Plays
In 2005, we staged Charandas Chor; The Honest Thief.
While it had the look of a traditional story, complete with music and dance, it was a modern tale of morality and goodness, with a twist. One of the noted contemporary Indian playwrights, Habib Tanvir, wrote the play.
Charandas Chor has been his most successful play, based on a folk tale about a thief who lives by avoiding the law through duping and robbing people. He came, though, with a strong sense of social justice.
Our next production, in 2007, was The Terrace, a gritty modern play set in a city- around a party coloured with ambition, foul play, gin and tonic. Gujarati playwright Madhu Rye penned this expose of emotional vicissitudes, a storm of meaningful yet forbidden relationships.
Amit Ohdedar, who directed both plays, found the strength of the actors involved in The Terrace striking.
“The play is extremely taut and gripping and we all have a long road ahead but we have the zeal and a good story to tell,” he said during production days.
Both productions won satisfied audiences, good reviews and left the players keen for more.
Then came Our Street.
Prayas joined the Auckland City Council production to tell a multicultural story – of a North Indian family and a Samoan family preparing for the weddings of their eldest girls. The artistes were drawn from a wide range of community groups from the Auckland suburb of Wesley, home to around 80 ethnic groups.
Our Street offered an array of characters, from an elusive caterer, to a missing guitarist to a meddling aunt.
The story follows two couples trying to make sure their mixed marriages go off without a hitch. Only an elusive caterer, a missing guitarist, a meddling aunty and one little secret stand in their way. It was no sugar sweet thing; Our Street’s ending was tough and realistic.
The joy of working in a multicultural setting allowed us to share a multitude of modern performing arts including Krumping, Bollywood, hip hop, film, original music by Band of Wesley and a 33 piece Tongan brass band.
It was performed over August 2008 at the Auckland Town Hall’s Concert Chamber.
The Squatter comes next
Prayas is developing its next production. The inspiration is Indian writer Rohinton Mistry, best known in New Zealand for his A Fine Balance. A migrant like many of us, (he moved to Canada) Mistry wrote a few short stories about the experience of moving called The Squatter. That was a simple reference to toilet styles but is symbolic of cultural change and layers within.
For many of us, Mistry’s experiences mirror that of our own. Excited at the possibilities of extrapolating these trials and tribulations, Prayas hosted a series of theatre workshops to draw out the stories of various migrant communities in New Zealand. The Auckland Playback Theatre provided a platform to showcase the emotions.
The stories and experiences have been blended into a script.
The play had its first reading on February 21, 2009 at Ferndale House in Mount Albert, Auckland. Auditions and rehearsals will follow. The play will be staged in the latter half of 2009.
