Austin Shakespeare is inviting actors, dancers, musicians and singers from the MENASA (Middle Eastern, North African and South Asian communities) plus Black, Latinx, Asian and Anglo participants to join us for a free actor’s workshop to explore the epic poem, The Mahābhārata.
The Mahābhārata is a series of stories of heroes and love, virtue and betrayal, honesty and integrity. The huge epic is a tapestry woven with mystery, war and moral challenges.
With this workshop, Austin Shakespeare is beginning the development of a work will culminate in public performances by an ensemble at a future date.
Sign up for this workshop by completing the short form below.
The Mahābhārata is a series of stories of heroes and love, virtue and betrayal, honesty and integrity. The huge epic is a rich tapestry woven with mystery, war and moral challenges.
It is the world’s longest epic poem, written in Sanskrit from ancient India. On a grand scale it is the story of two rival families in a War of Succession (the Kauravas and the Pandavas). Austin Shakespeare's version begins with a dice game with increasingly high stakes. The show features dance, music and stage combat and is inspired by the 10-hour production by Peter Brook produced in the mid-Twentieth Century. Our one evening-long performance is a glimpse of tales weaving throughout the epic. Headed by Artistic Director Ann Ciccolella, the project thrives with collaborators, including Srini Raghaven (text) and Nagavalli (music).
Why would Austin Shakespeare do a production of Mahābhārata Tales?
Bringing images to the stage of the tapestry of cultures that make up our community is part of Austin Shakespeare’s mission to stage "timeless stories.” In past years, we have presented two productions of a Bollywood version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night — and Tom Stoppard’s 20th Century play, Indian Ink. Through those experiences we have learned much. Mahābhārata Tales deepens our ties to Central Texas’ South Asian sector as we share the story’s phenomenal characters and grand stories. Experiencing their deep conflicts is a journey for audiences and performers alike from numerous cultures to discover more about what it means to be human today.
This program produced in coordination with the Asian American Resource Center Artist Access Program. The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance please contact (512) 974-3916 or Relay Texas 7-1-1.
