Sanath Mehta is a theatre artist, intercultural performer, movement artist and theatre maker from India. He recently graduated from the Intercultural Theatre Institute in Singapore, where he studied and practiced in various performing traditions – from South Asian performance forms and Japanese Noh theatre to Indonesian Wayang Wong. During his first visit to Bulgaria, he was a guest of the Varna Summer International Theatre Festival, where he attended part of the programme between 6 and 10 June. Zhaklin Dobreva talks with him about his experiences at the festival.

This is your first time in Varna and generally to Bulgaria. What was your first impression of the festival and of your encounter with theatre here?

This is my first trip to Bulgaria and, in fact, my first visit to Europe, so I arrived with great curiosity but without any particular expectations. I found the atmosphere here beautiful, welcoming and warm. I think this energy can also be felt in the theatre performances, because the culture of a place inevitably influences the art that is created there.

While watching the performances in Varna, I felt that the works here did not strive for excessive spectacle or outward display. On the contrary, there was simplicity, human depth and a strong connection between the actors and the audience. It was a very raw and grounded theatrical experience, which reminded me of India.

In India, too, theatre often does not have access to large budgets. We work in black box spaces, small halls, limited environments. But it is precisely there that one sees what can be achieved with minimal means – through the actor’s body, the director’s vision and the strength of teamwork. Ultimately, this is the root of theatre: a body on stage and an audience are enough for the encounter to happen. In that sense, the festival in Varna was very inspiring for me.

As an artist whose work is deeply connected to movement and the physical presence of the performer, what stood out to you in the dance performances in the programme?

Yes, I watched the dance performances and they made a very strong impression on me. I was particularly struck by the solo performance Behind You. The performer was exceptionally well prepared – one could clearly see the depth of her training, the discipline of her body and her attention to every detail. At the same time, this training was used very effectively by the director and was fully integrated into the concept of the performance.

At the beginning, the atmosphere was mysterious, with dim lighting, and then it gradually developed into a sense of metamorphosis – as if a creature were entering a particular world and beginning to reveal its inner expressiveness. It was a very powerful stage experience.

I also saw Triptych. Of the three parts, the third one, PART OF, was the strongest for me. In it, I could feel the journey of the dancers and the characters on stage – the way they affected one another, how this effect was sustained over time, and how one movement developed into another. There was a flow, a journey, which held my attention throughout.

In the second part, Mare Crisium, I very much liked the composition, the music and the colours of the costumes. It was interesting to observe the shift in energy – after the first, entirely male and more muscular part, the appearance of the female presence brought a completely different lightness. The movements were both sharp and airy, almost feather-like. This change in the quality of movement was very tangible.

Was there a performance that, in your view, could have unfolded its potential more fully?

I would not like to speak about performances in terms of “good” or “bad”. Theatre is a difficult art form and it requires a great deal of courage. That is why I think it is more accurate to ask what works and what does not work within a performance. I do not want to place actors, directors or artists within the framework of a final judgement, especially at a time when theatre everywhere in the world is fighting for its place.

Of course, one can speak concretely about certain choices. In one of the performances, for example, I had the feeling that the acting and the vocal score remained within a rather similar register. There was a lot of force, a lot of pressure, a lot of high intensity, but less variety in the voices and emotional layers of the characters. When the energy remains almost the same throughout, the text can lose some of its nuances.

That is why, for me, the question is how we approach a given text. A text contains many layers, different emotions and possible directions. Sometimes a lighter approach can completely transform the stage experience. Perhaps in such cases it is important to search for a wider range – in the voice, in the emotions, in the dramaturgy and in the way the direction unfolds the story.

What will you take with you from this first experience of Varna Summer Theatre Festival?

I will take with me the feeling of a theatre that is close to the human being. For me, it was valuable to see works that do not try to impress only through scale, but instead seek connection, presence and authenticity. This brings me back to what is most essential in theatre – the encounter between the living body, the space and the audience.

I am grateful to the festival team for the invitation and for the warm welcome. This first journey to Bulgaria began with great curiosity and ends with a sense of closeness and inspiration.