Houston's Shunya holds auditions

Naga Mandala
A Play with a Cobra

Written by Girish Karnad
Directed by Soham Mehta & Sara Kumar

AUDITIONS
Sunday, November 5th 3 ˆ 5 PM and 5 ˆ 7 PM
Monday, November 6th 8 ˆ 10 PM
Anjali Center for the Performing Arts

You only need to attend one of the audition times. Please come at the beginning of one of the two hour blocks. Wear comfortable clothing. You do not need to prepare anything. Simply show up ready to read!

The play will be performed in cooperation with Stages Repertory Theatre from February 23rd to March 11th. Rehearsals will begin in December.

Combining two traditional Indian oral tales, Naga Mandala features a story-within-a-story. A cursed playwright must stay awake all night in the temple, and as he attempts to do so he meets the spirit of a Story who slipped out of an old woman‚s mouth as she snored. The Story is that of a young bride who is neglected by her indifferent husband and attempts to win his affection with a love potion; instead, she enchants a King Cobra who begins to visit her every night while her husband is away.


Characters

• THE MAN ˆ The cursed playwright that must stay awake
• THE STORY ˆ The narrator who slips out of an old woman's mouth
• RANI ˆ The young bride
• APPANNA ˆ The indifferent husband
• NAGA ˆ The cobra (APPANNA and NAGA are played by the same actor)
• KURUDAVVA ˆ A blind woman who befriends RANI and tries to help her win the love of her husband
• KAPPANNA ˆ The son of KURUDAVVA who must carry his blind mother on his back