Resident Fellows

Suman Mukherjee || Fall 2005

Suman Mukherjee is known as one of India’s best young directors working out of Kolkata. He was in residence in the Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies during September 2005. Mukherjee's productions range from European dramas to adaptations of Bengali prose masterpieces. A highlight among them is Teesta Paarer Brittanto (Tales of the River Teesta), which has run in Kolkata theaters since 2000. Based on a novel by Debesh Roy, this dramatic retelling of the story of the dispossessed of North Bengal is marked by fractured narratives, expressive elements from indigenous folk performance, music, humor, and action. Mukherjee’s current work involves collaborating with European directors on a project staging Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream in forests throughout India in 2006. He is also finishing his first feature film, Herbert, based on a national award-winning Bengali novel by Nabarun Bhattacharya.

While in residence at Berkeley, Mukherjee worked with Assistant Professor Sudipto Chatterjee on an intercultural, interdisciplinary performance piece entitled The Man of the Heart. He also visited the department’s graduate seminar on “Postcolonial Performance” and gave a public lecture/demonstration on current trends in Indian theater.

Public Events

Act Locally, Perform Globally: Suman Mukherjee and His Theater || September 2005

A discussion with Sudipto Chatterjee (with videos).

Performances of The Man of the Heart || September 2005

Mukherjee directs Professor Sudipto Chatterjee in a solo-performance piece on the life, times and music of Lalon Phokir, the saint-composer of the multi-religious Baul of Bengal.

Followed by a discussion with Mukherjee and Chatterjee.