itself is inspired by an Indian fairytale – Punchkin. This story got under our skin with its rich cast of characters and complex morality but its sprawling narrative held us at bay for some time. The breakthrough came when our dramaturg, Murray Edmond, encouraged us to set the story in a contemporary context. We focused on just a part of that original story and suddenly found we had a romantic thriller.
We’re drawn to the power of old stories and theatrical forms and take great pleasure in rediscovering them within a contemporary context. For us this piece is a collision of the old and new, the poor and sophisticated, the intimate and the epic; an old fashioned piece of storytelling… and it’s got great tunes! The challenge given to David Ward, our composer, was the one we wrestled with ourselves. How to convey multiple locations, the chaos and complexity of contemporary India, and a story that spans decades? The old form of the storyteller allows us to make jump cuts, and instantly change locations and times just like a film. But instead of technology, the power of the audience’s imagination is the vehicle for this. And as in a film, the soundtrack is half the telling. In our process we bring David in near the end – like the cavalry. Maybe it’s appropriate to finish with the words of a composer: “ Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.” Frédéric Chopin
Jacob Rajan
INDIAN INK The extraordinary partnership of Justin Lewis and Jacob Rajan is now in its second decade and has created one of New Zealand’s most enduring and successful touring theatre companies. They share a love of mask and story, a sense of humour, and a belief in theatre’s ability to change the way people see the world. Indian Ink look to reinvigorate ancient theatrical forms to captivate modern audiences. They draw inspiration from the collision of Indian culture and the western world, and seek to balance laughter and entertainment with nourishment of the soul. The company aims to transcend cultural barriers with compelling stories that encompass the epic and the intimate, the profound and the simple, the sublime and the ridiculous. Their shows have toured locally and internationally to critical and popular acclaim, garnering awards and cementing their reputation as a company creating “some of the best theatre in the world” (NZ Herald). Indian Ink’s plays, Krishnan’s Dairy, The Candlestickmaker, The Pickle King, The Dentist’s Chair, Kiss the Fish, The Elephant Thief and Guru of Chai, have all delighted in exploring the universal truths of life. “We aim to make theatre that’s beautiful, funny, sad and true… and leaves an indelible imprint on your hearts – that’s why we’re called Indian Ink.” indianink.co.nz
THE INDIAN INK TEAM Director, Writer & Executive Producer JUSTIN LEWIS Writer & Actor JACOB RAJAN Musician ADAM OGLE Composer DAVID WARD Lighting Designer & Technical Manager CATHY KNOWSLEY General Manager JUDE FROUDE Office Manager EMILY GEORGE Marketing Executive BHAVISHA PATEL Dramaturg MURRAY EDMOND Set & Costume Designer JOHN VERRYT Original Lighting Design Concept JEREMY FERN Indian Singing Advisor RAVI MUTHU
BIOGRAPHIES JUSTIN LEWIS Writer & Director Justin is a founding partner of Indian Ink and collaborated with Jacob Rajan to create ten plays for the company. Justin has written and directed seven other productions including dance theatre and theatre for young people. Indian Ink’s productions have won numerous awards including two Edinburgh Fringe First Awards, three Production of the Year Awards and two Best New Play Awards in New Zealand. Justin is a founder of Auckland’s Q Theatre and served on its boards for more than a decade. He received a Kaupapa Oranga Award for his services to theatre and is a graduate of the John Bolton Theatre School and University of Auckland. JACOB RAJAN Writer & Performer Jacob is a founding partner of Indian Ink. He collaborated with Justin Lewis to create Krishnan’s Dairy, The Candlestickmaker, The Pickle King, The Dentist’s Chair, Kiss the Fish and Guru of Chai and has performed in these productions throughout New Zealand and internationally. Jacob won Best Actor in the 2010 Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards for Guru of Chai and was nominated for the Stage Award for Best Actor at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He is an Arts Foundation Laureate and a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to theatre. Jacob has featured on the New Zealand TV series Outrageous Fortune and Shortland Street. Jacob’s family originates in Kerala,
Southern India. He was born in Malaysia and immigrated to New Zealand at the age of four. Jacob has a degree in microbiology, a teacher’s diploma and is a graduate of Toi Whakaari – the New Zealand Drama School. MURRAY EDMOND Dramaturg Murray has been dramaturg on all of Indian Ink’s productions. He is known for his work as a poet, playwright, editor and critic. He has published 14 collections of poetry and has twice been a finalist in the New Zealand Book Awards. His critical writing has appeared in a wide range of journals both nationally and internationally. Murray has also been working with experimental and innovative theatre companies for over 40 years in various roles including writer, performer and producer. He recently retired from his role as Professor of Drama at Auckland University where he headed the Drama course. CATHY KNOWSLEY Lighting Designer & Technical Manager Cathy has over 20 years’ experience in theatre production and touring. She first joined the Indian Ink team in 1998 and has toured extensively with them around New Zealand and to Singapore, India, the US, Canada, Germany, the UK and Australia. When she’s not on tour with Indian Ink, Cathy specialises in health and safety consultancy for the entertainment and events industries with her company HiViz Event Management.
