A jewel of 20th century theatre! In this moving transformative story, written in 1911, Amal, a young boy, is in failing health.  As his body weakens, his spirit gains strength and, like letters in the wind, it reaches out across the world to touch us all. The Post Office is an exquisite classic of Indian culture and world theatre. Tagore is still revered as the Poet Laureate of India.

Directed by: John Van Burek
Choreography: Hari Krishnan
Set Design: Teresa Przybylski
Costume Design: Milan Shahani
Composer: Debashis Sinha
Lighting Design: Robert Thomson

Starring: Mina James, Patricia Marceau, Sam Moses, Dylan Scott-Smith, Errol Sitahal, Sugith Varughese, Jennifer Villaverde

Synopsis:
Amal is an orphaned child of about ten, from a rural village in India. He has been taken in by a childless but loving couple living in the city. Now, however, Amal is gravely ill, although he doesn’t know the extent of his sickness. The very traditional local Healer has insisted that he remain indoors, much to the dismay of his loving “uncle,” Madhab Dutta. So, confined to his room, he sits by the open window where he engages with a variety of passersby. Many of them are people of self-appointed importance or they fulfill some function of order in society. One by one, Amal converses with these folks and one by one, his innocent questioning and absence of judgement touches them all in such a way that they are changed by this child. All are taken aback by his simple but tireless quest for knowledge, his unflinching love for life and his need to discover the world around him... and the world beyond. Across the street, Amal sees a shiny new building with a bright yellow flag waving from the roof: it is the King’s Post Office. Though he can’t even read, he is fascinated by the notion of letters, which are people’s thoughts and feelings, flying about through time and space; he would very much love to get a letter from the King and he would love to be in touch with the world far away. He would also like to travel to the distant hills on the far horizon. As Amal’s physical strength diminishes, his spiritual strength expands The central metaphor of the play is that life itself is like a post office, a central clearing house from which our words, thoughts and sentiments emanate out across the world. Not only that but, even when we are gone, our spirit will remain in the surrounding air.

The Production:
In the tradition of Indian theatre, The Post Office will incorporate dance and music along with the spoken word. Our diverse cast and our modern reading of the play will make it both Indian and universal. Our production, in May 2011, of Tagore’s The Post Office, promises to be a wonderful moment in Canadian theatre and one of great pride for all Indo-Canadians. The Post Office will be part of the Indian Government’s 2011 Canada-wide celebration of Indian arts and culture. This first-ever event of its kind will highlight the growing bonds between India and Canada. As always, culture is one of the finest ways for countries to share their creative energies, to get to know one another and to market themselves to the world. Pleiades Theatre is very proud to be among the few Canadian companies to be engaged in this important occasion.