Dr. Subrata Das is the director and co-founder of the non-profit theater group, Stage Ensemble Theater Unit (SETU) (www.setu.us) based in the Boston area with a mission to bridge the cultural gap between Indian and Western society. Dr. Das is also a board member of the Central Square Theater in Cambridge, MA.

As a director, his foremost objective is to entertain audiences by dramatizing powerful scripts with subtle social and political messages. While directing and staging popular Indian dramas in the Boston area, he adopts mostly Stanislavski’s system of method acting techniques. He enriches his directing techniques by exploiting the close relationship between acting and his work-related experience in the area of human cognitive thought processing. He investigates the relationship between an actor’s spontaneity and cognition, that is, how an actor lives in the present moment while delivering memorized dialogue. He attended The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in NY.

Could you tell us a little about your company?

The name of my company is Machine Analytics (www.machineanalytics.com) but I also have a part-time association with the MIT Lincoln Lab as a technology consultant. Occasionally, I teach at Villanova and Northeastern Universities as an adjunct faculty. The company specializes in data science, making use of cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI), machine and deep learning, and cognitive science technologies. My company has recently been acquired by a multi-national company that is based in New York. Consequently, I have to travel to New York almost every week.

AI is changing our lives in dramatic ways. As an expert in AI, what are some of the unexpected lifestyle changes you think may happen?

My view on the progress of AI is rather pessimistic relative to other pundits. I recently wrote an article (published in my LinkedIn page) titled "The Death of True Intelligence" where I spell out in detail why the task of creating a human-like robot is extremely difficult from a standpoint of intelligence; so we are far away from true AI given the current state of the art in research. Nevertheless, automation will slowly encroach into our lives starting with various routine tasks.

When did you develop an interest in theater?

I grew up watching Yatra (a folk theater form) in a remote village of West Bengal. I received my college and university education in Kolkata where you cannot possibly avoid theater and cinema. In those days, I watched many theater groups and foreign language films.

What led you to create a community theater group?

We founded SETU (www.setu.us) back in 2003 but before that I used act and direct only Bengali dramas. We rehearsed for many weeks for a single show. So some of us, including our co-founder, Jayanti Bandyopadhyay, decided we would reach a much wider audience if we performed in English. SETU's mission is to bridge the cultural gap between Indian and Western cultures. SETU has been a fully non-profit 501(c)(3) organization since 2003. We are a fun theater group with more than two-hundred members. We organize open workshops, train actors, organize fun parties for members, and most importantly, stage two productions every year. Our past productions included Kamala, Mahabharata, Hayavadana, Shah Jahan, Rape Regret & Retribution,  Once Upon a Time NOT in Bollywood, and Ramayan.

Is there a special moment of SETU that you would like to share?

Perhaps our Ramayan coverage by The ARTery - WBUR! It signifies our achievement as a group to bridge the cultural gap.

Can you tell us a little about the upcoming production of Kamala?

Kamala is a bold and classic play by Vijay Tendulkar based on a true story. The play brings to the fore tribal slave trade and male chauvinism, both of which are issues within our current Indian society. Tendulkar’s Kamala is a fitting tribute to the plights of the underprivileged tribal and rural citizens of India. India’s most prominent playwright effectively blends together urban sophistication and rural simplicity. In that process he convincingly brings attention to the similar forms of oppression that women endure, regardless of their social class. The fundraising event in September includes folk dances and a skit about gossiping wedding invitees from the rich, middle, and poor/tribal social strata with popular Bollywood songs and dances.

You have met Vijay Tendulkar. Can you tell us about that interaction?

Both Jayanti and I met late Mr. Tendulkar back in 2003 here at MIT. We were obviously very nervous about staging in English mainly due to the fact that none of the actors' first language is English. He gave us some invaluable advice including mentioning that language is only a part of the drama and there are so many other important aspects. He also cleared our doubt about women-empowering in the context of the last scene of the play.

Why did you decide to partner with Ekal Vidyalaya?

We decided because the cause for which Ekal Vidyalaya is working without focusing on glamor is exactly right. More than two-thirds of the Indian population are living in villages and tribal areas. Proper education can address a lot of deep rooted problems, including poverty, and will positively contribute to society. I personally like Ekal because I also come from a village.

Any special message for our readers?

Please do come and see our show in September (16 & 17) and help Ekal to continue doing their charitable work. Book your tickets from Lokvani: http://www.lokvani.com/lokvani/cal.php?stage=1&event_id=13402


 

|