Ollantay
Apr 2025
Video, Projection and Light Designer
A stage performance based on the timeless Quechua classic about love, war, and the quest for peace.
Ollantay is one of the oldest known plays from South America, believed to have originated during the Incan Empire, which flourished in the Andes region (modern-day Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and parts of Chile and Argentina) between the 13th and 16th centuries, reaching its height in the 1400s before the Spanish conquest in 1533. The play, written in the Quechua language, tells the story of Ollantay, a skilled Incan general of humble origin, who falls in love with Cusi Coyllur, the daughter of Emperor Pachacutec, one of the greatest Incan rulers. However, their love challenges the empire’s rigid class structure, which forbids such a union. When Ollantay asks for her hand, he is rejected and banished from the court. In response, he leads a rebellion against the empire. Meanwhile, Cusi Coyllur is imprisoned in the palace, separated from her child and forgotten. Years pass in conflict until a new emperor, Tupac Yupanqui, brings a chance for resolution and healing. A story of forbidden love, pride, and justice, Ollantay offers a rare glimpse into the values, politics, and human emotions of a powerful Indigenous civilization—through a drama that survived centuries of oral tradition and colonial suppression.
The Embassy of Peru in India invited Kaivalya Plays to present Ollantay on the Indian stage. In 2021, we presented a digital version of the play in Hindi whilst in 2025, we presented a 30-min version at the Instituto Cervantes Nueva Delhi ahead of a full-length production scheduled for July 2025.
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Designing the video, projections, and lighting for Ollantay was about weaving visual atmospheres that breathed alongside the performers — extending their emotions into the air, onto the surfaces, and into the audience.
The world of Ollantay was vast, ancient, and aching with longing. To honour that, I created stage moments where projection and light were not just backdrops but living presences. Full-colour lighting sculpted the scenes — deep blues for mourning, burning ambers for rebellion, rich greens for secret moments of connection. Each shift in light was tied closely to the emotional heartbeat of the story. The projections layered moving textures, landscapes, symbols, and spirits across the stage. They wrapped around the performers, immersing them and the audience inside the world of the play — from towering Incan stone walls that seemed to tremble with history, to sudden flares of sunlight or shadow that marked inner transformations. Subtitles were embedded carefully within the design, flowing with the visual rhythm of the stage rather than sitting apart from it. They became part of the visual field, guiding the audience without breaking their immersion.
Throughout the piece, the goal was simple: make the environment feel alive, responsive, and inextricable from the emotional journey unfolding onstage. Not just supporting the story — but carrying it, singing it, mourning it, celebrating it.
Creative Team
Cast / Elenco: Ramita Menon, Riddhijit Chattopadhyay, Kamlesh Bourai, Nikita Bharti, Kaustubh Rajwade, Nikhil Kumar, Sagarika Kerai, Shruti Mishra, Shivani
Production and Technical Assistance / Producción y Asistencia Técnica: Riddhijit Chattopadhyay, Kanva Chaudhary, Kamlesh Bourai y Sahil
Translation & Subtitles / Traducción y Subtítulos:
Varoon P. Anand, Kanva Chaudhary, Aatika Khan y Kaustubh Rajwade
Projections / Proyecciones: Gaurav Singh Nijjer
Costumes / Vestuario: Cortesía de la Embajada del Perú en India (agradecimientos especiales a Mónica Cecilia Campos Fernández, Enrique Descalzi y Aaina Rehman)
Musica / Music: "Ollantay" por Alberto Ginastera, "Montonero Arequipeño" por Los Dávalos y Percusión tradicional andina
Design / Diseño: Gaurav Singh Nijjer & Varoon P. Anand
Directed by / Dirección: Varoon P. Anand
We would like to thank María Gil Burman, Isabel Pérez Gálvez, Alejandro Palma Allepuz, Bikash Tamang, Sharmistha Majumdar, Chanchal, Dilip, Sharad, Sahil and the staff of Instituto Cervantes Nueva Delhi for their support and guidance for this performance.
Director's Note
By Varoon P. Anand
Returning to Ollantay has been a journey of rediscovery. This text, which first came to life during the pandemic lockdown as a digital Hindi production directed by our colleagues Raghav Seth and Tariq Ahmed, now returns to the physical stage — transformed, yet true to its essence. Adapting an ancient Incan story for contemporary audiences has presented exciting challenges. We have sought for technology not to merely decorate, but to expand the narrative possibilities of this classic tale. The projections and music are not embellishments; they are extensions of the inner world of the characters and of the Andean worldview they inhabit. Our philosophy of gender-unrestricted casting and our commitment to artistic accessibility are embodied in this diverse cast, which includes both experienced actors and young people with no prior background in the performing arts. I firmly believe that theatre is a space for collective learning, where everyone has something to contribute regardless of their journey. The use of Hindi and English subtitles marks another step toward a more inclusive theatre in India, allowing the beauty of the original Spanish text to reach diverse audiences. This multiplicity of languages reflects our vision of an art form that transcends cultural and linguistic barriers. For us, artistic training goes beyond the acquisition of theatrical techniques; it is about cultivating fundamental skills such as deep listening and critical thinking. Each rehearsal has been a laboratory where we explored not only how to tell this story, but also how to connect more deeply with ourselves and with others. We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to present Ollantay as part of the Día E celebrations. Being able to share this work, which connects Incan tradition with Indian audiences, represents exactly the kind of cultural exchange we are passionate about fostering. Thanks to Instituto Cervantes, the Embassy of Peru, and everyone who made this project possible. And thank you, our audience, for joining us on this journey across time and cultures.
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