On Zoom. Chat was so rowdy I wrote about it for Catapult.
I directed “Ravayana” - a queer, feminist, modern reinterpretation of the Hindu epic of Ram and Sita. Written by Dhinesha Karthigesu, it is a series of comedic, sacred, and profane vignettes in English, Malay, and Tamil. After the staged reading of “Ravayana,” Dhinesha and I facilitated a generative discussion about the play, focusing on how harmonize our art with an anti-caste, intersectional politic. This production is a series in the staged reading and discussion workshop, “Theater as Resistance.”
We streamed on HowlRound, and over 120 people were in the Zoom (not including those watching on the livestream!!!!) A hidden delight in this performance was the use of the chat - I cannot believe the speed, intensity, and thought which spectators put in their comments. The chat was a performance in and of itself!
As South Asians, we believe that we cannot talk about anti-Blackness without also talking about caste, Islamophobia, nationalism, and colorism. As artists, we find value in approaching these topics through plays and performances that dialogue with and decolonize our positionality. We also seek to be cognizant about the digital space that we are taking up right now (and always), and commit to use our artistic space as a site to interact with systemic inequities within our community and communities. As we direct, produce, and facilitate staged readings and discussions, know that we are always asking the question, “how is this theater resistance” and invite you to ask the same question of us. These values have always been essential to our process and work product, but we share them in anticipation of the staged readings we are about to release into the world. Our goals in reaffirming these values is to make transparent and reflect the intentionality with which we curated these pieces, and the folks we aspire to uplift through our art.
Artistry aside, it has been a delight to direct over zoom, with an exceedingly fun, talented, jubilant, and all-South Asian cast. Playing with sound, transposing and interpolating scenes to exist on Zoom, and coordinating 12 hour time differences has been a challenging but rewarding marvel!
