Beneath the Banyan Tree
By Emil Sher with choreography by Lata Pada directed by Lynda Hill
For children aged 7 and above and their families
Everyone has a story to tell. Every person, every animal, every tree has a story to tell. Not all stories have words. Anjali's story begins in India.
Beneath the Banyan Tree is a vibrant fusion of theatre, traditional Indian (Bharatanatyam) and Western dance, movement, puppetry and music that tells the story of Anjali, a young girl who has moved to the UK from India. An aspiring dancer, Anjali travels between two worlds: the cold reality of trying to adjust to life in the UK and the challenge of making friends at school, and her imaginary world in which the colourful animal characters from the Indian fables of the Panchatantra come to life. In her struggle to be proud of who she is, it is ultimately the richness of her culture, the strength of her family, and the gifts of imagination, dance and storytelling that enables Anjali to draw the ultimate strength and courage to be able to be herself.
Beneath the Banyan Tree forms part of an exciting exchange of work between Theatre Hullabaloo and Toronto-based young people’s theatre company, Theatre Direct.
Cast & Crew
Archana Ballal - Anjali
John Afzal - Maitri/Gampu the Elephant
Paul Conway - Aidan/Bundar the Monkey
Grethe Jensen - Ajji/Savannah/Morni the Peacock
Adrian 'Mitch' Mitchell - Stage Manager
Creative Team
Lynda Hill - Artistic Director
Emil Sher - Playwright
Lata Pada - Choreographer
Cheryl Lalonde - Set and Costume Design
Edgardo Moreno - Sound Design and Composition
Michael Kruse - Lighting Designer
Alison Ashton - Design Coordinator
Chitraleeka Bolar - Supervising Choreographer
Lisa Baxter - Marketing Consultant
Duncan Clarke - Press and PR
For Theatre Hullabaloo
Miranda Thain - Creative Producer
Diann Allenby - Tour Coordinator
Dorcas Pye - Communications Officer
Anna Harris - Finance & Office Manager
Background to the Project
As part of the company’s 30th birthday celebrations, Theatre Hullabaloo visited Theatre Direct in Toronto in June 2009 with our production of Five. In September we will welcome our Canadian colleagues to Darlington to assist in the making of the UK premiere of Beneath the Banyan Tree.
In 2010, Theatre Direct will make a new production of Five with Canadian dancers to tour to venues in and around Toronto. This partnership was born out of a desire to share the best of each other’s practice, both educational and artistic.
A gorgeous presentation of Indian dance and fable that’s just so sumptuous in the presentation of it. It’s really quite lovely, for adults, for kids, anyone…
Garvia Bailey, CBC Radio Metro Morning
