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Synopsis

Three artists, Konarak Reddy (musician), Kirtana Kumar (actor) and Kirs Merken (dramaturg), come together in this performance. “It began with Kris’ interest in the poetry of Namdeo Dhasal and this led to conversations about the politics of privilege and representation (Why would a German dramaturg wish to represent Dalit poetry?) and the perceived hierarchy of oppressions. Do some privilege pain over others? Why should we think about caste if we are not in its immediate crosshairs? If we accept that privilege has many faces, then what of oppression? What do we feel about the fact that Konarak’s mother was illegally incarcerated and died during the 1976 political Emergency? Can we ignore personal details while investigating the pain of others?” A prison diary… poems… a daughter remembering her mother…. A suicide note… A father leaving his son. Dreams of stardust, of human possibility. This documentary theatre performance weaves published text, memory, lived experience and prison diary notes together with movement and music. Director’s note: We just came together with an honesty of intention. We struggled with these ideas, but kept pushing. When we first showed it, in very raw form, in December 2016, we were somewhat stunned by the emotional response of the audience. Thinking about it later, I feel it was the transparency of approach and the unpredictability of the form.

Duration

70   Minutes

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