Conference of Birds in Kathmandu

As part of its cultural envoy program, the US Embassy in Kathmandu sponsored a three-week-long collaborative theater workshop at the Actors Studio in Kathmandu from August 12 to September 1. Conducted by Steve Clorfeine, an American writer, performer and teacher, the workshop focused primarily on physical theater and its use in contemporary American theaters.[break]



For the finale of the workshop, 10 participating students from the Actors Studio showcased a performance at the Vajra Hotel in Kathmandu on August 31. The presentation began with the demonstrations of two types of improvisational exercises—Gesture mirror/sound transformation and Character lineup.



The students formed a semicircle on the stage for the first exercise. The person at the end began with a particular gesture which got passed on to the next person who transformed it and passed it on to the next, and so on. The gestures were accompanied by all sorts of sounds which were also mirrored by the adjacent person and transformed in the process. The gestures and sounds conveyed all kinds of emotions, such as anger, joy, grief, and pain.







The second exercise was about creating a character on the spot. Students had their backs to the audience, and they would turn around one after the other, embodying a different character each time.



The third part of the program consisted of a 20-minute condensed excerpt from a play entitled “Conference of the Birds.” The play is based on a poem written by Farid un-Din Attar in the 13th century and was first adapted into a theatrical performance by Peter Brook and Jean-Claude Carriere in 1970s. Based on Sufi values, the story revolves around the journey of 30 birds that travel across seven valleys in search of an ideal king. But when they reach their destination, all they see is their own reflections in a lake.



Conference of the Birds, which was first performed in Africa as an experiment, is now considered to be one of the greatest physical theater performances. While there are dialogues and a main narrator in the play, the story is mostly conveyed through physical movements where the synchronization of the body and mind is crucial. Physical theater is inherent in many religious and cultural dances of Nepal.



The Actors Studio students depicted scenes from the birds’ travel through a total of four valleys. The students were dressed in costumes to represent different kinds of birds, from a peacock to a falcon. The play was thoroughly enjoyable because it was filled with movements, but it was also confusing at some instances for the same reason.



Nevertheless, as a viewer, one could really sense the vigor of the actors, who were giving in their best. Kagbeni star Deeya Maskey’s performance as the leader of the flock was praiseworthy. Participants also included choreographer and model Hema Shrestha, Sano Sansar’s Karma, and Karnali Dakshin Bagdo Chha’s Hira Bijuli Nepali. The music, which was being played live off the stage, carried strong Sufi influences, and it definitely added to the emotions that were being expressed on the stage.



Before Steve Clorfeine flew back to his native US, Republica interviewed him about his experiences. The following are the excerpts:



Have you been to Nepal before?



Yes, many times. I worked with Gurukul in 2004, and the International Theater in 2005. In 2006 and 2007, I worked with the Actors Studio.



How has this experience been different?



Previously, I was here only for three to four days at the most. This workshop, however, was three weeks long and I came as a cultural envoy through the US Embassy and they fully funded the workshop. I sent in an application to conduct this workshop to the Embassy two years back.



What is the most important aspect of physical theater?



Physical theater emphasizes on working through the imagination instead of being dependent on a script. It’s about finding images through characters. Physical theater exercises allow us to realize that we have a larger repertoire of reactions and emotions within us than we think.



Observing is also important. When I teach, I make half my students sit and watch and later give feedback to each other.



How long have you been in theater?



Almost twenty five years. My group is based in New York but I also teach in Germany, Switzerland, and India. I’ve been concentrating on teaching for the last few years and I haven’t acted in a while. I’ve trained teachers, leaders as well as actors.

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Kathmandu valley: The refuge of migrating birds