SHIKA-LAND!

               SHIKA-LAND!

Almost everyone’s done it – Googled or facebooked their names just to see what comes up. The Results, depending on how common your name is, are populated by a variety of people across the globe. Shika-land is a one woman show which delves into the lives of five different women all named Shika! Interspersed with song, each Shika is presented in her own monologue, where she allows us a glimpse into her world. Through these intimate encounters we are given insight into arranged marriage, single motherhood, woman abuse, infidelity and scandal, while posing the question "does our name fit our character or
does our character fit our name"? These women’s stories will take you on a rollercoaster of emotion, shedding tears one moment, and roaring with laughter in the next.

Praise for Shika-Land!

“…utterly authentic on stage…” - Gisele Turner

"…she deftly elicits pathos and humour from each of her
portrayals.”  - Anthony Thoms

“..her accents are top dollar.” - Stavros  Anthias

“THIS IS A MUST SEE…” - Roland Stansell

THE MANY LIVES AND FACES OF SHIKA

By Latoya Newman, Daily News Tonight, 9 August 2011

An experiment to see what a search on her name on Google and FaceBook would churn out set award-winning actress Shika Budhoo on a whirlwind of a ride through the many faces and lives of “Shika” out in the world.

This sparked the idea for her to do a one woman show called Shika-Land! which debuted at the Musho International Festival of one-hander theatre works earlier this year, causing a buzz around the actress’s talent.

And, when it staged at the weekend at the Playhouse Company’s 15th SA Women’s Arts Festival (which wraps up this weekend) it created an even bigger stir as Budhoo impressed the audience not only with the concept and content of her show, but with her remarkable singing skills and use of different accents.

In Shika-Land!, Budhoo takes the audience on a journey through four women’s lives – one that goes beyond their just sharing the same name.

They are a widowed mother of three from the Caribbean Islands who is just trying to survive, raising her children as best she can; a lovesick French teacher living in Brazil who is trying to break up with her boyfriend, while facing up to personal insecurities; a beautician from the UK who is preparing for her next bridal job while processing her thoughts about her affair with the bridegroom; and an Indian bride who has been brought to South Africa for an arranged marriage.

The strength of these monologues is that through Budhoo’s writing she offers a brief yet insightful look into these women’s lives.

How they deal with their lack of confidence in their images and themselves; and their anxieties about the situations they find themselves in.

You can’t help but leave the venue thinking about the people out there who may share your name and the kind of lives they lead, and struggles they face.

Creatively, Budhoo emerges from this show as a shining star for her many talents.

She changes characters at the drop of a hat and has their accents and mannerisms down to a T.

Budhoo and director Dhaveshan Govender have linked and intertwined poetry and song with the monologues, creating a nice diversity in the pace of the production.

Shika-Land! is perfectly suited to the 15th SA Women’s Arts Festival through its celebration of diversity and women.

l The festival wraps up this weekend with the Threads poetry and dance collaborative starring Lebo Mashile and seven dancers. For more information, call the Festival Hotline at 031 369 9555. 

Shika-Land!

artSMart

08/06/2011 09:13:52

Caroline Smart: A perfect showcase for Shika Budhoo’s versatile skills.

Running for only a few more performances as part of the Playhouse Company’s South African Women’s Arts Festival, Shika-Land! is a perfect showcase for the skills of one of Durban’s most versatile actresses. Shika Budhoo is the voice of the popular and lovable Mrs Singh Song on Lotus Fm’s daily soapie Lollipop Lane. She even boasts of playing a mouse - and this is true, because I directed the radio series in question!

In her engaging and lively opening, in which she explains how she came to write the play, Shika tells of her formative years when she had to get used to her name taking on various forms, depending which relative or friend was addressing her. In adulthood, she was able to Google her name and find out just how unusual it is. It actually means “deer” (as in the animal) in Japanese. She discovered a virtual city called ShikaLand! And so the ideas grew.

In Shika-Land!, we meet five entirely different women named Shika (including Shika as herself) as the actress explores the question of whether a person’s name fits their character or vice versa?

Using a hanging tower of fabric as her back-lit change-room, she sings her way through the links to emerge each time as a different persona. We meet a Rastafarian Jamaican single mother, mourning the loss of her husband while railing at the nosy neighbours. She gets her revenge on them by allowing her children to smoke which she know annoys them considerably. She’s feisty but it doesn’t hide the hurt and loneliness.

Then there’s the French girl in winter pyjamas, warmly and ungainly wrapped in a pink dressing gown with a fluffy pink scarf, glasses and a shower cap. Her mission is to write a “Dear John” letter – only in this case, it’s “Dear Johnnie”. One of her reasons for breaking up with him is that instead of flowers or chocolate, he gave her a musical mug for a present! As each crumpled failed attempt lands on the floor, she gets herself more confused.

Then we meet the beautician, rushing in to use the salon’s make-up products on her way to an all-important wedding. While her other accents are accurate, this one did tend to wander a bit from the East End of London to the Midlands.

