Mount Madonna School’s stage play of the Ramayana brings timeless values to a contemporary audience
text by Marshall Wilson
photos by Preston Merchant
SAN JOSE (Santa Clara County) — When Cora Kayne first appeared in “Ramayana!” she played a baby chick amid a sea of forest animals.
Now she’s playing Sita, a bejeweled princess whose abduction by a demon king sends her husband, Ram, on a quest to rescue her.
“I have been playing different characters in the Ramayana for 15 years, so it feels like every year has been building up to this one,” Kayne said. “If you told little me she would be playing Sita, she would be shocked — she would be super duper surprised.”
Kayne, a graduating senior who plans to study drama and theater at UC Irvine this fall, was among students from Mount Madonna School who performed the 47th annual production of “Ramayana!” over the first week of June.
Kayne’s progression from baby chick to Sita is a familiar one at Mount Madonna School.
Narrated by the gods Shiva and Parvati, the production of the ancient Indian epic includes sword fights, singing and dancing, monsters, a Hamilton-inspired rap, a golden deer, goofy bears and a monkey army. The cast includes every student in the school, plus parents and community volunteers managing makeup, costumes and props.
