Thus Spake Shoorpanakha, So Said Shakuni

A Theatrical Performance on Zoom

Written by Poile Sengupta

Directed by Mahesh Dattani

Nov 7-8, 2020

After Alipha, we are delighted to bring you Thus Spake Shoorpanakha, So Said Shakuni. The playwright, Poile Sengupta, wrote it as a companion play to Alipha. It will be directed by Sahitya Akademi winner Mahesh Dattani, one of the foremost playwrights and theatre directors of India. He will be directing the play from Mumbai.

A man and a woman sit beside each other at a crowded airport while waiting for their flight. They are modern in their speech, attitude and behavior. But as the play unfolds they move back and forth between present day and the mythological eras of the two Indian epics - the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

Traditionally, the two characters of Shoorpanakha (from the Ramayana) and Shakuni (from the Mahabharata) are considered villains. What if one saw the epics from their point of view? Is it possible that Shoorpanakha and Shakuni were wronged? Should they be viewed as tragic rather than evil? Does their story continue today in the form of the injustices against those outside the norm? Those in the minority?

As we attempt to secure ourselves in our deeply troubled world, this play questions our received sense of history and myth.

The stories of the two mythological characters are narrated in the play. You don’t have to be familiar with them to enjoy the show.

English | 60 mins | 17+

Cast & Crew

CAST: Rita Bhatia (WOMAN), Varun Arvind (MAN)

CREW: Basab Pradhan (Production Manager), Richa Garg (Art and Lights), Kartic Bhargav (Technical Adviser), Tannistha Mukherjee (Sound)

ORIGINAL MUSIC: Sruti Sarathy

DIRECTOR: Mahesh Dattani

Show Times & Tickets

Below are the revised show times. If you booked your tickets before we changed the show times, please write to us at tickets <at> bayareadrama.company to rebook your tickets for one of the shows below.

For this show, tickets are priced on a “Pay What You Want” basis. There is a suggested price but you can edit the amount and write in whatever you like before you click on the Submit button. You will receive your personalized Zoom link within 24 hours, or as we get closer to show time, much sooner.

While the show is on Zoom, our costs of production are real and significant. We depend on your patronage to keep bringing you the kind of theatre we do. Thank you!