Roysten Abel
Roysten Abel | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kerala, India |
| Occupation(s) | Theatre director, playwright |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Known for | Othello – a Play in Black and White, Flowers, The Manganiyar Seduction, A Hundred Snake Charmers |
| Spouse | Mandakini Goswami |
Roysten Abel is an acclaimed Indian theatre director and playwright, distinguished for his work in devised theatre and collaborations with folk artists. His notable productions include Othello a Play in Black and White, Flowers, The Manganiyar Seduction, and A Hundred Snake Charmers.
Early life and education
Hailing from Kerala, Abel spent his childhood in Palakkad and completed his schooling at Good Shepherd International School, Ooty. Initially enrolling in commerce at Christ College, Bangalore, he chose to forgo the family business to pursue drama studies at the School of Drama, Thrissur. Although he left the program a year early, he secured a scholarship to the National School of Drama in Delhi, where he graduated in direction in 1994. That same year, he undertook an apprenticeship with the Royal Shakespeare Company in England.
Career
Upon returning from England, Abel established the Indian Shakespeare Company in 1995 with the aim of staging Shakespearean plays. His first original directorial venture, Othello – a Play in Black and White (1999), garnered the Fringe First Award at Edinburgh and toured globally. This production examined Shakespeare’s Othello through lenses of elitism and racial discrimination. Abel later adapted the play into the film In Othello (2003), featuring actors such as Sheeba Chaddha, Adil Hussain, and Barry John.
Motivated by the 2002 Gujarat riots, Abel created The Spirit of Anna Frank (2002), which tackled issues of gender and caste violence through the lives of five women traveling overnight by train. The cast included prominent performers like Shabana Azmi, Zohra Sehgal, Nandita Das, and Mandakini Goswami. Subsequently, he premiered Perfect Evening in Delhi (2005) and directed Girish Karnad’s play Flowers in 2006.
One of his signature works, The Manganiyar Seduction (2006), featured more than 40 Manganiyar musicians from Rajasthan. The production’s stage design was inspired by Jaipur’s Hawa Mahal as well as Amsterdam’s red light district. After debuting in New Delhi, it toured extensively across the UK, USA, Germany, Austria, and Australia.
In 2013, Abel presented The Kitchen, a multisensory performance involving twelve mizhavu drummers from Kerala accompanied by the live preparation and serving of traditional payasam dessert to the audience. This piece premiered at the International Theatre Festival of Kerala.
Personal life
He is married to Mandakini Goswami, an actress from Assam, whom he encountered during their time at the National School of Drama. The couple currently lives in Kerala.
Plays
- Othello – a Play in Black and White (1999)
- The Spirit of Anna Frank (2002)
- The Manganiyar Seduction (2006)
- The Kitchen (2013)
References