A Fine Balance programme

A Fine Balance Adapted by

Sudha Bhuchar and Kristine Landon-Smith Based on the novel by Rohinton Mistry Directed by Ahi Karunaharan

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Adapted by

Sudha Bhuchar and Kristine Landon-Smith Based on the novel by Rohinton Mistry

An Auckland Theatre Company co-production with Prayas Theatre

CAST

Shankar — Ravikanth Gurunathan | Dina — Rashmi Pilapitiya Om — Mel Odedra | Ishvar — Mustaq Missouri Manek — Mayen Mehta | Rajaram/Potency Peddler — Aman Bajaj Mrs Gupta/Ruby — Kalyani Nagarajan | Beggarmaster/Thakur — Jatinder Singh

ENSEMBLE

Monkeyman/Doctor — Rishabh Kapoor | Goonda — Vishal Patil Ashraf/Vishram — Maulik Thakkar | Nusswan — Bala Murali Shingade Ibrahim — Dylan Thuraisingham | Woman in Slums — Roxanne Sarkari Nurse — Ankita Singh | Dog Puppeteer — Sneha Shetty Announcer — Ayesha Heble | Monkey Puppeteer — Gayatri Adi

CREATIVE

Playwrights — Sudha Bhuchar and Kristine Landon-Smith Director — Ahi Karunaharan | Set Designer — Micheal McCabe Lighting Designer — Tim Williams | Costume Designer — Padma Akula Sound Designer — Ritesh Vaghela | Movement Director — Tupua Tigafua Assistant Director — ­ Sananda Chatterjee | Puppet Maker — Paul Lewis Puppetry Coach — Ella Becroft

PRODUCTION

Production Manager — Andrew Malmo | Company Manager — Elaine Walsh Stage Manager — Eliza Josephson-Rutter | Assistant Stage Manager — Maddy Powell Technical Manager — Kevin Greene | Technical Operator — Zach Howells Props Master — Selina Ershadi | Costume Construction — Bhawani Sivakumar Wardrobe Assistant — Adhirai Prema Maninilavan | Production Intern — Rosalind Tui Set Construction — 2Construct

CREATIVE LEARNING

Education Pack Writer — Lynne Cardy Teaching Artists — Margaret-Mary Hollins and Grace Bentley-Tsibuah AUCKLAND THEATRE COMPANY AND PRAYAS THEATRE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING FOR THEIR HELP WITH THIS PRODUCTION: Aamir Kapasi, Leela Patel, Prateek Vadgaonkar, Utsav Patel, Nona Shedde, Raj Singh, Pauras Rege, Sudeepta Vyas, Kaushik Balan, Tara Ranchhod, Aakriti Kumar, Anisha Bhattacharya, Shweta Tomar, Dhruv Mody, Karen Plimmer, Marie Willis, Michael Craven, Sacha Stejko, Billie Staples, Alisha Iyer, Margaret-Mary Hollins, Natasha Iyer, Grant Reynolds, Whetu Silver, Basement Theatre, Good Buzz Kombucha, Ken Choe at Presentations Design & Print, and Sums Selvarajan at WhySquare Ltd for the loan of the chai cart.

A Fine Balance is the fifth Auckland Theatre Company mainstage production for 2019 and opened on June 15 at Q Theatre. The production is approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes long and includes a 20-minute interval. Please remember to switch off all mobile phones and noise-emitting devices.

Advisory: contains mature themes and haze effects.

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“Our lives are but a sequence of accidents - a clanking chain of chance events. A string of choices, casual or deliberate: you have to maintain a fine balance between hope and despair. In the end, it’s all a question of balance”.

- Rohinton Mistry, A Fine Balance

Colin McColl Artistic Director Auckland Theatre Company

Welcome to A Fine Balance.

This year marks a new direction for Auckland Theatre Company. We’re engaging with other creative energies to profile interesting artists and companies who bring to the stage a different world view. Prayas Theatre has been in existence for nearly 14 years.

In that time, it has built a loyal base of supporters and an impressive track record of South Asian performances.

