“Experience the strong emotion in silence. It can convey as much as movement or mime,” remarked Sankar Venkateswaran, a renowned theatre-maker and director. His words cascade into the quiet evening breeze of the Attappady hills, setting the scene for his latest work at Sahyande Theatre, poetically positioned atop a hill with a river sparkling below. We are here to witness “In My Time of Dying,” a piece that has traversed continents and found a spiritual home in this serene setting.
The play, “In My Time of Dying,” is a collaborative effort with German theatre-maker Leon Pfannenmüller, facilitated by a co-production fund from the Goethe-Institut. This production has already successfully run 20 shows across Europe and three in India. The narrative explores the delicate line between fiction and lived experience, weaving together elements such as diary entries, postcards, and even a steel rod that once served as part of a leg. German dramaturg Maria Rossler played a crucial role in structuring its intricate text. Sankar emphasizes the challenge of finding words in theatre, especially in an era dominated by visual media. “I am trying to reach the deepest point of what text means, what words mean today in theatre, and how to find words that can be convincing, rooted in real life yet embracing the imaginative world of theatre,” he says.
The theatre itself is a marvel, inspired by the form and philosophy of Noh Theatre, a classical Japanese performance art that Sankar has studied extensively. Sahyande Theatre is also pioneering efforts to become the world’s first carbon-neutral theatre. The building’s design eliminates the need for daytime lighting, thanks to strategic architectural features. Its green roof keeps the indoor climate comfortable without relying on fans or air conditioning. “We also have our own water source, which sustains us for eight months of the year,” Sankar explains. “For the remaining four months, we pump water from a well 100 meters below. We aim to eventually meet all our power lighting needs with a combination of solar energy and windmills.”
Designed by Kavita Srinivasan, an MIT-trained architect and theatre-maker, Sahyande Theatre integrates elements of life, work, and nature seamlessly. The complex includes a studio theatre, an amphitheatre above, and five rooms for residents, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem for the arts.
The journey to creating this inspiring space began in Delhi and Thrissur, where Sankar and his Japanese partner, Satoko, worked on his earlier acclaimed productions.
. Overbooked rehearsal spaces and logistical challenges pushed them to find a permanent home for their creative endeavors. “As a committed theatre artist, I need a specific kind of focused environment. Many of my collaborators come from around the world, and we work in a residential setup,” says Sankar, a recipient of the Shankar Nag Theatre award and the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar. His works have graced international stages, and he has been honored with the International Ibsen Scholarship in 2013 by Teater Ibsen, Norway.
Attappadi’s multicultural environment proved fertile ground for Sankar’s vision. With the settler community speaking Tamil and Malayalam and three indigenous communities conversing in diverse languages, the area is a microcosm of intercultural dynamism. “It seemed like the most fertile space to further my cultural practice, which at that time was connected to Japan, Germany, and Singapore,” Sankar recalls.
His multicultural approach is rooted in his training at the Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI), where he learned to collaborate with artists from vastly different cultural backgrounds. “ITI taught me that if you have the will, you can create meaningful work even with people you have nothing else in common with.”
Sankar has also been actively working with local singers in Attappadi to revive the traditional folk performance known as Madurai Veeran Koothu. However, he is adamant that his work with them is not driven by commercial motives. “They sing to enhance their daily life and make their labor more pleasurable. The meaning of the connection between art and life here is different; it is not for commodification or consumption,” he explains.
In a vivid memory, Sankar recalls his notable absence from the wave of online digital theatre during the pandemic. “I had significant reservations about the digital explosion. While I uploaded one of my pieces online, we quickly retreated from the digital medium as soon as the pandemic subsided. People were eager to meet face-to-face. Performance itself is a deeply human tendency; it’s about gathering, storytelling, and socializing,” he asserts.
Sahyande Theatre, now a beacon for theatre practitioners worldwide, invites artists to its tranquil hilltop setting in the Kerala forest to create and perform. This unique space stands as a testament to the resilience and innovation of theatre-makers like Sankar Venkateswaran, who merge nature with culture to create art that resonates across boundaries.
