Bombay Jayashri, Resul Pookutty part of Roysten Abel’s upcoming production ‘Weaving Voices’

 ‘Weaving Voices’, presented by Bhoomija, will be staged at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Bengaluru, on October 21 and 22

Theatre director Roysten Abel’s upcoming production, Weaving Voices, presented by Bhoomija, will be staged at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Bengaluru, on October 21 and 22. 

When asked to explain what kind of a show it will be, Roysten thinks for a bit and says, “I would be belittling the production by explaining what it is. It is going to be a more visceral experience for the audience. It will be an immersive aural and visual treat that seamlessly blends music, theatre, and design.”

‘Voices’ in the title, he says, does not just refer to singing. “It refers to the emotional voice, social voice, political voice… Even the instruments in the show will be treated as different voices. It is about exploring different interpretation of voices.”

The production features some of the biggest names in music, such as Bombay Jayashri, Uday Bhawalkar, MD Pallavi, Deu Khan Manganiyar, Rasika Shekar, Apoorva Krishna, Sumesh Narayanan, and MT Aditya Srinivasan. 

The sound design is by Academy-Award winner, Resul Pookutty. The design is by Amardeep Behl and the costumes are by Sarah Eapen. Popular Kannada theatre and film director KM Chaitanya has handled the background visuals.

The shows are supported by Taneira, a company working with weaver clusters all over India.

“This is a dream production,” says Bhoomija’s Managing Trustee Gayathri Krishna. “Roysten Abel is a master storyteller and he has woven a show that is a grand treat of music, design, theatre, and above all, storytelling. It is incredible that such a galaxy of stars, senior and young, agreed to come together. The talent, dedication and approach I have seen over several weeks of rehearsals have been unbelievable.”