Isabel Santa Rita Vas’ home in Dona Paula is buzzing with action as the members of her amateur theatre group, The Mustard Seed Art Company, have been practicing their new play for two months now. One of the oldest English theatre groups in Goa, this play marks the 35th anniversary of their first play and ‘It’s a Bebinca, Stupid!’ is their 70th play.
The Coronavirus played havoc in the lives of people all over the world and the same effect was felt in Goa. Not only did it the pandemic have a physical and emotional repercussions, it also made people realize their priorities. Theatre was one aspect that took a complete hit with neither rehearsals nor halls that could large crowds gather to watch a play on stage. The income of live theatre artists plummeted and they could only hope for better days. With ease on restrictions and everything crawling back to action, theatre artists are returning to take their place on stage. The excitement of performing in front of a live audience and receiving an immediate response has its own adrenaline rush.
Directed by Isabel SR Vas and Kiran Bhandari, the cast of ‘It’s a Bebinca, Stupid!’ includes Samantha Viana, Naveenkumar Manturagimath, Sanket Chauthe, Sakshi Lawande, Kiran Bhandari, Priyanka Pandit, Saiee Dargalkar, Nellie Velho Pereira, Stuti Gaitonde and Sieno Gomes. The production team comprises Daphne Pearl De Souza, Virginia de Melo and Samantha Viana. Music for the theme song is composed by Rui Lobo and Maria Jose Binidya Teles and the accompaniment track is by Rui Lobo. ‘It’s a Bebinca, Stupid!’ is sung by Dynisia Juliao and ‘We’ve Got It Beat!’ is sung by Naveenkumar Manturagimath and Samantha Viana. The choreography is by Celsa Furtado Fernandes, Marisse Bhobe and Kiran Bhandari and the script is written by Isabel SR Vas.
‘It’s a Bebinca, Stupid!’ will be staged on November 11 at the Goa University Seminar Hall, Taleigao, organised by the Shenoi Goembab School of Languages and Literature), on November 18 at the Heritage Festival at Campal and on November 20 at Carpe Diem Art and Learning Centre, Majorda.
So how does it feel for the theatre group to head into rehearsals every day? “It does feel exciting to be back to live rehearsals and all the noise and bustle that goes with it. It’s been about three years now, so we have chosen to take it slowly, so this play is in the genre of ‘intimate theatre’ rather than a big theatrical show,” says Isabel Santa Rita Vas, an English literature lecturer.
Just like a Bebinca, the play has many layers. Back to meeting people face to face, rather than on phones and social media, everyone wants to know how they coped with Covid 19, the choices that were made and what took more importance over other matters. The play evolved over these choices. “We decided it’s nice to shine a torch on some of these choices, some quiet, some prominent, which will probably weave into the fabric of our lives. The Covid pandemic has been a major chapter in global history. We try to glance at some of the choices that have been made by a variety of people as we return to normalcy,” explains Isabel, founder of Mustard Seed Art Company.
Locked up in their homes, the members did stay in touch with each other and even managed to put up an online play, ‘Out of This Window’. The phone kept them connected, and they called once in a while, sent regular messages, held meetings on Zoom to plan ‘Out of This Window’. But it was difficult to stay connected as they all struggled with various problems. “Our Mustard Seeds from various parts of the country and the world sent photos and videos of themselves at their own windows. They acted the roles of fictitious characters who are a cross section of our society, trying to catch a glimpse of what the pandemic meant to different people. A composite depiction of the pandemic. Those of us who were not acting did the editing and the production work, so we have these four ‘breezes’ or instalments on YouTube now,” she says.
The Mustard Seed Art Company is out to celebrate 35 years of theatre work and 70 plays. The first play that was performed by The Mustard Seed Art Company was Arthur Miller’s ‘All my Sons’ on November 10, 1987, while the first original play written by Isabel Vas was ‘A Leaf in the Wind’ in 1992. Isabel is the only link with the first play, but their Mustard Seeds are scattered all over the world now. “We have a motto, ‘Once a Mustard Seed, always a Mustard Seed!’ So their goodwill and support is with us. As part of the 35th anniversary celebrations, we are getting many of our plays published in two volumes, ‘Stage Lights: An anthology of plays about Amazing Lives and Singular Times’, written by me and ‘A Time to Act: an anthology of plays for the young and young at heart’. These plays are by various members of the Mustard Seed Art Company as well as messages from 35 of us noting what theatre has meant for each of us. The two books are actually meant to put out the scripts in public so anyone interested may perform them,” says Isabel, looking towards an optimistic future for English theatre in Goa.
After three years of lull in English theatre, how does everyone feel to stand in front of a live audience? “It is both exciting and challenging to perform before a live audience. It is quite magical to be part of a live performance. Yet, it demands careful preparation and presence of mind to play a role on stage. Our team, this time includes a couple of experienced actors and many new ones, so we have been working hard,” concludes Isabel.
