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Fri 9/25 - Sat 9/26
7:00 PM - 7:55 PM

John Ford Auditorium at Portland High School
284 Cumberland Avenue, Portland, Maine, 04101 United States (map)

Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust’s About Ram

Tickets are available for $25 in advance and $30 at the door.
Pay-what-you-can tickets are available.

Click to Purchase Tickets via PortTIX

"About Ram" is an experimental theatrical piece using excerpts from the Bhavbhuti Ramayana and told through animation, projected images, dance, masks and puppets.

Ram, the prince of Ayodhya is exiled by his father, at the instigation of his step mother. He crosses the river to the forest with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman. Sita is kidnapped by Ravan the king of Lanka and kept prisoner. As Ram sits by the ocean looking at Lanka across its vastness his life flashes by, he feels powerless and dejected as he longs to fly across the ocean to his beloved Sita. The puppeteers help him by projecting his desires into the mask of the super hero Hanuman which attaches itself to Rams face, at once turning him into a super powerful simian who leaps across the ocean and reaches Sita. 

In this journey and the bloody war that follows with Ravan, Ram becomes a king, forced to choose between the duty of the throne and the love of his wife.He rules alone for the next 10,000 years.

This adaptation looks at Ram as a human being and not as “God.” It traces Ram’s inner journey as a man tormented by his forced separation from his wife Sita. He then fights a fierce battle with the demons to rescue Sita only to be tormented by his own inner demons. Is Sita still pure? Will the people of Ayodhya ever accept her?

Why the Ramayana?

The reason is two fold. Firstly, to re-look at this ancient epic and find a new way of telling it for young people used to sophisticated technology, television and computer games. Secondly, to explore the possibilities of expanding the boundaries of puppetry from the figure of the puppet, to its manipulators and to its environment.

Katkatha, as a puppet theatre company believe that puppetry is an amalgam of may forms, both plastic and performative and yet it has a distinct identity. Experimenting with different forms will push the boundaries of puppet theatre and expand its identity, a little at a time.

"About Ram" was created with a performance grant from the India Foundation for the Arts and in collaboration with animator Vishal Dar.

All Ages

Learn more about Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust

Click to Purchase Tickets via PortTIX

BOX OFFICE

Puppets in Portland tickets are available through PortTIX, the trusted box office for Mayo Street Arts!

Advanced ticket sales end two hours before each event.

Tickets may also be purchased at the door, pending availability.

PAY WHAT YOU CAN

No one will be turned away from PiP events for lack of funds.

ACCESSIBILITY

John Ford Auditorium is located inside Portland High School and is fully accessible. The entrance to the John Ford Auditorium is on Chestnut Street, between Cumberland Avenue and Congress Street.

Accessible parking is available close to the entrance of John Ford Auditorium for those with ADA placards will be directed to designated parking spots by PiP volunteers.

Curbside drop-off is available from Chestnut Street, PiP volunteers will be present to direct guests to the entrance of the auditorium.

If you would benefit from additional information or accommodations, we invite you to contact us at pip@mayostreetarts.org or 207-879-4629.

EVENT PARKING

Paid on-street parking can be found on the surrounding streets.

In Portland, vehicles displaying a valid disability plate or placard are exempt from meter fees and may park up to double the posted time limit at meters and in time-restricted zones.

Two parking garages are located within walking distance of Portland High School:

  • Elm Street Parking Garage (21 Elm St, Portland ME 04101) - 2 minute walk

  • Portland Public Market Parking Garage (315 Cumberland Ave, Portland, ME 04101) - 3 minute walk

Portland High School is accessible by Greater Portland Metro bus routes with nearby stops on routes 1, 9A & 9B, as well as Metro Pulse. Click here to learn more.

SEATING POLICY

We will save your reserved seat until showtime, at which point any unclaimed seats may be offered to other people. Please call our box office at 207-879-4629 if you are running late.

COMMUNITY HEALTH

Audience members — in addition to artists, staff & volunteers — who feel sick or exhibit symptoms of illness should stay home out of respect for others.

CANCELATION POLICY

PiP has a no refund policy for all reservations. In the event that PiP is forced to cancel an event due to weather, illness, etc., refunds will be offered via PortTIX.