/ARTS WEEKLY/BRITAIN: New Way to Tell an Old Tale

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Beverly Andrews

LONDON, Aug 5 2003 (IPS) - It was eventful that a theatre company found itself situated around the corner from a museum devoted to atrocities committed during the brutal civil war in Cambodia.

Sovanna Phum, a new and startlingly innovative company, found it had to create something new and exciting literally beneath the shadows of the past.

From its inception, Sovanna Phum has had the formidable task of trying to revive Cambodia’s theatrical traditions. In its latest show, ‘Rousey Dek’ the company does just that.

‘Rousey Dek’ is a show filled with both magic and an original style, an innovative reworking of the Hindu religious epic, the Ramayana. The company blends the technical feats of shadow puppetry, classical dance and acrobatics in order to take the audience on a journey of enchantment, triumph and beauty.

‘Rousey Dek’ opens with the story of creation shown through the enchanting use of a giant shadow puppet that depicts the male protagonist of the epic. But the significant role that women portray in giving birth is highlighted by the fact that it is women who guide the puppet.

‘Rousey Dek’ continues with scenes of myths intertwined with snapshots of contemporary Cambodian life to enchanting effect. The merger of different artistic forms and theatrical practices helps create a thrilling new performance style.

Delphine Kassem, an energetic French woman, who acts as the company manager is pleased with this theatrical hybrid. "We wanted to maybe bring something different to our audiences," she says. "Something which would perhaps challenge their traditional idea of theatre."

Kassem’s own journey to become company manager was a curious one. Traveling through Asia, Kassem found herself in Cambodia and fell in love with the country. "I first worked there teaching circus skills but then noticed that there were so many performers who were desperate for an opportunity to perform."

Art had felt the impact of war. "Many artists died and those who survived found that theatres they had previously performed in had been destroyed," she says. "There was also a younger generation that has grown up with little opportunity to perform. I decided then that I must find somewhere they could grow as artists."

Kassem joined forces with Mann Kosal, an actor who had found his career stunted by the lack of opportunities to develop his work. One day he discovered a discarded shadow puppet and his experiments with it took his performance style into an entirely different direction.

Kassem together with Kosal founded Sovanna Phum. They began to create work which sought to break down the barriers between religious and secular worlds by taking puppets from two very different traditions on to stage.

One of the most haunting moments in the current production comes when the image of a chained man is shown against the backdrop of dozens of hand-held candles, which appear to almost float through the air. This creates a hazy and surreal backdrop, and symbolizes for the company a prisoner in jail, a metaphor perhaps for Cambodia’s recent past when the nation seemed imprisoned.

Sovanna Phum is gaining a place on the international stage. It had shows at a festival in London, and there are plans for a cross-cultural collaboration with the U.S. puppeteer troop ‘The Sandglass Theatre’. "It is important for the company to continue to work internationally," Kassem says. "That way we will have an opportunity to create more ambitious work."

Sovanna Phum’s latest show ‘Rousey Dek’ is both inspired and innovative. It shows that theatre can reinvent itself, and through collaboration of styles and forms create new ways to tell ancient tales.

The company’s success also points to the power of theatre to help reinvent a country’s own image. "I hope when people come and see our shows they take away with them the fact that theatre can continue to surprise you," Kassem says.