We’re excited and proud to be partnering with Prayas to bring you this powerful story here at Q Theatre.

Based on Rohinton Mistry’s bestselling, Booker Prize shortlisted novel, A Fine Balance charts the human cost of one of the most tumultuous events in Indian political history where Indira Gandhi’s state of emergency in

1975 instigated slum clearances and enforced sterilization of low caste young males.

This production showcases the talent of our finest South Asian actors and creatives. It’s particularly rewarding to see Ahi Karunaharan head this production. Ahi took part in ATC’s inaugural director development programme The Engine Room and his play TEA was originally workshopped

by ATC’s Literary Unit. Ahi is a young director of energy and passion with a fervent ambition to bring South Asian stories to the stage. Huge thanks to him for driving this project; to Amit Ohdedar and the Prayas producing team and especially to our cast and creative team for bringing to life this compassionate and thought-provoking story.

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Amit Ohdedar Producer and Cultural & Historical Advisor Prayas Theatre

“The growth of fascism during the last five years and its attack on every democratic principle and conception of freedom and civilisation have made the defence of democracy the vital question today... and the peril is all the greater because their so-called friends stab them in the back.�

That was Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India writing to his teenage daughter Indira (Gandhi), in 1938 from his prison cell in the then British India. I have often wondered whether she remembered these words on 25th June 1975, when as the third Prime Minister she was about to suspend the constitution and declare a state of emergency! By virtue of it, she had the authority to rule by decree, subverting the judiciary, civil liberties were curtailed, press heavily censored, government opponents imprisoned.

There were many excesses and injustices – a forced mass sterilisation in the name of family planning, demolition

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of slums and eviction of people in the name of poverty eradication, arresting hundreds of thousands of people without charge in the name of security!

Like any good piece of literature, in A Fine Balance Rohinton Mistry masterfully tells the story of ordinary people caught up in the upheavals of this dark period. It is truly epic storytelling of what an inhuman state can do to its own people.

We loved the adaptation by Sudha Bhuchar and Kristine Landon-Smith, and it is a privilege to bring the work to Q Theatre.

I am personally grateful to Lynne Cardy who conceived this project of collaboration and am thankful to Anna Cameron and the entire ATC team for hosting us with such warmth and kindness. It has been a big step up for our company, a steep learning curve but a truly wonderful journey! Finally, I wish to commend the ATC management for their leadership and this initiative of partnership with a community theatre group like ours!

Ahi Karunaharan Director

“Let me tell you a secret: there is no such thing as an uninteresting life.

One day you must tell me your full and complete story, unabridged and unexpurgated. We will set aside some time for it, and meet. It’s very important. Why is it important? It’s extremely important because it helps to remind yourself of who you are.

Then you can go forward, without fear of losing yourself in this everchanging world.” ― Rohinton Mistry, A Fine Balance

A Fine Balance captures what a government did to its own people.

These are their stories.

What inspires me about them is that the spark these characters possess is never entirely extinguished, even in the face of some of the most adverse circumstances.

It is a fine balance of navigating between hope and despair, survival and destitution, modernisation and destruction, compassion and control to remind ourselves who we really are.

It is truly an honour to be part of this monumental occasion making theatre history. Aotearoa’s first South Asian work as part of a mainstage theatre programme. I thank my actors, designers, production crew and whānau for meeting to unravel and discover this tale and to you for setting aside the time so that we can all move forward.

Together.

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Cast RAVIKANTH GURUNATHAN Shankar Ravi Gurunathan has been in the Auckland theatre scene for five years and thoroughly enjoys the many styles of theatre in which he’s performed. Ravi believes in embracing each experience as a way to learn and excel as a performer. Theatre credits include: For Pastor James (Legacy Six), Monster Mash (Dynamotion), I Ain’t Mad At Cha (WAITĪ Productions, directed by Jatinder Singh), Light vs Dark – The Adventures of Rama (Auckland Theatre Company: Creative Learning, directed by Ahi Karunaharan) and Call of the Sparrows (Proudly Asian Theatre).

