Alfred, Alston ani Anthony -- a Tiatr in Dallas, Texas Cynthia Gomes James Dallas, Texas [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Chotrai! Chotrai! Tiatr! Tiatr! Tiatr! Khuim? Curtore? Chinchonne? Dubai? London? Toronto? Na, na - Dallas, Texas! Dallas has many claims to fame or infamy around the world -- for example, the site of JFK's assassination, home of the Dallas Cowboys, glitzy buildings and malls, and the residence of the fictitious JR Ewing of the "Dallas" soap opera fame. But among the Goans, East Indians and Mangaloreans who live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Dallas is going to make history for producing and staging the first multi-lingual multi-community Tiatr on August 16, 2008. Ten years ago, in August of 1998, a loosely formed group of Goan, East Indian and Mangalorean friends came together to put up a food stall at Anand Bazaar, which is the huge annual celebration of India's Independence Day around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The event is usually held at the Lone Star Park, and draws a crowd of about 15,000 people. The "Goan" food stall under the banner "Goa - Gem of India" offered Goan cuisine like chicken xacuti, fish curry, rice, and Goan sweets. All the food had been prepared by us, and that year was the first time that our community had a presence at the massive festival. The hundreds of people who clamoured at our stall could not get enough of us! Everyone (mostly Indian immigrants) had a story about a past trip to Goa or a dream of visiting Goa, or a memory of Goan food. Many wanted to know why we were not selling feni! Within a few hours of dishing out our fare on that blistering summer day, we were sold out! We were elated and packed up our stall, floating on a high, even though there had been no feni. Soon after that sweltering day, our makeshift group coalesced into a formal organization. Since there were only about 50 Goan families, 50 Mangalorean families and a handful of East Indian families in the social circle, and all got along well, as well as had a shared Catholic heritage from the Konkan coast, it was decided to form a joint organization that linked all three communities into one. And so, the G.E.M.s of Texas was born -- an organization of Goan, East Indian and Mangalorean Christians in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. As far as I know, as a Goan, this is the only expatriate organization for Goans that has formed a happy union with two other closely linked communities. This year, 2008, is our tenth anniversary year, and August 2008 is exactly 10 years since our debut at a major area event. We have had a year of celebratory functions, and more to come. One of our events in honour of our 10th year is our first ever cultural showcase event titled, "Aamchi Maathi, Aamchi Rithi", on August 16th. The event will include a Manddo, Corridinho, Kunnbi Dance, Mangalorean Dance Medley, Choral Groups, a Generation X item, a Simon-Says Game in Konkani, and the main event, an original multi-lingual Tiatr titled, "Alfred, Alston, Ani Anthony -- A Tale of Three Gems". The Tiatr has been written and directed by this writer Cynthia Gomes James, a Goan, and has an entirely local, amateur cast composed of members of the GEMs organization in Dallas. The Tiatr is a lighthearted tale about three "GEMs" and their sweethearts and how fate brings them together, and then links them forever. Alfred is a Mangalorean boy, Alston is an East Indian, and Anthony is Goan. The play is in three acts, and has about twenty-five pordhe or scenes. Since the plot links three story lines into one, as the play evolves, the story moves fast, and with all the scenes and side show songs, the Tiatr has a duration of about one hour and fifteen minutes. The story takes you from Mangalore to Goa to Gorai, and then to Bombay where by coincidence these three young men meet. As their story progresses, and more coincidences unfold, these three young men find that life and destiny has a master plan for them. The Mangalorean couple Alfred and Juliana are played by Osler and Maria Kamath, who are authentic Mangaloreans. The East Indian couple Alston and Malaika are played by Kevin and Clare Dias (Kevin is an East Indian, while Clare is Goan). The Goan couple Anthony and Claudia are played by Thomas and Lysette Goes who are presently in Dallas, but have their roots in Colva. By expanding the cast and plot to include other couples playing parents, and children playing siblings, the Tiatr has grown to a cast of about 30 people from the community. The entire cultural event will show off the talents of about 80 community members, including adults and children. Since the story is about the three GEMs communities, the play is multi-lingual. You will hear Goan Konkani, Mangalorean Konkani, and Marathi, and due to particular elements in the storyline, you will also hear Hindi, and Swahili. For the enjoyment and comprehension of the expatriate audience and their American guests, there is also a fair amount of English, as well as an off-stage narrator, who introduces each scene in English. The main challenge we faced was the limited number of people in our community who know Konkani. Just a few in our community speak Konkani fluently, some speak it with limitations, many understand a little, and some don't understand a word. So, casting the roles was a tricky endeavour. We had to fill the roles with people who could act well, but did not know the language, and some actors who know the language, but were shy to act. With many script readings and practices, actors who barely spoke a word of Konkani now say their lines confidently and correctly every time. The rehearsals have been so much fun, and actors have driven from one end of the metroplex to the other to attend practices, with dedication and energy. For many in the cast, this will be their first time on stage, and perhaps their only time on stage ever, while some others in the cast have acted before in school, college, and parish productions. We also have five children in the play -- Christina Dias, Matthew Dias, Isabella James, Rohan James, and Brandon Kamath, who have small cameo roles. For them, this will be a memorable event of a lifetime, as they say their lines in Konkani or Marathi. Brandon Kamath and Rohan James are the two youngest actors in the Tiatr at six years of age, and the oldest actor at age 77 years is Peter D'Souza, whose ancestral home is in Anjuna. Script readings for the main characters in the Tiatr began in January of 2008, and as the cast grew, the practices became more challenging as well as more entertaining. New friendships were struck, tentative friendships blossomed, and old friendships thrived over the last eight months. Goans, East Indians and Mangaloreans in the Dallas area validated yet again, that we need one another and do well together. In many ways this whole endeavour has been a very effective team building exercise of the kind seen in the corporate world. Our children are growing up learning that our three communities can be one. They are used to attending GEMs functions and events, not Goan functions, or Mangalorean parties, or East Indian picnics. To quote the lyrics of the opening song penned by this writer, "Ami bhawan, bhoinni soglim, Americak ektaim ami; Ami Goan, East Indian, Mangalorean, punn ami ekuch rogtachim, Ami Goan, East Indian, Mangalorean, punn ami ekuch matiechim".
