One chases the enemy, another chases sleep. Somewhere, one devours an entire mountain while the other slurps on custard. Together they try to make sense of what’s between the lines, and the lines start to disappear. They let go of the questions when the answers begin to appear. Elsewhere, a town awakens to a dwindling yet satisfied populace, whilst a couple lay a picnic table amidst the gunfire. At the core of Absurdism is the acknowledgement that human endeavours to find meaning are often met with a universe that remains indifferent, and the search for inherent purpose is akin to chasing a mirage in a desert of existential uncertainty. Imagine a theatrical performance where the script is written in disappearing ink, and the actors are left ad-libbing in the face of an ever-changing narrative.
Absurdist theatre, a genre characterized by its exploration of the irrational, illogical, and chaotic aspects of the human experience, finds unique expressions in the works of Enrique Jardiel Poncela from Spain, Fernando Arrabal, also from Spain, and Virgilio Piñera from Cuba. While these playwrights share the label of "absurdist," their individual contributions exhibit distinct nuances and cultural influences. Poncela's absurdist works often showcase a satirical and humorous exploration of societal norms and human behaviour. Kaivalya Plays’ adaptation of his play "You Have the Eyes of a Femme Fatal," delves into the absurdity of modern love, desire, and human connection. Poncela's writing is characterized by wit and a keen observation of societal absurdities, often using humour as a lens to dissect human folly. Arrabal's absurdist plays, like "Picnic on the Battlefield," take a darker and more surreal turn. This piece portrays the futility and meaninglessness of war, exploring the absurdity of conflict where soldiers fight for indistinguishable motivations. Arrabal's unique blend of absurdity and surrealism creates a heightened, dreamlike atmosphere, challenging conventional narratives and norms. Piñera, hailing from Cuba, brings a distinctly Latin American flavour to the absurdist genre.
Kaivalya Plays is staging pieces from his collection of short stories called “Cuentos Frios” (English: Cold Tales), where he navigates the complexities of identity, civil rebellion, individual-first capitalism and mental health through a piercingly neutral, almost cold narration. Piñera's works often carry a socio-political undertone, reflecting the tumultuous history of Latin America. The absurdity in his plays serves as a mirror to the region's socio-cultural struggles, blending existential questions with the collective experiences of Latin American societies. While united under the umbrella of absurdist theatre, the works of Jardiel Poncela, Arrabal, and Piñera each offer a unique perspective on the absurdities inherent in the human condition. From Poncela's humour-infused societal critiques to Arrabal's surreal and dark exploration of war, and Piñera's socio-political reflections on identity and mental health, these playwrights contribute richly diverse layers to the tapestry of absurdist theatre.
Since its inception in 2012, Kaivalya Plays has been a conduit for bringing the voices of Latin American authors to the Indian stage. ABSURDO marks their thirteenth project in this genre, a testament to our ongoing commitment to Latin American drama and literature. Collaborating with Instituto Cervantes Nueva Delhi and various embassies, they’ve adapted and staged works by prominent authors, making these narratives resonate with Indian audiences. In ABSURDO, the group employs a diverse range of artistic techniques, from traditional theatre methods to non-conventional staging. Live projections, cameras, drawing, multilayered projection fabrics, and a multilingual performance (in English, Hindi, and Spanish with subtitles) enrich the audience's experience, breaking down language barriers and emphasizing the global relevance of the absurdities explored on stage. The stories composed through the latest digital technology tools create an engaging experience that often veers away from a traditional narrative to abstract voyages into themes of violence, excess, alienation, identity and meaninglessness.
Kaivalya Plays and Instituto Cervantes Nueva Delhi invite you to an evening of absurdist storytelling based on texts from Enrique Jardiel Poncela, Fernando Arrabal and Virgilio Piñera.
The running order of the evening includes:
INTERROGATORIO from “Cuentos Frios” by Virgilio Piñera
A prisoner is confronted with a fundamental question about identity. Presented In Spanish with English and Hindi subtitles.
YOU HAVE THE EYES OF A FEMME FATAL based on the text by Enrique Jardiel Poncela.
What happens when an all encompassing intelligence delves into the interplay of modern love, desire and seduction? Presented In English with Spanish and Hindi subtitles.
MONTAÑA from “Cuentos Frios” by Virgilio Piñera
Persistence, escape or something else entirely? Bit by bit, witness one’s attempt at a geological upheaval. Presented In Spanish with English and Hindi subtitles.
मांस (Meat) from “Cuentos Frios” by Virgilio Piñera
A famine leads to a town beginning to turn to a very personal kind of sustenance. Presented in Hindi with English and Spanish subtitles.
INSOMNIO from “Cuentos Frios” by Virgilio Piñera
An all too familiar state for so many, but is the escape worth the relief? Presented in Spanish with English and Hindi subtitles.
PICNIC ON THE BATTLEFIELD based on the text by Fernando Arrabal.
A family comes together for a lovely picnic in the middle of the battlefield. They are interrupted by an unexpected guest. Nothing unusual about that, right? Presented in English with Hindi and Spanish subtitles.
The performance premiered on Monday 27th, Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th November 202 at Instituto Cervantes Nueva Delhi, Connaught Place.
