Rouvan Silogix, Rafeh Mahmud, and Ahad Lakhani have radically adapted parts of Rumi’s poetic master work, Masnavi, into a theatrical experience titled The Caged Bird Sings. This dynamic three-actor performance unfolds in the round, on a stage – a cage, actually – situated in the center of the Aga Khan Museum’s glass-enclosed, open-air courtyard. By design, audience members are effectively sitting in one cage watching the action taking place in a smaller cage within.
Running until June 26, 2024, this world-premiere production is presented by Modern Times Theatre Company in association with Theatre ARTaud. Directed by Mahmud, The Caged Bird Sings (evoking the title of Maya Angelou’s famous autobiography) is performed by Navtej Sandhu, Mikaela Lily Davies, and Silogix, with Scenic Design by Waleed Ansari, Sound Design and Score by John Gzowski, and Costume Design by Niloufar Ziaee.
Silogix, who is a performer in the work and the Artistic Director of Modern Times Stage Company, connected with SesayArts to share insights into this site-specific, world-premiere production. The first point he stressed in our discussion was that the adapters are all “Brown-immigrants” who “grew up with Rumi’s works” and are deeply familiar with them. Rumi’s reputation certainly captivates curiosity and imagination across cultures and generations. But “in the west today, Rumi has become something of a pop-philosophy figure,” Silogix mused. “That is to say, adaptations of his writings in our present context tend to be very tame, safe, delicate, and pseudo-prophetic. They have been white-washed and scrubbed of the madness, wit, humour, zaniness and spirituality that are integral to his genius.”
Through their adaptation, Silogix, Lakhani and Mahmud (who all share Pakistani heritage) are aiming to breathe life back into Rumi’s philosophies by juxtaposing them with the current socio-political context. “The layers of the cage are rooted in the structures that are thrust upon us, as well as the self-imposed structures by which we are trapped”, he elaborates. In today’s world, where these structures are shaped by forces such as class, money, religion, technology, business and science, “the play is interested in how (and if) we can destroy these, and truly free ourselves.”
The Caged Bird Sings locks Rumi (Davies) and Jin (Sandhu), two star-crossed lovers and scientists, in a cell with the enigmatic Sal (Silogix). As they confront their present and seek to reconcile with their past, they are tormented by their own ghosts and demons. This narrative delves into the prisons, literal and metaphorical, that we are put in, that we put ourselves in, and that we create – and questions how and whether it is possible to escape them. Unlike the cautious, almost reverent Western adaptations of Rumi, the bold re-imagining by these “Brown-immigrant” writers is confounding, demanding, and unapologetically true to Rumi’s sharp, witty, and thought-provoking spirit. It brings Rumi’s acclaimed, now-classic works into a bright, edgy and emphatically contemporary light.
Rumi’s works delve into profound, philosophical themes of Sufi mysticism and Fanafillah (a Sufi term that refers to the spiritual state of the annihilation or dissolution of the self in God) – and Silogix is quick to admit how daunting this can be: “There are hundreds of volumes of books written about interpreting Sufi mysticism, and indeed Fanafillah – and by no means, do we claim to be scholars on these matters. We’re artists. For us, it’s all about how those ideas engage us in our present day-to-day lives – literally, philosophically, metaphorically – and in that way, our own contemporary, globalized, diverse view of how it all speaks to us, and the society around us.” Thus, the play — which is initially quite disorienting – places the three protagonists inside the central cage . . . but then begins slipping its spatial bonds to showcase smaller stories, backstories, and even skits, which bring to life the variegated reactions of the authors. These stories are hived off from one another by sing-song story titles, and shifts by the mercurial and always compelling actors into new roles and new on-stage positioning. The result is a storytelling structure that bounces back and forth through time, and across reality – triangulating an ever-clearer focus on the central question of whether we can truly be free . . . or whether “to fly, we must die.” And while the themes and the intellectual rigour applied to them are weighty, the show is frequently laugh-out-loud hilarious.
Balancing dual roles as writer and performer has provided Silogix with unique challenges and rewards: “It’s tricky, certainly, but not unheard of. Rafeh as a co-writer and director, and Ahad as our third co-writer, have all been there every step of the way – and this is truly a shared creation. Beyond the writing, as a performer, it’s the ultimate joy to just dissolve into ‘Sal’ and his eccentricities, and to see ‘Rumi’ and ‘Jin’ come to life in unique and great ways with Mikaela and Navtej”. (And having been riveted by the opening night performance, I can attest that Silogix disappears with obvious relish into his unpredictable role, in which he swings from madman to wheedling tempter to naive royal to monkey-like office worker – and beyond. And that Davies and Sandhu deliver magnificently immersive and protean performances of their own.
Silogix is confident that audiences will find their own joy in The Caged Bird Sings, which he describes as “something fun, something silly, something a little wild”. He believes Toronto’s diverse audiences will find it especially relevant as “a kind of theatrical experience that is both immensely enjoyable and something our audiences have never quite seen before.” At the end of the day, the creators’ goal is simple: “we always strive to have our audiences engaged, have a great time, and leave with some lingering, and if possible profound, questions.”
All of this The Caged Bird Sings will certainly do. Silogix stresses that “the socio-political-economic structures around us have been created by no one but us, and so can be dismantled or reconstructed only by us.” Of course, bringing about such change is a collective responsibility that everyone must want to undertake. “The journey for that kind of movement begins within ourselves,” he avers, and this is why it is slow to occur. To explain the glacial pace, he winkingly offers the well-known joke that asks the question “ ‘Who wants change?’ (Everyone raises their hands)”, then asks, “‘Who wants to change?’ (Everyone puts their hands down)…”
In the end, Silogix concluded our conversation with a warm note of gratitude and excitement, plus a sentiment which I can say the production pays off: “Theatre is all about fun – and we promise this roller-coaster (family-friendly!) will be an incredibly enjoyable experience. We appreciate SesayArts, your readers, and our community’s support!”
The Caged Bird Sings is being performed at the Aga Khan Museum’s Courtyard from June 10-26, 2024. A limited number of pay-what-you-can tickets (suggested: $14) are available for the performance on June 23. Reserve tickets at agakhanmuseum.org.
© Arpita Ghosal, SesayArts Magazine, 2024
