Fifteen years after it roped in Malayalee artistes for the hugely-successful Odysseus, Footsbarn Travelling Theatre of France is back in Kerala, this time with the Shakespearian play - The Tempest.

The play has been planned as the theatre’s major activity in 2012. For the first time, Footsbarn will set up tents on open grounds in Thiruvananthapuram and other select cities for the performance.

Mr D Raghoothaman, founder-President of Abhinaya Theatre Research Centre and one of the top theatre actors in India, had played the young Odysseus in the 2006 production.

The other artistes associated with the play were Mr Kaladharan, disciple of Kavalam Narayana Panicker, Ms Sreelatha, a School of Drama product who specialises in feminist theatre activities and also provides theatre therapy to differently-abled children, Mr Chandran, a musician, and Mr Shaji Karyat, a theatre practitioner.

The play was performed in almost all continents to rave reviews. It was a curious experience for theatre-lovers to see the protagonists deliver dialogues in a mix of Malayalam, English and broken French.

The Odysseus team would be part of The Tempest as well. “Footsbarn plans to set the play in India and premiere it in Guimaraes, Portugal, in May 2012 and later [undertake] a European tour to Spain, France, England and other countries. The team will then return to India for performances in October,” Raghoothaman told Deccan Chronicle.