Recently, Ravi received Best Newcomer (Collective) and Auckland Live ‘Free Your Mind’ awards, alongside the cast of I Am Rachel Chu in the Auckland Fringe Festival (2019). When not performing, Ravi indulges in

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quiet moments by listening to music – anything and everything.

His recent discovery is the singer Daniela Andrade. Ravi is excited to be part of the cast and team of A Fine Balance and can’t wait to employ the skills and insights he gains from this work.

RASHMI PILAPITIYA Dina For the past 23 years, Rashmi Pilapitiya has worked in theatre, television and voice-overs. Her experience with the acting industry has been about breaking down barriers – an ongoing theme since emerging in the early 1990s as a unique ethnic voice. Throughout her training and career, Rashmi has been grounded in the bicultural conversation in New Zealand but always with the lens of a multicultural voice. She holds a BA in Psychology and Sociology from The University of Auckland and

was the first Sri Lankan woman to graduate from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School with a BA in Performing Arts. Rashmi has had the privilege of calling Somerset, Wales, Croydon, Sunderland, Colombo, Taumarunui, Doha and, for the past 30 years, Tāmaki Makaurau, home.

MEL ODEDRA Om Mel Odedra has established himself as one of New Zealand’s leading Indian actors, working consistently across all performance platforms, including screen (Shortland Street, The Shannara Chronicles 2, Power Rangers), web series (Friday Night Bites, Touch Wood, AFK) and theatre (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the NightTime, TEA, The Changeling). Mel is a proud member of Equity New Zealand and MEAA.

RAVIKANTH GURUNATHAN

RASHMI PILAPITIYA

“IT’S AN INCREDIBLE TIME to be a culturally diverse actor at the moment. Moreover, it is extremely empowering and humbling to be able to tell stories, at last, from one’s own culture, stemming from a place of truth and real connection, as opposed to these stories being performed and seen only through the murky lens of cultural appropriation.”

MUSTAQ MISSOURI Ishvar Mustaq Missouri arrived in Aotearoa in March 2014 and, in that year, was part of a reading of Ahi Karunaharan’s TEA, conducted under the guidance of Auckland Theatre Company. In 2015, Mustaq was in the Summer Shakespeare season of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Michael Hurst.

Following that he acted in The Mourning After, the first Sri Lankan play in New Zealand,

MEL ODEDRA

written by Ahi Karunaharan and directed by Padma Akula. He also appeared in The Lesson, an absurdist play by Eugène Ionesco, directed by Matt Baker. In March 2016 and 2017, he was in the Summer Shakespeare productions of The Tempest at the Pop-up Globe and As You Like It, directed

by Benjamin Henson. His first performance in 2018 was in TEA, which was part of the Auckland Arts Festival. Other shows in 2018 included Dara by Prayas Theatre, First World Problems by Agaram Productions and a Cantonese version of Ionesco’s The Chairs.

MAYEN MEHTA Manek Originally from South Africa, Mayen Mehta is a graduate of The Actors’ Program with a wealth of stage and screen experience. His screen credits include Shortland Street, Fresh Eggs, The Bad Seed,

MUSTAQ MISSOURI

MAYEN MEHTA

AFK and Stand Up, for which he was nominated for Best Actor at the 48Hours film festival. He was also one of the leads in the docudrama Cabbie, which won the Ignite Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Recent stage highlights include performing in TEA, which won Excellence for Overall Production at the Auckland Theatre Awards, and Orientation, which won the Hackman Cup for Most Original Production. As a stand-up comedian, Mayen is a Raw Comedy Quest Grand Finalist and won the Fresh As Flick Comedy competition in 2016.

“AHI’S VISION for this production is nothing short of grand.

I look forward to delving into this poignant script and collaborating with the very talented cast and crew.”

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AMAN BAJAJ

AMAN BAJAJ Rajaram/Potency Peddler Originally from Kolkata, India, Aman Bajaj has performed in numerous productions, ranging from Gary Henderson’s Tigerplay, as part of Auckland Theatre Company and the Young & Hungry Festival of New Theatre 2011, Thomas Sainsbury’s The Foreign Monologues and Hotel as well as Prayas Theatre productions Swabhoomi: Borrowed Earth, Dara, Rudali and Love N Stuff.

