This play is a part of National School of Drama’s graduate showcase of class 2018. It aims to provide a platform to encourage emerging theatre practitioners to share their work with wider audience.

One World Theatre (OWT) is a non-profit English and Nepali language theatre company in Kathmandu, Nepal, dedicated to presenting intercultural, social justice productions, especially plays from South Asia, the Western canon, and contemporary American plays that are affordable, professional, experimental, and relevant.

Established in 1964 with a membership of only four persons, the Repertory Company is the regular performing wing of the School. It was set up with the dual purposes of establishing professional theatre on one hand and continuing with regular experimental work on the other. Over the years it has produced a variety of plays ranging from stylized musicals to realistic contemporary Indian drama to translations and adaptations of foreign plays. In addition, several eminent persons of national and international repute have worked with the Company, and it has performed over one hundred and eighty one plays by ninety-eight playwrights and has worked with ninety directors. Quite a few of its actors have emerged as celebrities in theatre, cinema and television. The Company has toured extensively in India and abroad. It is celebrating fifty years of its existence this year.

New Quest Repertory made its debut in the year 2003 under the visionary leadership of Nalini Nihar Nayak, with the objective to train young artists in theatre and resurrect the dying art forms of Odisha. It has participated in the theatre festival organised by Odisha Sangeet Natak Academi, Yuva Pratibha Mahostav by Sangeet Natak Academi, New Delhi; Experimental theatre festivals by EZCC, Kolkata; National Youth Festival; Bharat Rang Mahotsav by NSD, National Theatre Festival by Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal; Konark festival and many more across the country, besides theatre festivals organised by government and non-government organisations.

Founded in 2004 by Anna Dora Dorno and Nicola Pianzola, the company focuses on an experimental ongoing research in physical theatre and performing arts. Anna Dora Dorno works worldwide, producing performances and directing projects, collaborating with international artists, performers, musicians and video makers. Their poetic work is able to overcome the labels and the divisions between theatre, dance, visual arts, and to communicate strong, emotional, impacting messages. Their performances have been translated in 3 languages and presented in more than 20 countries in Europe, Middle East, North Africa, Latin America and Asia, winning several awards, including the nomination to the Total Theatre awards at the Edinburgh Fringe, and premiering in important festivals such as FIDAE in Uruguay, NLGX in Beijing, and 8th Theatre Olympics in India. Their methodology is valued and requested in many universities and academies all over the world.

The theatre Group Nirnoy began its journey on 22nd August 2013. In essence Nirnoy is an open platform for likeminded performing artists not only for practicing theatre but also other genres of art and culture. Till date Nirnoy has produced three full length plays- Ras, Nayanchander Byabsa, Jodi and one short play. All the three plays were directed by Sangita Pal. Nirnoy has performed its plays at Allahabad National Theatre Festival organized by West Bengal State Drama Academy, Natyaswapnakolpo, Minerva Natya Sanskriti Charcha Kendra National Theatre Festival, Narir Mancha National Theatre Festival and various other prestigious theatre festivals of India. Ras has been awarded best theatre production in the full length drama competition organized by Sayak in 2016. Nirnoy has organized two theatre and dance workshops with Silvia Viufona, theatre personality and dance guru of Italy and renowned Odissi dancer Rina Jana.

Adishakti Laboratory for Theatre Art Research was founded in 1981 in Mumbai. It now has its campus on the outskirts of Pondicherry, where artists and experts from a variety of other fields come for residency programs, sabbaticals, performances and workshops. Adishakti also engages with different spaces and disciplines. Adishakti’s work and experiments are driven, quite simply, by its comprehension of art/aesthetic practice as a unique bridge between a range of diverse realms, which are not normally, or visibly, in communication with each other.

Seagull was established in 1990 in Guwahati by a few young and dedicated theatre activists, including some graduates from NSD. It runs a theatre academy and conducts a one-year training course under NSD Drama Extension Programme. It has its own infrastructure including an open air theatre, studio theatre, rehearsal hall, class rooms and a library, and various wings, each responsible for diverse activities and functions like theatre-in-education, publication, organizing theatre festivals, working for spastic children in association with Sishu Sarothi, conducting theatre workshops for children and youth, and the Seagull Repertory company. The troupe has participated in various national and international theatre festivals.

Swang – A Folk Art Academy, is an amateur group formed by artists of the region and led by Pt. Shiv Kumar, an eminent Swang performer. Pt. Suraj Bhan Shastri, a disciple of Pt. Lakhmi Chand Gharana, and Dr Ram Kumar Yadav, a pioneer art promoter, are patrons of the group.  Swang – A Folk Art Academy is primarily working for the preservation of Swang, an ancient folk theatre form of Northern India. The group has produced many ancient, mythological stories in Swang form and staged them all over India.

The play begins by establishing how any girl who grows up in an average middle-class family, is expected to become the son of the family. These girls continue to make an effort to become the son of the family till the point they break down. The women have never been taught how to love themselves or respect their own identity. They are conditioned to follow set standards of beauty as per prevailing popular culture. We, the society, want women to play an expected role and follow all social norms. We become insecure with independent women having their own mind. Thus, the play is a constant juggling of the expected roles and the real self, narrated as a story and popular imagery.