CONTACT PLAYWRIGHT

Synopsis

The play can be seen as the third in a trilogy that fell into place largely by itself. The other two plays would be Family Albums, written in the late ‘eighties, and Arrowheads, written in the early ‘nineties.What Home Movies has in common with the other plays is the focus on the family, rather than on individual personalities. There is an emphasis on the characteristic process in the family, rather than on a plot or story line. This follows the writer’s observation in his professional work that the character of a person cannot be separated from the character of the larger human interactive unit of which one is a part. It seems relatively easy to write a play around a strong, recognizable personality type. It appears to be a greater challen to attempt a characterization of that larger unit which must include the dynamics of interactions across individuals. These individuals have, of course, personalities of their own. But these are influencing the character of the larger unit all the time. At the same time each of them is being shaped by it too. A multi-sectional view of the family seemed to offer interesting dramatic possibilities. For instance, the character of the mother in Home Movies can easily be labelled as dominating. It would be natural for a performing group to see the play as Dhanu’s story. All the more reason for the group to rethink this and see themselves as an interesting family first, of which Dhanu is one element.

Duration

90   Minutes

No of characters

5