ADAM OGLE Musician Adam is a guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and composer. He received the Frank Winter Memorial Award for his outstanding contribution as a young instrumentalist. Guru of Chai is Adam’s second show with Indian Ink after his stunning debut in their acclaimed production The Elephant Thief. JOHN VERRYT Set & Costume Design Concept John began designing for performance in 1979, and trained at Theatre Corporate and Mercury Theatre. He is a freelance designer and regularly works for many of New Zealand’s foremost performing arts companies including Silo Theatre, Auckland Theatre Company, Indian Ink, Red Leap, The Large Group, Nightsong, Theatre Stampede, Opera NZ, Atamira Dance Company, Okareka Dance and Black Grace. John was production designer for The World of Wearable Art from 2009 to 2016. His recent credits include Once on Chunuk Bair (Auckland Theatre Company); Mitimiti (Atamira Dance Company); The Book of Everything (Silo Theatre); The Mooncake and the Kumara
(Auckland Arts Festival); Meremere (Movement of the Human); The Magic Flute (Opera NZ); and 360 (Nightsong/ Theatre Stampede). John has designed Krishnan’s Dairy, The Candlestickmaker, The Pickle King, Kiss the Fish and Guru of Chai for Indian Ink. DAVID WARD Composer & Sound Designer David is a diversely creative musician who composes for theatre and original projects. He has collaborated with Indian Ink since 2004 as musician, composer and musical director, and has toured extensively in New Zealand, Singapore, Australia, India, Germany and the US. He has twice won Most Outstanding Composer at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards for Guru of Chai and Kiss the Fish. In 2011, David conceived, composed and produced the theatre show Wheel Of Experience, which was performed at the Auckland Random Acts Festival, and enjoyed a New Zealand tour and highly successful season at Q Theatre. David also composes for original ensembles such as Onomatopoeia, Ruckus and Shindig.
David Ward
BELVOIR SPONSORS MAJOR SPONSORS
MEDIA PARTNERS
IT PARTNER
NCC Network Computing & Consulting
ASSOCIATE SPONSORS
PRODUCTION SPONSOR
SUPPORTERS Macquarie Group Thomas Creative Time Out Australia
BOUTIQUE ACCOMMODATION
EVENT SPONSORS
GOVERNMENT PARTNERS
YOUTH & EDUCATION SUPPORTER
For more information on partnership opportunities please contact our Development team on 02 9698 3344 or email development@belvoir.com.au
BELVOIR SUPPORTERS Our patrons, supporters and friends are right there behind us, backing Belvoir in bringing to life the great old theatrical crafts of acting and storytelling. Thank you. Learn more about supporting Belvoir at belvoir.com.au/support-belvoir
TRUSTS & FOUNDATIONS Coca-Cola Australia Foundation Gandevia Foundation The Greatorex Foundation
Correct at time of printing.
KEY SUPPORTER Nelson Meers Foundation Thyne Reid Foundation
Indigenous theatre at Belvoir supported by The Balnaves Foundation
David Ward
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18 & 25 Belvoir Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 Email mail@belvoir.com.au Administration (02) 9698 3344 Fax (02) 9319 3165 Box Office (02) 9699 3444
Jacob Rajan