ADEMHALEN PREMIERE MARCH 8TH, 8 DAYS TO GO

NOTE 2, 7 days to go

ltr: repr Dutch embassy pr and mrs M Baak , me, repr of moederhart, repr of st Saari Nickerie

Press meeting yesterday Nickerie, the press was so  much engaged and asked such good questions. Ha, Paramaribo, you have to compete with them! Being in Nickerie felt again like coming home. 

Man in taxi bus had his laptop on, watching a movie. Could hear the sound, suppose it was a thriller he was watching.  A woman visited family in Nickerie. Another girl is a student in town. Wow, she wears beautiful high heels.  Back in Paramaribo the taxi bus dropped her of at the Mandir in Paramaribo. Interesting. 

Had my notes, didn't read them. Why do I make notes!  Making notes again for tomorrow. Interview with Radio ABC tomorrow at 8.45.   Seems to give guidance to all the thoughts and layers of this theater play.

Meditation yesterday evening: Intention for Alida and cast,  working very hard and dedicated. 

People in Suriname find it always very important to ask 'what is the message'.  Isn't that a preacher thing?  This is about show something, and  leave it to people to think about it. The purpose of any art is I think to see, read , listen and it will always leaves you with something to think about, reflect upon, take action maybe, whether it is a song or in this case a play. It reflects and influences lives.

There is always one saying or one question that makes me keep on thinking.  So today, thinking again. (how many days left, have to set a max for promo!)

One journalist asked about the storyline.  Good question but so hard to find the right thing to tell, trying to find the balance what to tell or not. I like it for people just read or see for themselves instead of me talking about it but  also realize the importance of giving  information and sometimes the need to explain and discuss to understand what you see, read hear and experience. 

When working on the script of Ademhalen there were three things that were important. One was of course the reason why the whole idea started, the stories of the women I talked with.  Their own stories. Second very important were their  discussions, thoughts and worries about women who are victims of domestic violence. And third, very important theme was Nickerie itself. Talking about Nickerie, going deeper into these lives makes it impossible to leave out the theme of the very high percentage of suicide (-attempts)in this district. On my first trip I discussed this with Chandra, one of the writers of the Nickerie book. How to move with this line, this theme. I decided  not to make it a main topic but to create a script set against a suicide attempt of  a woman friend. This setting made it possible for me to develop the stories of the lives of three women visiting, show the struggle to survive, to overcome obstacles, to find the courage to breathe.

The theatre has seats for 400 persons. It is a beautiful theatre. The insight and the setting reminds me of a theater in London where I went with my parents when I was something like 11 or 12 years old. It made a big impression on me. Don't remember the name of the play, only the stage  and how a story came alive. Thanks mom and dad.   

Ademhalen, 10 days to go, awaiting the premiere

NOTE 1 - 10 days to go.
Have to go to Nickerie,  3,5 hours drive, for a press meeting and come back. What to expect. Thinking. Story, process, content. Making notes of thoughts. Searching for my notes. Write again in notebook. 

Have not been to the rehearsels yet. Since the start of actually going in production the space between writing and directing has been held very strict, and is quiet. We discussed in front the story, my thoughts, the visuals, the inspiration, the characters, the background, the writing. Then Alida started to work. 

It is new. A press meeting to talk about something you wrote, created. It is also new not to have some interaction with a team. As writer and communication professional you sometimes find yourself in an awkward position.

All processes are different with regards how communication with the director takes place. Sometimes you receive feedback or changes are discussed , as I experienced with the Helstone monolog in 2013, my debut play. Sometimes you are in very close communication as when I wrote a Surinamese version of Romeo and Julia.  Another time with the cabaret 'Spokendans' I went to the readings with the cast. There is not a set of guidelines for these processes. It depends on who you work with, the kind of play and you just know as long as you have equity, respect and space, it is good. 

