“it is a spectacle full of surprises…a joyful, funny show, even as it collides with the evil of our world…It is theater as Mnouchkine likes it: alive, dynamic, colorful, sung–danced, corporal and stylized”
—Le Monde
“a sprawling affair, by turns dynamic and chaotic, naive and stirring, torn between fraternal ideals and a growing sense of powerlessness.”
—The Financial Times, UK
What is the role of theater and art in a world dominated by terrorism and hostility? This is the central question at the heart of A Room in India (”Une chambre en Inde”), the latest epic by the matriarch of exploratory French theater Ariane Mnouchkine and her company Théâtre du Soleil. After astonishing Armory audiences with their two-part work Les Éphémères—“steady stream that ultimately opens out into a vista of beauty both humble in its mundane details and immense in its emotional impact” (The New York Times)—in 2009, this visionary collective returns for the North American premiere of this landmark new work, following the adventures of a touring French theater company stranded in India without a director while the world around them falls into disarray.
Performed by 35 multinational actors, this tour-de-force transcends Eastern and Western drama and features a special performance of Terukkuttu—a traditional form of theater practiced in South India. The production touches on pressing issues that societies around the globe are currently facing, from terrorism and religious extremism to climate change and gender equality. The end result is a manifesto of the power of theater to heal a community, as well as an exploration of how to talk about the chaos of a world that has become incomprehensible.
A Room in India: Artist Talk
Friday, December 8 at 6:00pm
Director Ariane Mnouchkine is joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner and editor of The New Yorker David Remnick to discuss the creative process behind the development of this epic new work.
Performed in French, English, and Tamil, along with some Arabic, Japanese, Russian; English supertitles are presented throughout.
A production of Théâtre du Soleil, adapted by Park Avenue Armory
A collective creation by the Théâtre du Soleil
Directed by Ariane Mnouchkine
Music by Jean-Jacques Lemêtre
Together with Hélène Cixous
With the exceptional participation of Kalaimamani Purisai Kannappa Sambandan Thambiran
A Room in India is made possible by generous grants from the Howard Gilman Foundation, The Reed Foundation, the Howard & Sarah D. Solomon Foundation, and with the support of MAIF, Cultural Services of the French Embassy, Institut Français and the City of Paris. The production is also supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the city council and from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
Image: © Michele Laurent
December 5–20
Select Dates at 7:00pm
Wade Thompson Drill Hall
Tickets start at $45
This performance is approximately 3 hours and 35 minutes with a 20 minutes intermission.
Pre-Show Meals
Select Dates from 5:30pm–6:30pm
(12:30pm–1:30pm for matinees)
For just $30, enjoy a delicious pre-show Indian meal created by chef Gaurav Anand from New York Times Critics Pick restaurant Moti Mahal Delux before seeing A Room in India.
Other ways to buy:
Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at (212) 933-5812 Monday–Friday, 10:00 AM–6:00 PM. The Box Office is open for walk-up sales only on days of performances and during the open hours of visual art installations. On performance days, Will Call opens one hour prior to the performance.
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