In addition to acting, he has written and directed plays for the last five seasons of the Short+Sweet Festival: AI East, Dhoti Baba and Manpreet’s Wedding Night. He was also a host on the youth current affairs show D Brief on The Wireless, which was funded by Radio New Zealand.

Aman is excited to be back working with ATC and Prayas Theatre to help bring Ahi Karunaharan’s vision for A Fine Balance to life.

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KALYANI NAGARAJAN

KALYANI NAGARAJAN Mrs Gupta/Ruby Kalyani Nagarajan is a graduate of Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School. She has studied in France with Master Clown Philippe Gaulier, where she performed Mask, Molière and Melodrama.

Her works include Auckland Theatre Company’s Polo, TV series The Brokenwood Mysteries, Three’s a Crowd (2016 NZ International Comedy Festival), Indian Ink’s The Pickle King and TEA (Auckland Arts Festival 2018), and has recently come off an international tour of Indian Ink’s Mrs Krishnan’s Party.

Kalyani is very passionate about her culture and representing her background in the New Zealand arts industry. She has practised Bharatanatyam (a South Indian classical dance form) for 14 years.

JATINDER SINGH

JATINDER SINGH Beggarmaster/Thakur Jatinder Singh is of Rarotongan/ Singaporean descent and graduated from Unitec’s acting programme in 2008. Since then, he has worked on various devised works (2008–2013), toured the country for 27 months with Duffy Theatre, was a proud member of the inaugural Pop-up Globe cast in 2016, appeared on Ash vs Evil Dead, and has worked for Te Pou Theatre, The Black Friars and Centrepoint Theatre. He has featured in a few ad campaigns over the last two years, most proudly working on Rainbow Youth’s ‘That’s not gay’ ad campaign. He will soon be appearing in his first feature film: Lowdown Dirty Criminals, directed

by Paul Murphy. Jatinder is also branching out into writing and directing with Te Pou Theatre; this has reinvigorated his passion for the craft.

“A FINE BALANCE has given me the first chance to accept and acknowledge my Asian identity.

I’m so grateful for this opportunity.”

Ensemble The core cast are joined by the award-winning Prayas ensemble.

VISHAL PATIL

BALA MURALI SHINGADE

MAULIK THAKKAR

DYLAN THURAISINGHAM

ROXANNE SARKARI

RISHABH KAPOOR

ANKITA SINGH

GAYATRI ADI

SNEHA SHETTY

AYESHA HEBLE

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Creative SUDHA BHUCHAR Adapter Sudha Bhuchar is an award-winning actor and playwright, and founder of Bhuchar Boulevard.

As co-founder of Tamasha with Kristine Landon-Smith, she made landmark work, including A Fine Balance, the award-winning musical Fourteen Songs, Two Weddings and a Funeral and Strictly Dandia. Other acclaimed plays include Child of the Divide (Winner, Asian media awards 2018), My Name is... (which Sudha also adapted for BBC Radio 4) and Balti Kings (co-written with Shaheen Khan). Sudha’s acting credits include Gurpreet Bhatti’s Khandan (Royal Court and Birmingham Rep) and The Village by April De Angelis (Theatre Royal Stratford East). TV credits include Coronation Street and the upcoming Noughts and Crosses. Film credits include Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns and Ben Wheatley’s Happy New Year, Colin Burstead. Sudha won a Tongues on Fire Flame award (2018) and was a finalist for BBC Radio 4’s Audio Drama Awards (2019) for My Son the Doctor, which she co-wrote with Saleyha Ahsan.

