A new theatre play ‘Hidden Heart of Goa’ uses the magic of the classic ‘Alice in Wonderland’ to explore Goa’s changing landscape, the cost of development and what Goans should preserve for future generations
SHERYL GONSALVES
A new theatre play, ‘Hidden Heart of Goa’ by Mosaic Stage, organised by The Rotary Club of Dona Paula, is all set to bring a new twist on the classic tale ‘Alice in Wonderland’.
What started as a short story that didn’t get selected in a competition found another path when the Rotary Club of Dona Paula approached director and playwright Annamarie Nicole Remedios to showcase a play as a fundraiser – and ‘Hidden Heart of Goa’ was born.
The story revolves around the journey of Avó and her young, curious granddaughter Alice. “I thought of my relationship with my grandmother. My grandparents would tell me stories, share memories and pass on little pieces of wisdom from the life they lived in Goa. Similarly in the play, Avó is the keeper of Goa’s memory. And the child becomes the person who has to decide what to do with that memory,” reveals Remedios.
The play, she states asks an important question – When Goa changes, what must we make sure we don’t lose?
In the play, explains Remedios, Alice enters a world where Goa itself becomes almost like a wonderland, a place where the familiar is exaggerated, distorted, and sometimes absurd.
The beloved characters from the original classic have been changed to fit the theme and message, making them even more intriguing. Remedios shares, “I created them by taking real things we see around us and exaggerating them until they became characters.” The ‘Mad Builder’ is obsessed with building and expanding without seeing the consequences. The ‘White Tourist’ represents those who only see Goa as a destination to consume instead of a place with its own people, culture, and history. “I wanted these characters to be memorable and entertaining rather than simply being “good” or “bad” characters. They are almost symbols of different forces acting upon Goa,” says Remedios.
To balance entertainment and a serious topic, Remedios had a strategy. “If I make the message too heavy, the audience can feel as though they are sitting through a lecture. But if I concentrate only on entertainment, the message can get lost,” she reveals. To ensure that people across generations connected with it, every element – time, costumes, choreography, music, props and visual storytelling – had to serve the story without making it feel preachy. “I think the playful elements make the serious message more accessible. You can make an audience laugh first and then suddenly make them stop and think,” she says.
Kimberly Marie Do Rosario Noronha, who will be playing Avó, shares that she took up the role as it was challenging and exciting to bring this character to life. “To me personally, it’s a chance to remind the audience of what our Goa actually is.”
The ‘Queen of Concrete’ will be played by Saanj P. Sawant who states that the most challenging part for her was making the Queen appear powerful and intimidating through effective voice modulation and expressions. Stepping into this role made her realise one thing: “Goa has changed over the years, and we, the people who are supposed to protect our heritage, are slowly forgetting it.”
The lead role of Alice will be essayed by Abeni Florin Fernandes. “What really drew me to Alice was her curiosity and her deep passion for Goa,” she shares. Acting for the first time, it took her a while to get comfortable delivering her lines, but Remedios and other mentors associated with the play guided her. Fernandes reveals, “This play made me realise that sometimes we are so familiar with a place that we stop appreciating it.”
And Remedios hopes that the play will make the audience think. “The audience may or may not agree that Goa needed development, but development should not come at the cost of losing everything,” she says.
(The play will be staged on August 22, 7 p.m. at Institute Menezes Braganza Hall, Panaji)
