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Hanv Gara Asa [I am Home] (2-5)

Hanv Gara Asa, is a play for early years, told through sounds, objects and images |

Sananda Mukhopadhyaya | India |

Home is where I learn to play.
Home is where I learn to dream.
Home is where I am.
Hanv Gara Asa

Hanv Gara Asa translated from Konkani, the language spoken in Goa and means 'I am home'. We see the world of the children through the day into night as they do everyday things steeped in a sense of safety and in the abundance of play, which is probably what it means to be home.

Told through sounds, objects and images, the play is tracing emotions associated with home. It was made within Goa with performers who are originally from Goa.

Sananda Mukhopadhyaya is a theatremaker, art-based educator, and curator based in Mumbai, India. She has since been regularly creating work for the early years since 2017. Her works explore materials, movement, and musicality. She enjoys using the site of making a play as a key influence. Her plays thus are anchored culturally to a particular place through material, spoken language, or other narrative elements. She collaborates regularly with Music Director Kaizad Gherda based in Mumbai, who has composed original music for all her plays.

Her first play for the early years was for babies: 'Warp and Weft' was created under the mentorship of Sarah Argent and Kevin Richard Lewis as part of 'Shishu-Baban' a collaboration with Think Arts, Kolkata, India, and Theatre Iolo, Cardiff (2017). She then directed 'Oool' for Tram Arts Trust, New Delhi, India under the mentorship of Barbara Kölling from Helios Theatre, Germany in a series of mentorships facilitated by the Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust, New Delhi, India (2018).

Other plays she has directed are 'Golla' which was commissioned by Ranga Shankara Theatre, Bangalore, India for their International Children's Theatre Festival 'Aha!' (2021, digital). 'Ee Gida, Aa Mara' for ages 2 to 3,5 was commissioned by Ranga Shankara as well (2022), and most recently Saglejan Kheltat [Everyone Plays] was commissioned by QUEST for Gostarang (2023). This play has since been performed in over 150 village kindergartens called Anganwadi across the state of Maharashtra in India.

Hanv Gara Asa [I am home], which will perform at FRATZ 2024 is produced by Spinning Stories based in Goa and was commissioned by Serendipity Arts Festival, Goa, India (2019).

Director: Sananda Mukhopadhyaya
Associate Director: Padmashree Josalkar
Production Manager: Pitambari Josalkar
Producer: Spinning Stories, Goa
Performer: Samiksha Sawant, Ariedon Gomes and Krishna Gawas
Original Music: Kaizad Gherda

Premiere: December 2019

Duration: 25 minutes

Without spoken language, sporadic use of Konkani words, phrases and songs.

Performances at blu:boks Lichtenberg are wheelchair accessible.
Performances at Theater o.N. are not wheelchair accessible.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nZ58BVm89c

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