A Friend Beyond The Fence
A Landmark Large-Scale Production of Kalabhi
A Friend Beyond the Fence stands as one of the most ambitious and large-scale theatre productions in Kalabhi's artistic journey. Set against the backdrop of the Second World War, the play unfolds in a concentration camp in Poland and follows the friendship between Alex, the eight-year-old son of a Nazi officer, and Ethan, a Jewish boy of the same age. Separated by a barbed-wire fence, the two children form an unlikely bond amidst the violence and inhumanity surrounding them. The production also introduces Tembo, a baby elephant, whose presence becomes a powerful visual element within the world of the play.
One of the most distinctive aspects of the production is its use of a life-size elephant puppet. Bringing together puppetry and live performance, the production explores theatre on a large visual and technical scale through puppet design, movement, lighting, set construction and performance. Kalabhi describes the work as India's first puppet-artist production featuring a life-size elephant puppet, giving the production a distinctive place in its exploration of contemporary Indian theatre and puppetry.
Inspired by the possibilities of Bunraku puppetry, the production brings together the discipline of puppet manipulation and the physical presence of live actors. Creating the movement and presence of a life-size elephant on stage requires collective coordination, rhythm, physical control and sustained collaboration among the performers. The stage and lighting design were developed by Raju Manipal, set design by Gopinath Acharya Sagara, costume design by Ujwal U.V. and Raju Gadikatte, while the puppet design and making involved Shravan Heggodu, Ranjith Shetty Kukkude, Ashok Kumar Mysore and other members of the creative team.
The production was conceived and directed by theatre practitioner and puppeteer Shravan Heggodu, whose approach brings together puppetry, visual storytelling and live theatrical performance. With a large ensemble of artists working across performance, puppetry, backstage design and technical elements, A Friend Beyond the Fence developed as a collaborative theatrical process in which the different components of the production became integral to its storytelling.
From its early performances, the production drew attention for its scale, visual language, music, special lighting and the striking presence of the life-size elephant puppet. The staging in Mangaluru was widely noted for reviving the spectacle of large visual elements on the Kannada stage through contemporary puppetry and theatre techniques. (Daijiworld)
The journey of A Friend Beyond the Fence gradually expanded beyond its initial performances and reached important theatre platforms across Karnataka. The production was staged at venues including Rangayana, Mysuru, and as part of Rangavalli Ranga Sambhrama, among other theatre platforms. (Star of Mysore)
A major milestone in the journey of the production came with its selection for Bharat Rang Mahotsav 2025 (BRM / Bharangam), organised by the National School of Drama. The production was officially listed as a presentation by Kalabhi Theatre, Karnataka, directed by Shravan Heggodu, and was featured as the opening play of the Bengaluru edition of the festival. (Press Information Bureau)
Through its combination of a large-scale puppet, live actors, visual storytelling and collaborative stagecraft, A Friend Beyond the Fence has emerged as a significant milestone in Kalabhi's theatrical journey. More than a presentation of a story, the production represents an exploration of scale, puppetry and collective artistic practice. By placing a story of friendship and humanity against the brutality of war, the production continues to demonstrate the possibilities of theatre to create powerful visual experiences while engaging with deeply human questions.
