A dramatised reading of a German play hopes to make us reflect on the misogyny and homophobia that exists in society
Director Sheena Khalid guides the cast during a rehearsal. Pic/Sameer Markande
When director Sheena Khalid was first approached by Studio Tamaasha to do a dramatised reading of German playwright Thomas Jonigk's You Shall Give Me Grandsons, it took her at least three to four readings, before she could absorb and understand its shocking material. "It's a bizarre script. The language is misogynistic, harsh and anti-homosexual. The play in general is very dark and draws light to several social problems — and all at once," says Khalid. The reading is being organised in collaboration with Goethe-Institut Mumbai and Tamaasha Theatre.
Jonigk's play tells the story about a powerful and manipulative mother, who is obsessed with her sons to the point that it seems incestuous. She demands that her younger son, who is homosexual, marry and give her a grandson. "But he refuses because he is gay and detests women. Despite this, the mother is determined to get him a wife, so that he can procreate and carry on the family lineage. In the past, the mother has been harassed by her own husband. "She represents what happens when women are subjugated to such an extent that they turn around and become oppressors themselves," Khalid says.
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Adapting the play, which was written to be staged and not meant for a reading, was arduous, admits Khalid. The writing is verbose and so she had to work out how the actors would read the lines, to create the impact Jonigk intended to do. This also meant editing a few lines, she says. "What needs to come out is the attitude of the characters," she says. The play, says Khalid, is layered, but at its core, it also talks about this flawed assumption that having a child, will make everything else fall into place.
When: July 22, 7 PM
Where: Studio Tamaasha, Bungalow No 76, Aram Nagar, Andheri West
Entry: Rs 200
To book: in.bookmyshow.co
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