Bring back Sri Krishnarpanamastu- The Musical
Donation protected
Thank You All!
This time last year, we were toying with an idea. The idea became a dream, the dream a passion and the passion came alive in myriad colours of reality- that in itself, is a story worth telling- again and again.
To do it once, is perhaps naivety.
But to do it again, is Conviction.
And to each one of you that saw the sense in it, Thank you.
To each penny- large and small that came in, Thank you.
And for each little dream fulfilled, Thank you.
Reflections from Sri Krishnarapanamastu- The Musical
When Sri Krishnarpanamastu debuted at the Empty Space on 10th of March 2024, we did not quite expect what we got. A packed house, sold out show, rapturous audience wanting to come back for more, smiles and tears and extremely positive reviews. In the weeks that followed, we were inundated with questions about another show. We, on the other hand, were just trying to assimilate it all and believe this was true.
Our strength lies in this being a truly unique production that was measured, made and presented by the families that got involved. What stood out was:
1. No prior experience was required of children.
2. Family- led: The seeds of this musical were sown amidst an innocent discussion around a family's dinner table whilst drawing parallels with their own Nativity plays.
3. Family- centric: Children and their parents worked on different aspects together. It brought back quality family time with children and parents working together, learning and growing with each other.
4. Family-based: The stories were universal in context and content with messages very relevant to today's world. It provided food for thought and entertainment for the soul.
5. Parent-led community project: With an entire production team made of parents of participating children and well meaning volunteers, this was truly a testament to the power of joining heads and hands.
By the end, every person involved had a piece of memory that was theirs to take away.
How you helped:
Thanks to all your support, we were able to hire dedicated sound engineers, lighting technicians and up our costume and props to take this from a skit to a piece of theatre- with all the cuteness, soulfulness, surrenders and conquers that are the hallmark of Krishna. And when so much effort had gone in, there was bound to be some magic on stage.
SRI KRISHNARPANAMASTU- THE MUSICAL Returns
One year on- we are where we started. Only with greater zeal, confidence and a thirst to do it better and bigger. There will come new faces and this family will become bigger, wider and more diverse in its representation of the myriad facets that make India what it is.
But Krishna is for all. His stories are for all. His antics are entertaining for all. His Maya encompasses us all.
And so what better an icon to portray our rich legacy- a legacy where super powers lie within ordinary looking children and adults in everyday life? Our heroes do not come out in the dead of the night, they are out in broad day light, lifting mountains in one hand, yet getting caught as thief for stealing butter in the other!
And this enchantment has kept the passion simmering.
Why again? Why now?
It almost feels like another run is essential- to cement what we inadvertently started, to live through the joys and the pains of it all again, to allow our children grow in the experience, to give the adults a second chance at rediscovering their latent capabilities, to grace the stage again and to celebrate the Krishna in every child.
- One of the most endearing aspects was when children encouraged their parents to take up roles and responsibilities. At the end, when the stage lit up every family could spot what they had brought in- and it was not just their children. We want that warmth to be rekindled.
- Need to share: One of the most common feedback from the children is how this should be opened to schools for viewing so it can become a part of the RE curriculum.
- Demystifying religion: The universal content and context of the stories and messages portrayed were easily relatable to any modern day family regardless of race, colour for origins or background as was fed back by the non Indians in the audience. We believe, that in a small way, this helped dispel myths and preconceived notions about Hinduism as a faith at large.
Why we need you?
- To recreate the magic of Krishna and His Leela's through our own little Krishnas regardless of their ability or skill.
- Hire appropriate theatre space to showcase Sri Krishnarpanamastu to give all involved a true experience of theatre.
- To upscale the technical aspects of the production (sound and visuals) with our now newfound understanding of technical finesse in theatrical productions by-
a) Notching up live music component of the production- this was the most important part considering it is a musical and encouraged by what we could do with limited resources the first time around, this is an area where we would really like to go up several notches. Be that having a bigger ensemble or producing technically high quality music- both recorded and live.
b) Creating stunning visual frames by scaling up the visual backdrops and props to add to the exquisite costumes we had sourced the first time around. Provided the stage allows we would really love to be able to afford LED screens and such to project backdrops more effectively for compelling visual frames that will transport the characters and audience alike.
- To be able to hire rehearsal spaces for a period of 10 weeks and not compromise on aspects of tech-runs due to financial constraints.
- To facilitate rigorous PR and networking for cross community support and presence at the show.
- To try and keep ticketing costs as affordable to allow for maximum community engagement.
In short, we want to present our stories, the West-end way! At the same time, the essence and the core of this project remains focussed on bringing families together, encouraging cross community participation, instil pride not deterrence to our identity in our faith and uphold the values of Sanatana Dharma through the simple yet effective art of storytelling.
What you can do:
You can make a huge difference by contributing as little as £2.00 to £5.00 .
This time we DO NOT ask for generous contributions. We ask a contribution of no more than £5.00. But that means we rely on every one that sees this message to hit the button below NOW. Because there is value in numbers- and we believe in our community- it is big enough that a mere fiver can take a small fledgling such as ours to the heights of flight.
Click below to give us a five!
Organizer
Anuradha, Pradeep and Team SK
Organizer
England