The Epic Task of Staging Mahabharata

By: Marion Rawson

Workshop Ensemble of Mahabharata

A version of this article was drafted for the 2020 Spring Magazine for Friends and Partners. Like many things in 2020, that magazine was cancelled, along with the entire 2020 Shaw Season. But the plan to bring Mahabharata to a Shaw Festival stage was not. Three years later, this ancient epic — written and adapted by Ravi Jain and Miriam Fernandes — will finally have its world premiere at the Festival Theatre in February and March 2023. Conceived and created by Toronto’s innovative Why Not Theatre and presented at the Shaw Festival, Mahabharata takes audiences on a journey from the ancient to the contemporary world in what promises to be a visually stunning spectacle.

Why Not Theatre and the Shaw Festival would like to acknowledge the recent passing of Peter Brook, a groundbreaking English theatre director who helped define 21st century theatre practices around the world.

Among a tremendous resumé of work, Peter Brook (alongside writer Jean-Claude Carrière) adapted Mahabharata into a nine-hour epic play in the 80s. His work paved the way for us to develop and produce our own Mahabharata. We are grateful for all that Brook has made possible through his practice—his spirit, ideas, and legacy continue to live on and influence the artistic community at large. Thank you, Peter Brook.

FASCINATING FACTS

→ The original Sanskrit epic is the longest poem ever written. It is three times longer than the

Bible, with more than 100,000 verses (rhyming couplets) that shape many of the myths and philosophies of Indian culture.

→‘Maha’ in Sanskrit means great, grand, or eminent. It can be combined with other words such as: the title Maharaja or “great ruler”; the name Mahatma (maha + atma) which translates as “great soul”, given to Mahatma Gandhi.

→‘Bharata’ can refer to the dynasty of Bharata, who was a great king and the ancestor of the families in the Mahabharata. Together, maha+ bharata can be translated roughly as “Great

Epic of the Bharata Dynasty”. It is also an early name for the country of India.

MAHABHARATA

Written and adapted by Ravi Jain and Miriam Fernandes, using poetry from Carole Satyamurti's Mahabharata: A Modern Retelling Original concept developed with Jenny Koons A Why Not Theatre Production In association with Barbican, London Commissioned and presented by the Shaw Festival Directed by Ravi Jain MAHABHARATA has had a remarkable journey onto the Festival stage—with the additional delays caused by the pandemic, the story of the creation of this new version of Mahabharata is almost an epic in itself. Bringing this new work to life has involved numerous creative minds from around the world, several years of intensive research, workshops and experimentation, as well as a variety of funders and supporters. The creative minds have used the enforced pause to hone and fine-tune the work. The result will be something truly epic—a two-part, six-hour-long event, with an Indian meal combined with storytelling in between.

In 2016, in a strange but serendipitous coincidence, Tim Carroll, then Artistic Director Designate, was interested in a new adaptation of the Mahabharata and contacted Ravi Jain at the same time that Ravi was exploring this idea for his company, Why Not Theatre. By agreeing to support this production, The Shaw is venturing where it has never gone before. This marks the first time that this Festival is presenting a new work in conjunction with another theatre company. For Why Not, this is the largest production the company has ever mounted.

For those who would like to know more about this ambitious production, here is how director, co-writer and co-adaptor Ravi Jain describes Mahabharata:

This is an ancient story: over 4,000 years old. It contains within it a warning about how greed, jealousy, and revenge—all part of human nature—will lead to the end of civilization if not checked.

It is a meditation on the nature of the soul and it asks us to look deep inside ourselves and to deepen our awareness and connection to the lives of those who have come before us and those that will come after.

The Mahabharata was not originally captured as a written work. Instead, the tale was passed down for centuries through an oral storytelling tradition. So, it’s a journey with many viewpoints, roads, detours, myths, and teachings.

At the heart of our retelling is an emphasis on the Hindu concept of Dharma—a complex idea, which we have distilled down to empathy. For us, Dharma is the responsibility of those with the most privilege to take care of those with the least.