Thinking about this space, something writer both director are dealing with. With "Ademhalen" it really is about space. And Alida Neslo is a director who very much feels space, not only physically. I like how she works with  a strong feeling for the use of different spaces in mind , body and physical. It is something also seen in experimental theater, like  poor theater, (Polish theater maker Grotowski).  'Poor theatre’ is a  performance style that rid itself of the excesses of theatre. 'Poor Theatre pieces' centre very much on the skill of the actor and are often performed with only a handful of props. I have seen Alida teaching some of these methods in her drama classes.  I also followed her classes during my study of creative writing about the art of writing for theatre, about Asian and African theatre, about Japanese styles, about the body and its movement in horizontal or vertical spaces, small and large. We practiced with it in our texts. It was such an out of the box experience. 

Although I would rather skip the promotion part it feels very good to first speak about Ademhalen in the place where the story is rooted, Nickerie. It is also good for Nickerie to know it is an universal story about women. Called my Nickerie contacts, told them about the press meeting, they are waiting for this.   

I will be picked up at five in the morning ! Practical things cross my mind. Clothes, hair, bag, shoes, notebook, battery, Internet, mails. Need to cook. Made myself a Pom today, Mom's  dish and of course her receipt is the best.  It is a mom thing! She is up there in heaven but the pom is here! 

Taxi called. I will be the first to pick up. I make a joke about it. They don't think its funny. I rather drive on my own, but up and down in one day on my own would be a bit too much, have to bare with the shedules.  

The production made the reservations for the taxi bus to Nickerie, as the other car with people for the meeting did not have any space left. Maybe not that strange to just go into a taxi bus with strangers for 3,5 hours and overcome a distance to connect. So while I find myself in  this 'in between' space I will connect with mom and have my "broodje pom" (bread with pom). Food speaks.

Theatervoorstelling ADEMHALEN

On March 8th Ademhalen (Breathe)  will be performed.

I was handed a transcript of a group interview with women of Nickerie  about their lives in Nickerie. 

I was moved, instantly, and kept on reading while images passed my mind. I said yes to the question if I would like to write  a play inspired by these ingredients. From then on characters start developing, text and context start buzzing in my head and visuals came into  mind together with  music and movement of what was to be told. 

I went into a process of research, talked with the women, stayed in the district of Nickerie, a place very familiar because of my many visits and holidays with my children. I inhaled, observed, talked, walked, experienced. Stories that  resonated also with myself as a woman, how much courage it takes to feel the freedom to breathe.. to speak out , have space. Cramped spaces with vague rules are hard to move in and so many times , especially women, find themselves in these cramped spaces, punished for thinking, speaking, questioning;  hardly able to breathe. These himmat  (sarnami, meaning courage) women of Ademhalen experience(d) how this affect people's lives. 

I am very grateful for the freedom I felt with some special people who in this process shared their space with me. They have made it possible to write the story, create the play. They all  inspired my creativity  and gave their support to make it happen. The Dutch embassy Sandra Ammersingh, the writers and researchers of the Nickerie Book Chandra van Binnendijk and Fineke van der Veen,  The Himmat women of Nickerie, the co- readers and advisors Gert Fokken, Sophia Jonker and Raj Mohan,  my beloved (himmat) daughters D'tasha, Shelby and Jyoti and especially during this writing process I felt the spirit  and love of my dear 'Himmat' Mom, my fearless and funny grandmother 'Oma' and  my wise grandmother 'Adjie'. 
I must thank my big Sisa Jane who was the one I shared a first selection of poems with years ago .. who  told me, 'please  sis, please go on and write!' 

I handed the script to Alida Neslo, who read it and immediately decided, without hesitation, to direct this play. I suppose, as happened with me, from that moment on her  thoughts on how and what began to flow. With her cast of beautiful women she works since the last ten to twelve weeks , bringing characters and text alive to take the stage. I have not seen it yet and so yes, of course I am nervous and excited to see and experience Ademhalen on the stage!   It is a process in which I move as a playwright,  for which there is no script, except this, my day to day diary starting on the 26th.. 10 days to go until march 8th.  

  

Ademhalen, a play by Karin Lachmising, directed by Alida Neslo.
Cast: Kavita Ramphal, Ihaam Ahmadali, Afiba Becker,  Evita Issa,  Razia Barsatie. 
Premiere  March 8th Nickerie, school performances March 9th Nickerie 
Paramaribo Performances March 16,17,18.