Together, they were successful in coordinating their moves, and impersonating trees and buses, which is not something one can do without enough practice.

What makes a mime theatrical different from regular drama is not the fact that they tell unique stories, but that they require one fill in the silence pertaining the stage. For one to understand the turns of events, they need to concentrate and infer from characters’ body gestures. They need to give voices to the characters on their heads which ultimately leads the audience to own up the entire play. When Niru Gonsai in ‘MIME PLAY: Umbrella of Niru Gonsai’ ran after his umbrella-thief on stage, an audience would go “help, chor (theif)!”, or use few swear words, which would then keep him observed later in the drama.

‘MIME PLAY: Umbrella of Niru Gonsai’ was put into display on Monday at Nepal Army Auditorium. The event was organized by The Indian Cultural Center (ICC), Embassy of India in Kathmandu in association with Mandala Theatre-Nepal. Following a five-day Mime Theatre Workshop, the play was performed by 12-member Indian Mime Theatre Group.

The event was inaugurated jointly by Indian ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri, Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Jitendra Narayan Dev and President of Mandala Theatre Dayahang Rai.

Speaking at the event, Minister Dev recalled the immense support provided by the Indian community in reconstructing the damaged cultural heritages following the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake, and said that exchanges like the mime workshop helped in strengthening the brotherhood between the two countries.

Meanwhile, actor and President of Mandala Theatre, Dayahang Rai, said the workshop had provided a platform for actors to polish their acting skills.

‘MIME PLAY: Umbrella of Niru Gonsai’ was set in a village setting. The protagonist, Niru Gonsai, owns an umbrella, which he protects with his life because it evidently gives him a sense of identity. He protects it against winds, thieves and his own forgetful behavior. The narrative itself adapts to a few folk tales—like the Mercury and Woodman—and transitions from reality to dream and back. Beautiful sound effects and colors were added to enhance the ambience on-stage.  

What mesmerized the audiences was the collaboration among 12 artists. “Together, they were successful in coordinating their moves, and impersonating trees and buses, which is not something one can do without enough practice,” said Malin Bhatta, an audience.

Indeed, the artists successfully demonstrated the precision on-stage. If there was any take away from the play, for audience of all perception level, it was that mime art requires an artist to be calculative and patient. The play, at the end of the day, was all about team work and dedication.