Naga-Mandala ("Play with a Cobra")
Cast of Characters
Katie Grace Hansen
RANI
Katie has worked in professional theater and film in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto and Atlanta. She also brings extensive dance, musical theater and aerial skills with her to this role.
Kathryn Parks
STORY
Kathryn is a producer and filmmaker as well as a veteran of musical theater and improv. She has starred in leading roles in film/TV and musicals such as The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady and
The King and I.
Ty Schambach
KAPPANNA / VILLAGE ELDER
Ty comes from film and musical theater along with improv and Immersive/Interactive experiences.
He is also a script writer and has trained in combat/stunts and mask acting.
Ritu Anand
FLAME
Ritu brings many years of classical Indian dance training along with her creative bent as a published author of children's books. She serves on the board of directors of the Ringling Museum and played a pivotal role in bringing the Festival of India to Sarasota in 2018.
Nidarshana Jayendran
FLAME
Nidarshana has dedicated six years to the classical Indian dance Bharatanatyam, building her technique and artistry with each performance. Her journey has taken her from the World Culture Festival on the National Mall in Washington DC to productions including A Tale of Duty and Valor and performances with the Indian Association of Manasota.
Ram Balasubramaniam
VILLAGE ELDER
Ram is a technology professional and the Vice President of Global Distribution & Enterprise Architecture for Franklin Templeton. He has acting experience in recent productions such as 'A Tale of Duty and Valor' performed at the Sarasota Opera House.
Cortland Ellis
APPANNA/NAGA
Cortland is an Atlanta-based actor with extensive acting, musical theater and film/television experience. He is an award-winning film actor with classical training and martial arts skills.
Linda Roeming
FLAME / KURUDAVVA
Linda is a Sarasota local with a long history of theater experience in shows such as Mary Poppins, The Producers, Young Frankenstein, WBTT’s Caroline or Change, and the Player’s Follies.
Vanessa Russo
FLAME
Vanessa is a Choreographer, Dancer and Performer. Born and raised in Sarasota, FL, some professional credits include: BILLY ELLIOT (First National Tour), WEST SIDE STORY (Asian/European Tour), and OKLAHOMA! (First National Tour).
Niranjana Jayendran
FLAME
Niranjana has devoted twelve years to classical Indian dance, completing her arangetram - the culminating solo debut of formal training. Her artistry has since taken her to stages including the World Culture Festival in Washington, DC, and to leading roles in productions such as A Tale of Duty and Valor and An Utsava.
Shriya Ashok
FLAME
Shriya is a dancer and musician with a decade of training in the Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam. She has been in productions such as An Utsava, New Beginnings, A Tale of Duty and Valor, The Jungle Book and Aladdin.
Girish Karnad, Playwright
Plot Synopsis
‘Naga-Mandala’ the play is set amongst a ruins. In the prologue, we encounter a Man, struggling with his own mortality. We find out that he has been cursed to stay awake an entire night or he will die. He is a playwright who has written plays putting his audiences to sleep and now, this “abused mass of sleep” has turned against him and become the “Curse of Death”, causing him to flee to this ruined place to hide and try to stay awake until dawn. Even as he confesses his dilemma to the audience, he takes a vow abjuring all playwriting, all storytelling.
Just then, in a magical moment, ‘flames’ floating through the air descend upon the place. The Man hides and observes them—it is said that when flames are blown out in people’s homes, they gather some place to gossip about what they have witnessed of human lives. This is where they appear tonight, personified as characters. Also amongst them is the character of ‘Story Wrapped in Song.’ She is despondent because she is unable to relate her tale to anyone who will pass it on. The Man leaps out and grabs hold of her hand, promising to listen all night, since his life depends on it. Thus begins a play within a play, the tale of a young woman Rani, with her long black hair falling to her ankles like the hood of a cobra; her husband Appanna who is at war with himself and the world, and the King Cobra (Naga) who is carried by love and magic.