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ArtBonam has fourteen years experience in the exciting world of theatre, as an actor and director. He founded "The Theatre Buffs", a theater group that has been extremely active in Hyderabad, India since 1998. He participated in an Indo-German Theatrical Exchange Program in May 2000, Esslingen, Germany on the invitation of Theater Pedagogic, Esslingen. The project was sponsored by The German Federal Ministry for Family and Youth. The project involved examining Youth theater in Germany, understanding Theater Festivals & their objectives and studying projects such as Theater Resource Centers and other Community & Youth programs. (Summer 2000) Bonam has conducted drama workshops regularly for adults and teenagers. This has led to a rich experience of working with people of diverse backgrounds, cultures and countries. His workshops around the globe include workshops for international and national institutions such the L’Alliance Française de Hyderabad, The International School of Hyderabad (the only school in India to be recognized by the European Council of Education) in Hyderabad, India, The Theater Pedagogic, Germany, the University of Southern Maine, the Portland Public Schools, Maine and private schools such as The Wayneflete School in Maine, USA. “Calling Maine home” has been among my most challenging theatrical ventures. He adapted the life histories of Mary Gabriel, Harry Sky and Gerry Talbot to stage for the Center for the Study of Human Lives at the University of Southern Maine. He directed the adaptation into a multi-media theatrical presentation – “Calling Maine Home” (November 2001) “Talaash” was a critically acclaimed production that Bonam produced. “Talaash” meaning “search” in Hindi was a youth production that he developed and directed through an intensive workshop with 13 teenagers from 9 different nationalities (most of them new immigrants or refugees) in Portland, Maine. “Talaash” was a journey in search of identity and expression in the challenging world of immigration. (April 2001) Bonam has produced and directed several plays in India among which Gautam Raja’s “Shards”, Mahesh Dattani’s collection of plays and the theatrical adaptation of Gutter’s Tin Drum in collaboration with the Department of German at the Central Institute for English and Foreign Languages, India. Visual ArtistBonam was honored by L’Alliance Française de Hyderabad, India, at retrospective to celebrate their twentieth anniversary in Hyderabad in December 2000. He was recognized along with other prominent visual artists from Hyderabad in twenty years (December 2000). Bonam had worked primarily with clay, water-colours and ink until he met British pyrography artist Tom Sims in Bournemouth and trained with him briefly. Since then Bonam has added pyrography to his range of mediums. Bonam has had five solo exhibitions.
Bonam Without a word..Bonam was in the United States on September 11, 2001. He says he will not forget that day ever. He believes the American way of life had changed forever. Being a man of color, he wrote this poem a couple days later. Without a word As I wait for the rubble to be cleared, For the debris to be gone, Standing by the ashes of souls and steel combined, I am without a word. Without a word, I stand, As people walk by looking my way Wondering, If I knew the terrorists, Or they knew me? Standing without a word, but not without a tear and not without a pain Aching for the lost, For those who haven't returned home Whole and safe. My skin so brown, My accent so thick, Even in my silence I stand so colored And I stand so loud. As I stand in the smoke, Without a word. the future seems so uncertain. Both yours and mine With the promise of life so weak. Though I stand without a word I stand for peace. And I know I don't stand alone, for I don't cry any different Or hurt alone. I stand for peace. And I stand with hope. Without a word, without a doubt I stand for peace.
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