Free entry with prior registration. Please reserve your seats here.
Directed by Varoon P. Anand and Gaurav Singh Nijjer
Performed by Dhruv Rai, Shubhra Tandon and Ramita Menon
Stage Management and Costumes by Sukriti
Production Management by Vidit Singh
Translation, Subtitles and Language Production by Kanva Chaudhary, Aatika Khan, Riddhijit Chattopadhyay, Stuti Kanoongo, Kaustubh Rajwade and others
Documentation, Illustrations and Media by Riddhijit Chattopadhyay and Kaustubh Rajwade
Light Design and Operation by Deeksha Vats
Sound and Video Operation by Vidit Singh
Voiceovers by Sukriti, Vidit Singh, Varoon P. Anand, Vidur Sehgal, Stuti Kanoongo, Riddhijit Chattopadhyay
Supported by Instituto Cervantes Nueva Delhi
We would like to acknowledge and thank the administrative staff and the technical team of Instituto Cervantes Nueva Delhi for their support in realising this production.
Creative Team
Kaivalya Plays is a performing arts and production company led by Varoon P. Anand as its Artistic Director and Gaurav Singh Nijjer as its General Manager. Since 2012, they have worked consistently, been very noisy, and built transcultural associations across India and the world. Their artistic work includes original, devised theatre performance which are multilingual, interactive and hybrid, use technology and media on stage as well as are built using techniques of improvisational, documentary and physical theatre. Their training and educational programs span drama and performance, design, production, arts management and applied improvisation to areas like mental health, language learning, business skills and others. They’ve undertaken arts research projects such as the Safety in the Performing Arts in India (www.arts-safety.org) supported by the India Foundation for the Arts (IFA), amongst others. They have received multiple artistic commissions and grants, such as EU MediaFutures Artist for Media grant, Goethe Institut’s Refunction and Gender Bender grants, amongst others. Their recent artistic work includes ABSURDO (2023), Mining Hate (2023), Ollantay (2022), Lifeline 99 99 (2021), Luz Negra (2020) How To Disappear Completely and Never be Found (2020), Unravel (2019), amongst others. Most recently, they received the Creativity Pioneers Fund 2023 from the Moleskine Foundation.
Since 2012, Kaivalya Plays has brought works by many Latin American authors to the Indian stage, being the first team from India to perform at the prestigious Classical Theatre Festival in Almagro, Spain. They have frequently collaborated with institutions like Instituto Cervantes Nueva Delhi and the Embassies of Argentina, Spain, Ecuador and Peru in India. They have adapted and staged texts by Julio Cortazar (Goodbye Robinson), Jorge Luis Borges (El Aleph, Blue Tigers, The Sand Book, Funes the Memorious), Pablo Palacio (A Man Kicked To Death), Alvaro Desleal (Luz Negra) and Griselda Gambaro (Say Yes) and ancient Incan epic Ollantay. ABSURDO is their thirteenth project with roots in Latinamerican drama and literature and marks the group’s 10 years of collaboration with the Instituto Cervantes Nueva Delhi.
For more information, visit www.kaivalyaplays.org
The Instituto Cervantes is a public institution founded in 1991 by the Government of Spain, with the aim of promoting Spanish language teaching, and fostering knowledge of Spanish and Hispanic American culture. Currently, the Institute has 78 centers located in 44 countries. Its main headquarters are in Madrid and in Alcalá de Henares, the birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes.
Given that Spanish is the 2nd most widely-used language for international communication in areas such as finance, culture and science, in addition to being a language that facilitates job opportunities, the Instituto Cervantes is the reference for quality in the promotion and dissemination of Spanish-speaking culture.
Our website offers all the language-related issues requested by students as well as by people connected with our language.
Hence, their objectives and purposes are as follows:
To organize general and special Spanish courses, as well as courses in Spain’s co-official languages.
To organize the exams for the Diploma in Spanish as a Foreign Language (Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera: DELE), as well as to issue official certificates and diplomas on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Professional Training.
To be up-to-date in our teaching methods and in the training of professors.
To support the work done by Hispanists.
To participate in programs that aim to promote the Spanish language.
To carry out cultural promotion activities in collaboration with other Spanish and Hispanic American organizations, as well as with host country organizations.
To place libraries equipped with the latest technology, at the disposal of the public.
Address by Dr. Óscar Pujol Riembau, Director of Instituto Cervantes Nueva Delhi, at the premiere of ABSURDO on Monday 27th November 2023
The work of the Instituto Cervantes is guided by representatives of the scholarly, cultural and literary communities of Spain and Hispanic America. In New Delhi, the Institute collaborates with museums, galleries, theaters, publishers, and other Indian cultural institutions, as well as institutions from Spain and Latin America.
The Instituto Cervantes opened its doors in New Delhi in 2007 and since then thousands of students have learnt Spanish at its facilities, in person, as well as through videoconferences. Likewise, it has been an important space in the social and cultural life of New Delhi, offering a wide variety of exhibitions, concerts, talks, films, etc.
The center also has one of the main Spanish libraries in the city, the Juan Ramón Jiménez Library, which offers a wide collection of literature, audiovisual material and films in Spanish. In addition, it has a resource center for learning and teaching Spanish as a second language.