Then it’s the charming young bride from India who finds herself in Phoenix in an arranged marriage with a rich used car salesman who she has barely met. His mother insisted that her son had a “real Hindi bride” and the young woman determines to do her family proud and be the wife they expect her to be. This character allows Shika to use her skills of sensitivity and vulnerability.

Tightly directed by her life-partner Dhaveshan Govender, Shika-Land! was originally staged in January at the 2011 Musho! Festival, where it deservedly received excellent reviews. The set comprises the four different scenarios – the Jamaican woman’s chair, the French woman’s bed, the beautician’s dressing table and the Indian bride’s chair.

Shika-Land! Performs on August 7 at 18h00 Bookings

Twice the fun, for the price of one

Shika-Land! and King of Old Trafford

12 June 2012 | 10:42

By Latoya Newman, Daily News To

night

THE Catalina Theatre, in association with Dizzy Dragonfly, brings you a great double bill of entertainment this month.

Shika & The King combines two acclaimed one-handers, Shika-Land! and King of Old Trafford, to give you a double dose of local talent at its best.

Shika-Land! is scripted and performed by Shika Budhoo (pictured, right) and features five characters all named Shika. Budhoo plays all these women – who hail from either India, France, London, Trinidad or South Africa – with pitch-perfect accents and chameleon-like transformations.

King of Old Trafford, which is written and performed by Dhaveshan Govender (below), is one man’s tale of life, love and Manchester United.

Govender plays a variety of local characters as he tells the story of a Manchester United superfan.

Both shows received critical acclaim at The Mercury Durban Theatre Awards, with Shika-Land! earning nominations for Best New South African Script, Strictly Solo and Best Actress last year; and King of Old Trafford earning a Strictly Solo nomination in its initial 2007-2008 run.

Shika & The King gives Durban audiences the opportunity to catch both shows for the price of one at R65 a ticket, before being staged individually at this year’s National Arts Festival in Grahamstown.

• Shika & The King (which is restricted to people aged 16 and younger) runs at The Catalina Theatre, Wilsons Wharf, from June 20 to 24 , for a week only (Wednesday to Sunday). Book at 031 305 6889 or www.strictly tickets.com – Tonight Reporter 

REVIEW ONE
Production Name: Shika-Land!
Production Date: Friday 14th January
Time of Production: 6 pm.
Director: Dhaveshan Govender
Performer: Shika Budhoo
Review by: Gisele Turner, freelance writer

Shika-Land! affords the accomplished actress Shika Budhoo to strut her stuff; she has written a piece that is a mini showcase for her most treasured talents. Budhoo has a lovely singing voice that keeps a tune without accompaniment so she uses this as a link between the appearances of her Shika-characters: herself, a depressed Jamaican mama, a sassy London-based beautician and a young Indian woman brought out to SA to be a bride.

Disappearing alluringly into a see-through tent Budhoo effects her changes and transformations emerging fully grown into the next character, physically, mentally and emotionally with pitch-perfect accents.

This is an engaging piece and Budhoo is sensuous and charming and very watchable. I feel that to carry Shika-Land! to the next level would require re-writing the opening scene and giving it more guts, more grit - and less obsession with the name. If possible it would be cool to include two more 'Shika' characters to present a fuller palate of colours.

Budhoo has a rare gift: she is utterly authentic on stage. This makes whatever she does a pleasure to witness. Shika-Land! certainly proved that she has what it takes to deliver that most challenging of creative animals - a one-woman show . Bravo to Budhoo and Govender for pursuing their artistic dreams!

REVIEW TWO
Production Name: Shika-Land!
Production Date: Friday 14th January
Time of Production: 6 pm.
Director: Dhaveshan Govender
Performer: Shika Budhoo
Review by: Roland Stansell, theatre producer

The show opens with a really interesting set , at this point when the performer enters and starts singing I suppose one is not quite sure where this is all going. Shika introduces herself and the exploration of finding out the meaning of her name. The bouncy rainbow dress is fun and her stage presence is strong ,
and she sucks you in to her story right from the beginning. Her exploration of googling her name and finding meaning is very funny and cleverly scripted. She finally googles her name on the internet and then shares with you the lives of three other people she finds on Facebook also called Shika.

We are introduced to Shika the Rasta single mom her brings up her three kids, Shika the beautician, and she chats about the affairs of her life , and chats to her friend Louise on the cell. This character is particularly notable. And finally Shika who has come from India to South Africa for an arranged marriage to a second hand car dealer.

Her character changes with accent and costumes is brilliant , you are so sucked into the different people's lives and almost find it hard to believe that it is the same performer. The characters have to be seen rather than me spell out the dialogue of the script.
What a delight this piece is and what talent in scripting and performance and direction - really well constructed and prepared. THIS IS A MUST SEE...
And will do well at other festivals.
It would round of the piece if at the end when she sings the last piece , she reverts back to the rainbow outfit, as it would bring the story full circle.
WELL DONE, and hey I want to see some more of the SHIKA's that you discovered on the internet. 

