Why Not Theatre’s Mahabharata

Storytelling Using Dance as a Prominent Motif

Abstract

Celebrated by both Toronto Theatre Critics and Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts, Why Not Theatre’s mega production Mahabharata premiered in 2023 after being postponed for the Covid 19 pandemic. This article goes over intercultural and interdisciplinary perspectives highlighting contemporary prerogatives of theatrical adaptation of an Indian epic. It pays particular attention to the role of choreography by Brandy Leary, Ellora Patnaik, and Jay Emmanuel with training within Kalaripayattu, Odissi, and Kathakali respectively.