AHAL AMADI EPAK
Director: Oasis Sougaijam
Storywriter: Ernest Hemingway
Group: The Umbilical Theatre, Imphal
Language: Manipuri
Duration: 1 hr 10 mins
The Play
The Old Man and the Sea is the story of a struggle between an old fisherman and the greatest catch of his life. The whole play is narrated by a puppet. The central character is an old fisherman, who has not caught a fish for 84 days. The family of his apprentice, a young boy, has forced him to leave the old fisherman, though the boy continues to support him with food and bait. The old fisherman is a mentor to the boy, who cherishes the old man and the life lessons he imparts. Convinced that his luck must change, the fisherman takes his skiff far out into the deep waters of the ocean, where he soon hooks a giant marlin. With all his great experience and strength, he struggles with the fish for three days, admiring its strength, dignity, and faithfulness to its identity; its destiny is as true as the old man’s as a fisherman. He finally reels the marlin in and lashes it to his boat.
However, the fisherman’s exhausting effort goes for naught. Sharks are drawn to the tethered marlin, and, although the fisherman manages to kill a few, the sharks eat the fish, leaving behind only its skeleton. After returning to the harbour, the discouraged fisherman goes to his home to sleep. In the meantime, others see the skeleton tied to his boat and are amazed. The young boy is relieved to find the old fisherman alive, and the two agree to go fishing together. Thepuppet narrator, in the end, says that he got the inspiration from the old man to become a professional fisherman and will now sail out to the sea.
Director’s Note
‘A Man Can Be Destroyed But Not Defeated’.
The Director
A graduate of English literature from Manipur University, Imphal, Oasis Sougaijam is an alumnus of National School of Drama with specialization in Theatre Techniques & Design in year 2014. He is trained in the folk and traditional forms,and martial arts of Manipur. He has worked at Panthoibi Natya Mandir, Imphal for six years and, at Kanglei Mime Theatre Repertory, Imphal for five years. He has participated in International Mime festival at Seoul, South Korea; International Mime and Puppet festival at Kilkis, Greece; and Surin International Folklore Festival at Surin, Thailand. He is working as a designer/director of The Umbilical Theatre, a drama group of Manipur.
The Writer
Ernest Miller Hemingway (1899-1961) was an American novelist, short story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style, which he termed ‘the iceberg theory’, had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his adventurous lifestyle and his public image brought him admiration from later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the mid-1950s, and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.
The Group
The Umbilical Theatre, Manipur was established in 1972.The theatre group has been contributing towards the social and cultural development of the society. It participated in the 19th Bharat Rang Mahotsav and 8th Theatre Olympic with the play Hojang Taret directed by Oasis Sougaijam. Recently, the play has won three Mahindra Excellency in Theatre Awards 2018.
Cast & Credits
Old Man: Chiranjit
Young Boy: Nganthoileima
Hotel Owner : Priyonika
Puppet Narrator: Jatishor
Villagers: Santomba, Shyamkumar, Abhijit, Kiranbala
Costume Design: Kiranbala
Set Design: Milanjit, Sanatomba, Shyamkumar
Light Assistant: Nikhil
Light Design: Oasis Sougaijam
Sound Effect: Johnson
Sound & Music Design: Anil Singh
Story: Ernest Hemingway Dramaturgy,
Design & Direction: Oasis Sougaijam