Way back, when the late tiatrist Wilma Pacheco, wife of noted writer-director late AM Pacheco, came on the tiatr stage with All Ladies Show, it was a unique presentation with only female artistes, on and offstage. All the male characters in the drama were enacted by the female artistes and the musicians offstage were also only females.
It definitely must have been a tedious task for the lady director to, first and foremost, hunt for the female artistes, assemble them, rehearse and finally, put up the show. But, she succeeded in staging some shows, despite encountering odds.
WOMEN IN MUSIC
Introducing only female artistes on the tiatr stage, be it in singing, acting and comedy, including the musicians with blowing instruments, Wilma Pacheco undoubtedly created history as no lady director in the past had ever thought and ventured into such a rare project.
After several years, this time around, in Sammy Tavares’ monsoon tiatr, Tuminch Mhaka Sangat, there are four female musicians performing offstage, and they are led and guided by noted musician, Norman Cardozo, on the keyboard.
It is a treat to watch and listen to Jeslyn on the trumpet, Madonna on alto saxophone, Stacy on the bass and Fevila on the drums.
When asked about how this formation came about, the band leader, Norman Cardozo said that when the tiatr director, Sammy Tavares, approached him for the band in his tiatr, he started thinking differently and out of the box. “The thought was to do something different and give a unique presentation to the audience,” he added.
“In Goa, there are many girls who are into music and have learnt musical instruments, including wind instruments,” Cardozo shared, “and so, it was easy to pick up the best among the rest. Convincing their parents was a little tedious task, but success followed instantly!”
“Just before the tiatr could be released, there were only two rehearsals with the entire band,” Cardozo confessed. “And, the third and final rehearsal was with the tiatr artistes and singers on the stage.”
“All the girl musicians are very co-operative and are giving their best for every show,” he sang their praises.
Except for the alto saxophonist, Madonna, who comes from North Goa, all the other girl musicians are from South Goa. Hailing from Santa Cruz in Tiswadi taluka, she learnt the basics and rudiments of music from the late mestro, Luis Cota, from her village. “Initially, it was the violin, followed by the trumpet,” she shared. “But, blowing the trumpet turned out to be quite tedious, and so there was a shift from the trumpet to the saxophone.”
“Except for the travelling from north to south for the shows,” informed Madonna, “there are no other issues. My colleagues are very cooperative and we all blend well together when we perform.”
“My mentor, Cardozo, is also very understanding and helps after the shows to drop me back home,” she disclosed.
Fevila, on the drums, has had enough experience in the world of music since her father, Francis, is a good musician and presently plays for the Goa Police band. She has performed as the drummer and played the saxophone for several other tiatrs in the past along with her father.
If this trend continues, it won’t be too long before the females surpass their counterparts in the scenario of music. And, the deficit will soon be covered up by their presence.