Coming out of the pandemic, the themes of our Mahabharata have a renewed sense of importance and urgency, which apply not only to our everyday actions with other people, but also our relationship to the planet. It is amazing how 4,000 years ago, ancestors laid a road map to help us contemplate questions that we return to over and over again. With this Mahabharata we hope that the story will inspire us and change us for the better.

This is the first time in 35 years that a production of the Mahabharata of this size and scale has been done in the West. More importantly, and uniquely, it is led by a South Asian team and an incredible and international ensemble of artists from the South Asian diaspora, from across Canada, the UK, Malaysia and Australia.

Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind opportunity to experience the world premiere of this new work of contemporary theatre based on one of the oldest stories recorded.

Karma: The Life We Inherit

King Janamejaya is holding a ritual sacrifice in which he will kill all the snakes in the world to avenge his father’s death. In hopes of ending this cycle of revenge, a storyteller is summoned to tell the King the tale of the Mahabharata. The storyteller tells of the rival Pandava and Kaurava clans, and the choices that lead to their infamous Game of Dice. Through playful narration, shadow play, classical Indian dance, and a live band, the ensemble tells the stories of humans struggling to build a just world in the face of competition, jealousy, and rage. Exploring the themes of storytelling, ecocide, and dharma (empathy), Part 1 begins Mahabharata’s epic journey that asks, “When everyone believes they are right and their opponents wrong, how can one end a spiral of revenge?”

MAHABHARATA INTERLUDE

Khana: Community Meal

Mahabharata is a story that one learns over a lifetime; it needs to be absorbed and digested. To delve deeper into the philosophical riddles of the Pandava family’s thirteen years of exile, the audience gathers to share a traditional Indian meal. Hosted by a charming storyteller, the audience experiences a tale from the Mahabharata as many people have—around the dinner table.

MAHABHARATA PART 2

Dharma: The Life We Choose

King Janamejaya is told of the war fought by his ancestors, its devastating destruction of the planet, the mass extinction that followed, and of the survivors left behind to rebuild. In Part 2 (Dharma), the storytelling tools evolve into captivating projections, dynamic digital soundscapes, and poetic stage design. Interrogating the themes of justice and revenge, Part 2 includes a 15-minute Sanskrit opera adaptation of the Bhagavad Gita (The Song of God), which is the most sacred and famous chapter of the Mahabharata epic. The Bhagavad Gita tells of a conversation between the God Krishna and the great warrior Arjuna.

In times of division, how do we find wholeness? Are we destined to repeat the mistakes of our ancestors? Can we build a new world? King Janamejaya is confronted with the battle of his ancestors, and the battle inside his own heart.

For the full experience of this epic story, we recommend seeing both Parts 1 and 2. You will be able to experience both parts in one day with a meal between each part, or on separate days.

Production Sponsors

Tim & Frances Price Risk Fund Andy Pringle Creative Reserve Corinne & Victor Rice

Miriam Fernandes. Photo by Dahlia Katz

ABOUT WHY NOT THEATRE

At Why Not Theatre, we’re out for better. We shake up the status quo to make the world we want to see—a world where everyone can achieve their full potential. We question everything, rethinking how stories are told and who gets to tell them. We push boundaries, build community, and find new ways. Founded in 2007, we are growing rapidly, led by Ravi Jain, Kelly Read, and Miriam Fernandes.

Mahabharata is one of the 200 exceptional projects funded through the Canada Council for the Arts’ New Chapter initiative. With this $35M initiative, the Council supports the creation and sharing of the arts in communities across Canada.

Mahabharata was developed with support from the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund.

Why Not Theatre acknowledges the support of their Access Partners: The Lindy Green Family Foundation, The Slaight Family Foundation, and the Wuchien Michael Than Foundation.

This event has been financially assisted by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund a program of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport, administered by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Corporation.