Prayas staged a love story and political satire The Clay Cart (or Mricchakatika) for Auckland audiences. The original play written circa the 5th Century CE is more ancient than the equally famous Shakuntala.
Mricchakatika remains one of India’s most enduring works, with a mastery of the craft that was far ahead of its time. It is also one of the most celebrated plays performed in the West. “Nowhere else in the hundreds of Sanskrit dramas do we find such variety, and such drawing of character, as in The Clay Cart; and nowhere else, in the drama at least, is there such humour” says Arthur Ryder whose translation of this play for Harvard University was published in 1905.
The Clay Cart belongs to the classical tradition of Indian theatre, yet displays a Shakespearian breadth as it moves from farce to tragedy, and from satire to pathos.
Cast
Rishabh Kapoor
Charudatta
Ruchika Tandon
Vasantasena
Namrata Shanbhag
Madanika / Judge
Socrates Fernandes
Maitreya
Nikita Varma
Radanika / Clerk / Guild Warden
Jehangir Homavazir
Sansthanaka
Agustya Chandra
Courtier / Goha
Sahil Goyal
Aryaka
Ashley Peter Shillong
Sharvilaka
Kamal Bansal
Sthavaraka / Mathura
Vishant Kumar
Vardhamanaka
Sangeeta Hariharan
Chandanaka / Vasantasena's Mother
Subhamoy Ganguly
Shampooer & Buddhist Monk / Viraka
Arpit Joshi
Beadle / Another Gambler
Nabeelah Khan
Kumbhilaka / Clerk
Tushar Kandari
Ahinta
Full Creative Team ▸
Ahi Karunaharan
Production Mentor / Production Manager
Padma Akula
Costume Designer
Moushumi Das & Ritesh Vaghela
Sound Designers
Bhavesh Bhutadia
Set Designer
Calvin Hudson
Lighting Designer
Rae Longshaw-Park
Technical Operator
Arti Kansara
Stage Manager
Sudeepta Vyas
Marketing and Publicity
Shruthi Priya Balaji
Social Media Marketer
Elephant Publicity
Publicist
Ankita Singh
Headshots
Swayam Sarkar
Rehearsal Photography
Nona Shedde
Funding & Financial Advisor
Jatinder Singh
Fight Consultant
Ayesha Heble
Diction Coach
