Myriad’s Artistic Director, Kevin Rowntree, was part of the Trestle International Residency at Trestle Arts Base in autumn 2006.

This International event for professional theatre and dance practitioners specialized in Storytelling and Physical Theatre. It also provided a rare opportunity to practice Kalaripayattu (Kalari), a dance-form martial art from Kerala in South India, which is currently relatively unknown in the United Kingdom.

Kevin Rowntree performing Kalaripayattu – Trestle Arts Base

The performance potential of this movement form was explored alongside a practical investigation of Mudras (hand and body gestures incorporating physical symbolism).  We worked with Indian artists from the Bangalore-based company, Little Jasmine Productions, alongside UK artists, experimenting with character, storytelling and rhythm. 

Special attention was given to the study of Carnatic Music and in particular, the rhythmic system known as ‘Konokol’ – complex vocal and percussive rhythms. Vedic Chants, Slokas and the Raga system were also explored with regard to their applications in performance.

The artists involved in the residency included the following:

Emily Gray is Trestle’s Artistic Director. She worked on a Royal National Theatre Education project in Bangalore and has been to India three times to work and research theatre and dance.  

Kirtana Kumar is a theatre artist and film-maker. She has performed all over India, USA and UK and wrote and directed a show for Common Ground Sign Dance in UK. She directs theatre and film for her company Little Jasmine Productions and runs the Theatre Lab in Bangalore.  

Anmol Mothi trained in Kalari from the age of 8 and has performed across India. He is a Master of Kalari and teaches regularly in Bangalore.

Konarak Reddy trained in both Indian and western classical music and has played the guitar in concerts across India, USA and Europe. He composes sound tracks for film and dance and is also a director of documentary films and theatre productions

Dr Vayu Naidu is the Artistic Director of Vayu Naidu Company, a touring Storytelling Theatre Company based in London.

Carl Miller is a writer, dramaturg and director. He is the Literary Associate Director for Unicorn and Trestle’s Literary Advisor. He works regularly in India on the Royal Court writers’ programme.

The residency formed the basis for a collaborative process with artists from both countries sharing perspectives and establishing a common ground for creative questioning and endeavour, which will lead to a series of future projects both in the UK and in India.

The Residency culminated in a devised performance that drew on the body of work generated throughout the process and was based the Myth of Shakuntala from the Mahabharata.  The performance was presented at Trestle Arts Base in St.Albans and marked the beginning of Trestle’s new phase of international theatre development.

Kevin Rowntree in performance - Trestle Arts Base