Credits
Kaivalya Plays and
Direction & Design
Varoon P. Anand, Gaurav Singh Nijjer
Performance
Dhruv Rai, Shubhra Tandon, Ramita Menon
Stage Management, Production & Costumes
Sukriti, Vidit Singh
Translation, Subtitles, Language Production
Aatika Khan, Kanva Chaudhary, Riddhijit
Chattopadhyay, and others
Documentation, Illustrations and Media
Riddhijit Chattopadhyay, Kaustubh Rajwade
Lights and Technical Operation
Deeksha Vats, Vidit Singh
Voiceovers
Stuti Kanoongo, Vidur Sehgal, Sukriti,
Varoon P. Anand, Vidit Singh
We would like to acknowledge and thank the
administrative, technical, maintenance and security
staff of Instituto Cervantes Nueva Delhi for their
support in realising this production.
Read more about the production, the
creative team and Kaivalya Plays in
the digital program on our website
www.kaivalyaplays.org
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About Us
Instituto Cervantes Nueva Delhi
Kaivalya Plays is a performing arts and production present
company led by Varoon P. Anand as its Artistic Director
and Gaurav Singh Nijjer as its General Manager. Since
2012, they have worked consistently, been very noisy,
and built transcultural associations across India and the
world. Their artistic work includes original, devised
theatre performance which are multilingual, interactive
and hybrid, use technology and media on stage as well
as are built using techniques of improvisational,
documentary and physical theatre. Their training and
educational programs span drama and performance,
design, production, arts management and applied
improvisation to areas like mental health, language
learning, business skills and others. They’ve undertaken
arts research projects such as the Safety in the
Performing Arts in India (www.arts-safety.org)
supported by the India Foundation for the Arts (IFA),
amongst others. They have received multiple artistic
commissions and grants, such as EU MediaFutures Artist
for Media grant, Goethe Institut’s Refunction and
Gender Bender grants, amongst others. Their recent
artistic work includes ABSURDO (2023), Mining Hate
(2023), Ollantay (2022), Lifeline 99 99 (2021), Luz Negra
(2020) How To Disappear Completely and Never be
Found (2020), Unravel (2019), amongst others. Most
recently, they received the Creativity Pioneers Fund
2023 from the Moleskine Foundation.
Since 2012, Kaivalya Plays has brought works by many
Latin American authors to the Indian stage, being the
first team from India to perform at the prestigious
Classical Theatre Festival in Almagro, Spain. They have
frequently collaborated with institutions like Instituto
Cervantes Nueva Delhi and the Embassies of Argentina,
Spain, Ecuador and Peru in India. They have adapted and
staged texts by Julio Cortazar (Goodbye Robinson),
Jorge Luis Borges (El Aleph, Blue Tigers, The Sand Book,
Funes the Memorious), Pablo Palacio (A Man Kicked To
Death), Alvaro Desleal (Luz Negra) and Griselda
A multilingual theatre performance
Gambaro (Say Yes) and ancient Incan epic Ollantay. Based on the works of
ABSURDO is their thirteenth project with roots in
Enrique Jardiel Poncela, Fernando
Latinamerican drama and literature and marks the
group’s 10 years of collaboration with the Instituto Arrabal and Virgilio Piñera.
Cervantes Nueva Delhi.
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www.kaivalyaplays.org
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 About The Play
One chases the enemy, another chases sleep.
Somewhere, one devours an entire mountain while the
other slurps on custard. Together they try to make
sense of what’s between the lines, and the lines start to
disappear. They let go of the questions when the
answers begin to appear. Elsewhere, a town awakens to
a dwindling yet satisfied populace, whilst a couple lay a
picnic table amidst the gunfire. At the core of
Absurdism is the acknowledgement that human
endeavours to find meaning are often met with a
universe that remains indifferent, and the search for
inherent purpose is akin to chasing a mirage in a desert
of existential uncertainty. Imagine a theatrical
performance where the script is written in disappearing
ink, and the actors are left ad-libbing in the face of an
ever-changing narrative.
