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The Music In My Blood

a play in two acts with live Indian classical music (original compositions)

The Music In My Blood crosses the boundaries of time and space to bring together Prema and Walter, two people bound by their love of Indian music.


In 1934, Jewish Czech musicologist Walter Kaufmann (1907 - 1984) fled from the Nazis and temporarily resettled in India where he fell in love with the music of his new home land. He became a noted scholar and composer of Asian music and even composed a signature theme song for All India Radio that is still played today. Meanwhile, Prema is born in India to parents from a musical dynasty. When she flees to Brooklyn in the 1980's to pursue a degree in history, Prema discovers the writings of Dr. Kaufmann. Soon, the unlikely pair begin to converse across time and space about music, tradition, culture and heritage.


I began work on this play when I started to learn Indian classical music with my guru Sandip Bhattacharjee. I wanted to explore musical unions between eastern and western music disciplines. There is a moment at the start of the play, Dr. Kaufmann is conducting the orchestra and the melody is intercepted by the "sa re ga ma" solfege of Indian classical music sung by a young singer. Dr. Kaufmann was influened heavily by Indian music which became the basis of his scholarly work during his eleven year stay in India.


After writing the first iteration that was performed in 2016, I collaborated with Sonalee Hardikar for the future revisions of the play.

Trailer

The play began development in 2015 and was performed in 5 different venues in the New York Tri-State area between 2016 - 2018.

2016 NEW YORK

part of tamasha : a festival of South Asian Performing Arts.

article in brown girl mag

2017 NEW JERSEY

at Rutgers University with South Asian Theatre Festival led by Dipan Ray.

festival info

2018 NEW JERSEy

at Middlesex County College Auditorium with Natya Darpan Festival.

watch audience reactions

2018 MARYLAND

at F.Scott Fitzgerald Theatre with Natya Bharti Festival.

all details

2018 NEW YORK

at American Theatre of Actors (14 shows).

read article

CAST and TEAM videos : SPOTLIGHT series

I conceptualized, shot and edited the Spotlight series where each cast (we were working with a double cast) and production team member spoke of their involvement in the play and a specific aspects such as use of Natyashastra (indian scripture on theatre) in rehearsals, working with live music, the role of women in evolution of Indian classical music, along with challenges of being an immigrant performer with stories to tell that do not fall into
the mainstream theatre in the United States.


WILLIAM LAZER and Simon Lazer interview series

Travelled to Florida to meet 94 year old Dr. William Lazer, brother-in-law to Dr. Walter Kaufmann and his daughter Simon Lazer. I learned much a lot about the genius, musician, humanitarian and unsung hero Dr. Kaufmann who was featured as a character in the play.


PRESS

1.The Jewish refugee who composed AIR’s theme is at the heart of a play about identity and music The Jewish refugee who composed AIR’s theme is at the heart of a play about identity and music. (scroll.in).


2. Jewish Refugee and Scholar Bond Over Indian Music in ‘The Music in my Blood’ and we Highly Recommend You go See it for Yourself. (Browngirl Magazine).


3. The Music In My Blood: Carrying the legacy forward (classical claps).


4. “What makes [The Music in My Blood] special is the heart and soul that’s obviously gone into it, writers Sonalee Hardikar and Shubhra Prakash pit not only mother against daughter but tradition against evolution and wanderlust against appreciating what you have.” – (Opplaud New York).


5. ‘The Music in my Blood’ tells a forgotten story of 1940s India. (The teal mango).


6. Review: The Music In My Blood. (stagebuddy.com)

TESTIMONIALS


Listen to audiences such as, Sandip Chakraborty, The Counsel General of India, New York and Arati Ankalikar-Tikekar, who is a two-time national award winner and recognized as one of the leading vocalists of Indian Classical Music.


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