HAMLET – A Modern Topical Adaptation (2016)
This production of Hamlet took place on 29th of December, from 6:00pm at CLT Aban Mahal, Dhakuria, Kolkata.
The production aimed to mark off the 400 death anniversary of Shakespeare, and to bring the relevance of the Bard even today.
The lines of the drama were the Bard’s, while the setting was Kolkatan, to show the cultural relevance of Shakespeare – that the same lines can fit across cultures and time.
Performed by the youth – all aged between 17 and 24 – this production sought to capture the young audience to appreciate the works of Shakespeare and come out of the academic cliche.
Selected scenes from the performance can be viewed by visiting the following link on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLm2JSwcdSnuJw8vP6y_sBxOI-NKEevQpB
Romeo and Juliet – Selected Scenes (2017)
In 2017, SYP undertook its second activity – showing how Romeo and Juliet can be set to a modern films. There have been lots of modern film adaptations of Shakespeare, but this one shows how the situation can be adapted for Asian locations, particularly – India.
In this adaptation, the friar was cast as a marriage registrar, for as per Indian laws, a marriage needs to be sanctioned by a marriage registrar.
This production does not show the entire film, but only select scenes – to show how certain scenes can be re-enacted.
The videos are available on YouTube from 2018, and can be viewed by clicking the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLm2JSwcdSnuIKFWJQ0ib5IjQq2YBU9NPa
T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land (2018)
On 27 December, 2018, Thursday, SYP performed an adaptation of T.S. Eliot’s famous poem. Although not Shakespeare’s, the poem does have a lot of allusions to Shakespeare, and so, this project was taken up as a challenge on how a modern poem may be performed on the stage.
Macbeth: A Modern Adaptation (2019)
On 1 June, 2019, SYP performed Macbeth. It presented Duncan as the CEO of an international corporation, and showed the witches as three good friends, who take to catering for their daily living, and just love to experiment with uncommon ingredients, as they have excellent knowledge of chemistry. They are drawn towards the occult arts, and there is a supernatural charm about them. Even so, they are humans.
Watch selected scenes from the production on YouTube here.