Samuel Beckett Endgame

Quite a stage presence

They are not only performing at the usual venues in Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Delhi, but they are taking their plays to places such as New York, Italy and London. To them, the world has, quite literally, become the stage.

Unlike the old guard on the scene, they believe that it is time for theatre folks to look beyond the periphery and start making business decisions. From a plethora of young, emerging talent, we bring under the spotlight, three savvy theatrewallas — Abhishek Majumdar, Siddharth Kumar and Nipun Dharmadhikari.

The 24-year-old is one of the founders of Natak Company. When the group decided to take the group's Marathi play — Geli 21 Varsha — to Italy (Festival of 2 Worlds in Spoleto and Universo Teatro in Benvento) last year, no one saw the need. However, the bona fide chartered accountant thought otherwise. Eventually, funds and sponsorship came pouring in, and the play won many accolades in Italy. Then, this June they took their other play, Chakra, to the Czech Republic .

He says, "We had no funds. But we went ahead with our decision because we believe in our work. Whether it was our view on sex in Lose Control, or the challenges of growing up in Geli 21, the group does plays that are relevant." He has become one of the most sought after names in the Pune theatre circle. As prolific playwright Ramu Ramanathan says, "Refreshingly, he comes from no theatre camp in Pune. He tweaks his plays according to the traditional Marathi theatre gharana and works at the competition circuit level, which in a way provides some discipline to his work."

Although his friends think that he is taking his hobby too seriously, Dharmadhikari is certain that it is only a matter of time when people will stop viewing theatre as an alternate career option. When it comes to his plays, Dharmadhikari has a natural flair for comedy. His previous work includes Cycle, Lose Control, Charu Aaro Ityadi and Dalan. Three years ago, the play Dalan, which he directed, won all the major awards including best play and best actor at Thespo.

Barriers and Sterility in Beckett's “Endgame” | The Nervous Breakdown

In Samuel Beckett’s 1957 play entitled “Endgame” four characters are placed within a triple-walled, minimalist stage. Although the characters seem to be the last remaining people on earth (with the exception of the young boy who briefly appears outside of the walled interior), they each seem to resist any and all physical, human contact with each other. Each potential touch and interaction between the characters is mediated by a prop, so that each point of contact only takes place when two characters touch the same object (barrier) that lies between them. It is my contention that Beckett deliberately eliminates any bodily contact in order to further emphasize and solidify the sterility present within this environment.

The space in which the characters reside does not seem much different than the outside in which all nature appears to be dead. Hamm remarks that Clov “stink[s] already. The whole place stinks of corpses,” implying that the inhabitants of this realm are no more alive or fertile than the Clov’s seeds which refuse to sprout. The distinction between inside and outside is thus blurred when Hamm states that, “Beyond [the wall] is the…other hell.” To live within the walls is just as horrifying as venturing out beyond the walls. The nothingness that prevails on the outside has infiltrated this home and perpetuates an empty “claustrophobic interior,” as termed by Martin Esslin in his seminal work The Theatre of the Absurd . The walls that confine the characters to a given space simultaneously separate them from the outside world so that when the young boy is seen outside, the possibility of connecting with him would mean that Clov would have to venture out from his walled arena – something he will not do.