Absurdist theatre, a genre characterized by its
exploration of the irrational, illogical, and chaotic
aspects of the human experience, finds unique
expressions in the works of Enrique Jardiel Poncela
from Spain, Fernando Arrabal, also from Spain, and
Virgilio Piñera from Cuba. While these playwrights
share the label of "absurdist," their individual
contributions exhibit distinct nuances and cultural
influences. Poncela's absurdist works often
showcase a satirical and humorous exploration of
societal norms and human behaviour. Kaivalya Plays’
adaptation of his play "You Have the Eyes of a
Femme Fatal," delves into the absurdity of modern
love, desire, and human connection. Poncela's
writing is characterized by wit and a keen
observation of societal absurdities, often using
humour as a lens to dissect human folly. Arrabal's
absurdist plays, like "Picnic on the Battlefield," take
a darker and more surreal turn. This piece portrays
the futility and meaninglessness of war, exploring
the absurdity of conflict where soldiers fight for
indistinguishable motivations.
Arrabal's unique blend of absurdity and surrealism
creates a heightened, dreamlike atmosphere,
challenging conventional narratives and norms.
Piñera, hailing from Cuba, brings a distinctly Latin
American flavour to the absurdist genre.
Kaivalya Plays is staging pieces from his collection of
short stories called “Cuentos Frios” (English: Cold Tales),
where he navigates the complexities of identity, civil
rebellion, individual-first capitalism and mental health
through a piercingly neutral, almost cold narration.
Piñera's works often carry a socio-political undertone,
reflecting the tumultuous history of Latin America. The
absurdity in his plays serves as a mirror to the region's
socio-cultural struggles, blending existential questions
with the collective experiences of Latin American
societies. While united under the umbrella of absurdist
theatre, the works of Jardiel Poncela, Arrabal, and
Piñera each offer a unique perspective on the
absurdities inherent in the human condition. From
Poncela's humour-infused societal critiques to Arrabal's
surreal and dark exploration of war, and Piñera's socio-
political reflections on identity and mental health, these
playwrights contribute richly diverse layers to the
tapestry of absurdist theatre.
Since its inception in 2012, Kaivalya Plays has been a
conduit for bringing the voices of Latin American
authors to the Indian stage. ABSURDO marks their
thirteenth project in this genre, a testament to our
ongoing commitment to Latin American drama and
literature. Collaborating with Instituto Cervantes Nueva
Delhi and various embassies, they’ve adapted and
staged works by prominent authors, making these
narratives resonate with Indian audiences. In ABSURDO,
the group employs a diverse range of artistic techniques,
from traditional theatre methods to non-conventional
staging. Live projections, cameras, drawing, multilayered
projection fabrics, and a multilingual performance (in
English, Hindi, and Spanish with subtitles) enrich the
audience's experience, breaking down language barriers
and emphasizing the global relevance of the absurdities
explored on stage. The stories composed through the
latest digital technology tools create an engaging
experience that often veers away from a traditional
narrative to abstract voyages into themes of violence,
excess, alienation, identity and meaninglessness.
Running Order
INTERROGATORIO
from “Cuentos Frios” by Virgilio Piñera
A prisoner is confronted with a fundamental
question about identity. Presented In Spanish with
English and Hindi subtitles.
YOU HAVE THE EYES OF A FEMME FATAL
adapted from the text by Enrique Jardiel Poncela.
What happens when an all encompassing
intelligence delves into the interplay of modern
love, desire and seduction? Presented In English
with Spanish and Hindi subtitles.
MONTAÑA
from “Cuentos Frios” by Virgilio Piñera
Persistence, escape or something else entirely? Bit
by bit, witness one’s attempt at a geological
upheaval. Presented In Spanish with English and
Hindi subtitles.
मांस (Meat)
from “Cuentos Frios” by Virgilio Piñera
A famine leads to a town beginning to turn to a
very personal kind of sustenance. Presented in
Hindi with English and Spanish subtitles.
INSOMNIO
from “Cuentos Frios” by Virgilio Piñera
An all too familiar state for so many, but is the
escape worth the relief? Presented in Spanish with
English and Hindi subtitles.
PICNIC ON THE BATTLEFIELD
based on the text by Fernando Arrabal.
A family comes together for a lovely picnic in the
middle of the battlefield. They are interrupted by
an unexpected guest. Nothing unusual about that,
right? Presented in English with Hindi and Spanish
subtitles.