REVIEW THREE
Production Name: Shika-Land!
Production Date: Friday 14th January
Time of Production: 6 pm.
Director: Dhaveshan Govender
Performer: Shika Budhoo
Review by: Lindi Drummond, Livewire

Every year Musho produces a few gems and this is one of them! Shika captivated her audience from the start and exuded warmth the whole way through. I thought the use of the lighting in the "change room" and her singing was an excellent way of keeping the narrative flowing and ensuring our attention. Her characters were totally believable and very entertaining.
Her "beautician" was particularly amusing and I loved the "rat" and the West Indian accent. Well done Shika!
 

REVIEW FOUR
Production Name: Shika-Land!
Production Date: Friday 14th January
Time of Production: 6 pm.
Director: Dhaveshan Govender
Performer: Shika Budhoo
Review by: Stavros Anthias, Mercury Durban Theatre
Awards: Judge

Shika loves googling, but when she was young, she didn't love her name, and
always wanted to change it. She tells us that it was only when she went to
university that she grew to love her name, because her friends liked it. Its
origin is Japanese, and means 'deer.' She asks whether a name gives you
character, or do you give character to the name? Her googling sees her
discover Shika-Land ("someone created a town, and named it after me -
googling is wonderful") and three other namesakes on Facebook.
The first Shika is in Trinidad, and she has just lost her husband. She muses
on her loneliness, and her three young children (she became a Mum at 14!) as
she rolls a cigarette, and embodies the stereotype Rastafarian. The second
Shika is as common as they come, probably Cockney, and works in a beauty
salon. She is hilarious, especially on the phone to a friend, when the
F-word is ubiquitous. She tells us she's not daft, just broke. She has an
affair with Carl, who turns out to be a client's future son-in-law, and she
imagines his surprise when he will see her at the wedding. "Normally I go to
weddings to pick up a man, but this time I managed to f##k the groom before
the wedding!"
The final Shika is a traditional Hindi bride-to-be, resplendent in a red
sari, thinking aloud, an hour before her arranged marriage to Raj. "I've
only met him once" she tells us. She was told he was a king in Durban, and
discovers that he's the king of used cars. She is poignant and submissive,
the perfect Indian bride, who cleans, cooks, and will bear children. She is
marrying for her family's better good, and doesn't want the perfect husband
- she wants the perfect sari!
Shika the actress is funny, sincere and charming. She sweetly sings, as she
quickly changes from character to character, makes good use of the stage,
and her accents are top dollar. This show is highly entertaining, with
extremely humorous observations - in other words, it's a winner!  

 REVIEW FIVE
Production Name: Shika-Land!
Production Date: Friday 14th January
Time of Production: 6 pm.
Director: Dhaveshan Govender
Performer: Shika Budhoo
Review by: theatre supporter (no name supplied)

Everyone has Googled their names, claims Shika Budhoo ... and favourable
internet postings about this writer and performer are likely to increase
exponentially in the months ahead, if last night's performance is anything
to go by. Her first self-penned theatre piece, finely directed by Dhaveshan
Govender, is a distilled and engaging one-hander that offers a glimpse into
the life and mind of the actress, as well as three other women who share her first name. With consummate ease she held the attention of an intrigued audience, while slipping effortlessly from character to character, etching each with polished accents and minutely detailed physical portrayals.

The real Shika elegantly transports us into three different worlds ... from the
unapologetic Trinidad Shika, smoking on her veranda, cussing the neighbours, and sharing how the death of her husband has affected her precious children; to a foul-mouthed and brassy British salon-owning Shika; and on to Indian Shika, a shy foreigner brought to the country for an arranged marriage.
Festival pieces are traditionally an hour or so in length, but here's hoping
an extended theatre run of Shika-Land will include one or two more
characters. One simply cannot get enough of Shika.
(Shika Budhoo appears next in a return season of Ashwin Singh's Spice n'
Stuff at the Catalina Theatre from 20 -30 January; and also features daily
in the radio comedy, Lollipop Lane, on Lotus FM.)

REVIEW SIX
Production Name: Shika-Land!
Production Date: Friday 14th January
Time of Production: 6 pm.
Director: Dhaveshan Govender
Performer: Shika Budhoo
Review by: Anthony Thoms, Livewire

With the Christmas festivities of 2010 now behind us and the sporting calendar still to get underway the first few weeks of the New Year allow for a brief period of reflection whilst we ponder the meaning of life, burgeoning waistlines and what the coming weeks and months will hold.
The Musho festival now in its sixth year nestles comfortably into this slot. Comprised mostly of new, one and two hander plays it is a platform for writing talent and often serves up surprising theatrical gems. SHIKA-LAND is one such gem.
Shika Budhoo wonderfully animated and constantly engaging in the title role is a pleasure to watch. Setting the scene for a series of excellent characterisations by posing the question "does our name fit our character or does our character fit our name"?
Drawing her inspiration from the power of the internet and google, for the montage that follows, she deftly elicits pathos and humour from each of her portrayals. Changing, chameleon like and emerging each time from her screen to reveal a colourful array of Shika women.
Shika Budhoo carries this piece along, effortlessly exuding charm and warmth. She displays a mellifluous singing voice which is used to great effect to engage the audience between transformations. I particularly enjoyed the accents which were spot on and added greatly to a well written, performed and directed piece of theatre, which deserves to be experienced by a wider audience.