Let’s start from the end. When? Dear (A play that brought together queer love stories in the Indian context) As the fifth day of the Remembering Veenapani Festival ended at Adishakti Theatre, Auroville, the applause was unstoppable. There was some time before the cast and crew were introduced. The mostly Hindi drama was well received by audiences, even though it did not have a single subtitle in any language.

Dear Much loved. It is difficult to pinpoint which elements worked more toward the play’s effectiveness. Right on cue, the live music tied together the many narratives running through the play like the spine of a book.

The cohesive, intense energy of the actors made the characters feel alive and familiar. Well-composed scenes, fluid movement choreographies and excellently performed songs (by the actors and two musicians who played important roles in the telling of the story) – all contributed to the success of the play.

Be-Loved started on a heart-warming note as the actors paid musical tribute to all the writers and poets whose works have been used in the play. The way the stories that unfold in it are portrayed, it explores how one travels and tries to live happily ever after (even after many heartbreaks) makes for a hot take on love stories. , designed for vibrant patch-work quilts.

The play skillfully used song, dance and humor to explore the question – why is love so heartbreaking? It depicts the complexity and willpower of love, in addition to its ability to move in and out of relationships. It shows how desires work, or would work, if it weren’t so frowned upon in society, while still keeping the audience emotionally engaged and mostly laughing along with it.

Tamasha Theater Production, Dear It was “made in a very collaborative way,” says director Sapan Saran. After seeing a lot of stories of “courage, hope, belonging, passion, love and loss” in the research phase, he was particularly interested in “Indian queerness.” Tried to go into “experience”. Aspiring to portray its many shades to perfection – where “vulnerability and desire can sit next to loss, wit and sarcasm,” she assembled a group of “multi-skilled artists.” She says, “We knew we had to celebrate queerness by fully embracing it with all its joys, complexities, contradictions and powers. We had to share these stories not as victims but as human beings – like everyone else – flawed yet perfect.’

The play production process involved “reading, sharing, open discussion, language training, movement training, group work, object theater training, listening to personal stories, lots of text analysis and reconstruction, making and learning music, and hours spent on the floor. Were.” To contemplate, ponder, think, dream and hope together,” says Sapan. “A space that was open and safe for everyone, where we could fearlessly be ourselves, was given great importance to creating a space where we never asked – “Are you queer?” but quietly set boundaries.” Understood and respected them” she adds.

Her intention was to create a play that “created its own framework of queerness,” she says, “the process of putting into practice what she wanted to achieve through the production: ask for a world that was personal. Respects freedom and collective diversity.

Music played an important role in the drama Be-Loved, directed by Sapan Saran. , Photo Credit: Courtesy: Aadi Shakti

Music is almost a character in this play. Describing its creation, Sapan says that the selected and written text of the play seemed to choose those musical styles and forms that would best represent its nuances. “Mohit Aggarwal turns Josh Malihabadi’s ghazal into a explosive qawwali. Amod Bhatt has composed Nandi, dedicated to the writers, combining traditional elements of folk performance with a unique contemporary touch. Rohit Das brings with him years of theater music experience and has composed (and played) music for many parts of the play. “Riteish Malani was also on the beat with him,” says Sapan.

Speaking about the response to the drama in different locations and cities, she says that although the viewing experience is subjective, there have been many inspiring responses. “to many, Dear In a way, it has become a drama of coming out of the family. He hopes his parents will watch the drama and understand him better. A girl sent her parents to see a play without her. This, Sapan says, opened up the family to “warm, open conversations about queerness” for the first time. “In Baroda, we performed in front of an audience that included allies and the queer community. Many trans people from nearby villages attended the show and they and the team had great interactions after the show,” shares Sapan. While he believes theater can produce activists, he hopes drama will do the same Dear Can “change the community space”.