The story of man

No matter how busy life is, people who love art will find some way or other to follow their passion. Benefaktor is proof of that. The organisation, according to its members, tries to “discover the real talent of an individual through a lot of fun, frolic and a bit of theatre.”

“The club is an organisation for lovers of art, music and drama,” says Dr Josh Therattil. The club provides its members a chance to rediscover themselves and find happiness without being judged. It also helps those who wish to make an appearance on the screen or the stage, to fulfil their dreams.

The latest initiative of the club is the play The Man from Earth, directed by Dr Josh Therattil and produced by Jai Jacob. It’s a theatrical adaptation of the Hollywood movie The Man from Earth: Holocene. “The movie and the ideas it conveyed touched my heart and prompted me to turn it into a play,” says the director. It was hard to edit the script, he adds. Many scenes had to be combined into one and the timeline plots had to be adjusted. The play is staged in an outdoor setting as it involves interactions with the audience.

“The play explores the history and evolution of mankind, both culturally and scientifically. It chronicles the growth of man from the early days to the present,” says Josh. The play has much relevance in the present day as it describes the evolution of man from the one who lived in a cave to the present one who is capable of landing on the moon. The main character is John Oldman, who has to move away from his friends and all the people he knows every 10 years, no matter what he is doing or who he is with. He has to pack up and leave or there will be talking of him not aging. John was born 14,000 years ago and he has not aged since he was 35. One day, he decides on a whim to tell his friends why he is leaving, turning an impromptu farewell party into a mysterious and intense interrogation. The play is set in and around Oldman’s house and the plot goes through the arguments between Oldman and his friends.

The actors are found from different walks of life. They include cine artistes, an English professor, a short film director, professional musicians, a civil contractor and a host of doctors and a few dedicated theatre artistes. Dr Yohan Chacko essays the main character. Sujil Chandra Bose, Dr Prof. C.S. Francis, Lovely Varughese, Sreeja Ajith, Aswathi Menon, Dr Rajkrishnan C, and Dr Rupesh Laljee are the other actors in the play.

The English play is sure to keep the viewers on the edge of their seats. The Man from Earth will be staged at Cochin Club Patio, Fort Kochi, at 6.30 pm on Saturday. It is an initiative of Benefaktor in association with the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.