Matthew Spangler talks about his most celebrated adaptation, The Kite Runner

Matthew Spangler. Shot on OnePlus #FramesofIndia.
| Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN

‘For you, a thousand times over.’ These words from Khaled Hosseini’s acclaimed novel The Kite Runner became symbolic of the friendship between Amir, a privileged Pashtun, and his servant Hassan, a Hazara boy. Set against the backdrop when the rise of the Taliban regime (dominated by Sunnis) in Afghanistan led to the persecution of the Hazara population (Shia Muslims). The books explores the themes of friendship, betrayal, guilt, and redemption through the protagonist Amir.

Now a celebrated stage adaption by Matthew Spangler, The Kite Runner was recently staged by Arena Theatre Productions under the direction of Tahera S. For longtime fans and newcomers, the production drew a standing ovation and left many in the audience teary-eyed by the powerful narration on stage. What made it even more special was Spangler’s presence, who was equally moved seeing his adaption on stage.

Spangler’s adaption of The Kite Runner has been in production for 20 years now being played in theatres worldwide. Spangler is also a professor of performance studies at San José State University in California, where he teaches courses on how refugees and asylum seekers and other immigrants are represented in plays.

Talking about the challenges of adapting an epic into a play, Spangler says, “With this book, the challenge is length, if you read it aloud, it takes almost 15 hours, while the pay is just over two hours. How do you condense a 15-hour long story to two hours? People who love the book come to the play and say, ‘Oh, you didn’t leave anything out,’ when I might have left 13 out of the 15 parts out.”

Even though the play was previously showcased in Mumbai few years back, this was Spangler’s first time watching it on stage in India, “The audience here listen carefully… They are emersed in the story as it unfolds, which I feel was really beautiful.”

Theatre plays an important role in cross-cultural understanding and empathy building, Spangler says. “Amir comes from a very specific background, and life experiences; growing up in Afghanistan and coming to the United States as a refugee, he comes from a Muslim culture; but he is not practicing as you can see from the play. As an adult he wants to do the right thing for the boy (Hassan’s son Sohrab). At the end, you understand him at more emotional level.”

There has always been a production of The Kite Runner, somewhere over the past 20 years, Spangler says. “I have seen this play staged in different countries including London, Canada, or Russia. It is just so unique for a writer to be able to see your play in different contexts and settings.”

Counting Samuel Beckett’s works as his greatest inspiration, Spangler says, “I did my PhD and my Master’s degree in Irish theatre, and it has been a great influence on my work.”

The Kite Runner will be staged on May 4 at 3.30pm and 7.30pm at Ranga Shankara. Tickets are available at the venue and online.