Beyond the Stage

Acclaimed theatre director Erin B Mee, whose productions have been staged in over 36 countries, has a decades-long tryst with Kerala's theatre scene. On her recent visit to Kochi, TNIE caught up with Erin to discuss her journey into theatre, collaborations with artists here and more.

- RONNIE KURIAKOSE

N a balmy August evening, the halls of Lokadharmi Naadakaveedu in Vypeen, Kochi, buzzed with anticipation. Budding actors, theatre enthusiasts and students gathered for a rare opportunity: a workshop led by Erin B Mee, the acclaimed American director and founder of This Is Not a Theatre Company.

Erin, whose career spans classical and experimental theatre in over 36 countries, is currently associate professor (drama) at The New York University Tisch School of the Arts. She was in Kerala recently to introduce her methodology: Viewpoints, a system of actor training that has reshaped ensemble performance in contemporary theatre.

TNIE met Erin on the sidelines of this workshop to discuss her journey in theatre, the allure of immersive forms, her Kerala connection and more.

Early years

"I'm not sure when I first became interested in theatre," she begins. "It was a slow process, starting in childhood. Growing up in New York, I could see Broadway musicals and experimental theatre. In high school, I saw Kerala Kalamandalam perform at the Asia Society on Park Avenue here and experienced Kathakali for the first time. That was transformative."

For Erin, theatre has always been about exchange.

"What excites me is the interaction between performers and audience, between performers themselves, and even among audience members," she says.

This, she also points out, is encompassed in Rasa theory, a cornerstone of Indian aesthetics which posits that art aims to evoke specific emotions or ras-as in the audience. "The exchange is of emotion, information, energy... theatre thus is immediate, alive and deeply communal."