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KRISTINE LANDON-SMITH Adapter Kristine Landon-Smith is a theatre practitioner and educator. She has recently returned to the UK after a three-year posting as Senior Lecturer in Acting at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) Australia. She joined the institution in 2013 after more than 22 years as a founder member and Artistic Director of Tamasha, one of Britain’s leading mid-scale touring companies, specialising in artist training, new writing and intracultural theatre practice. Prior to founding Tamasha, Kristine was a Senior Producer for BBC Radio Drama. She is currently freelancing as a teacher and director in the UK and Australia.

AHI KARUNAHARAN Director Born in the UK, bred in Aotearoa, Ahi Karunaharan is an actor, writer, director and producer.

He has worked in the arts sector for various shows, venues, production companies and festivals, both nationally and internationally, since graduating from Victoria

SUDHA BHUCHAR

University of Wellington and Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School. Winner of the 2018 Bruce Mason Playwriting Award, Ahi’s writing credits for stage and radio include The Mourning After, Anchorite and Melodic Maladies.

Ahi’s play TEA, which he wrote and directed, premiered at the Auckland Arts Festival 2018 and was awarded Excellence for Overall Production at the Auckland Theatre Awards. Directing highlights include Swabhoomi: Borrowed Earth for Prayas Theatre, Shoulda Woulda Coulda, Light Vs Dark: The Adventures of Rama for Auckland Theatre Company and the recent immersive participatory experience Kollywood Extra for Satellites. Ahi has worked with the internationally acclaimed theatre company Tara Arts, Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney Festival, Adelaide Festival and Silo Theatre, and is currently the Artistic Director of Agaram Productions.

MICHEAL McCABE Set Designer Micheal McCabe is a designer based in Tāmaki Makaurau. Since graduating from The University of

KRISTINE LANDON-SMITH

AHI KARUNAHARAN

Auckland’s School of Architecture and Planning with a MArch (Prof), he has worked on Orientation (Proudly Asian Theatre), Sightings (Massive Company), Jacinda (The Actors’ Program), Work Do (Basement Theatre) and 8 Reasonable Demands (Auckland Theatre Company). Alongside his work in theatre, he has collaborated on exhibitions, installations and public art events with The Dowse Art Museum, Satellites, Objectspace and Art Week Auckland. Micheal was one of the recipients of the Outstanding Newcomer Award at the 2018 Auckland Theatre Awards.

He was also awarded a Gold Pin at the 2018 Best Design awards for his work on The Claw, a project created for the 2018 Satellites programme.

TIM WILLIAMS Lighting Designer Tim Williams is a young lighting designer from Auckland. Previously, he has been involved with Auckland Theatre Company working on youth seasons for Young & Hungry (Fitz Bunny: Lust for Glory) and Next Big Thing Festival (Checkout Chicks

MICHEAL McCABE

The Musical). A Fine Balance will be his first main bill production with the company. This will also mark his third production with Prayas Theatre, after successful seasons of Swabhoomi: Borrowed Earth in 2017 and Dara in 2018. Staging the work in the round poses challenges to any designer but, as Tim will often say, “If it wasn’t challenging, I wouldn’t be having fun”.

PADMA AKULA Costume Designer Padma Akula’s first production was in 2004 as a dancer, choreographer and assistant director in Charandas Chor: The Honest Thief by Prayas Theatre.

Since then, she has ventured into various aspects of performing arts as a writer, director, costume designer, make-up artist and production manager. Her works include Tell Me on a Sunday (producer), Ranthambhore

by ARTHAM Dance Company (creative director), The Mourning After (director), Dara (costume designer) and A Fine Balance (2015, producer). She has been a Wella TrendVision Awards New

TIM WILLIAMS

PADMA AKULA

Zealand finalist (make-up artist).

Padma specialises in meeting the unique costume requirements of South Asian stage artists and is quite partial to recreating period costume. Her work as costume designer in TEA was received with high acclaim for her innovation and rich detail. For A Fine Balance, Padma has time-travelled to India in the 1970s to create the look and add veracity to the characters through costume design.

RITESH VAGHELA Sound Designer Ritesh Vaghela is a dancer, an actor and a versatile musician who is known to pick up and play any instrument that is available to him.

He is proficient with guitar, drums (adding his flair for the Cajon to many Prayas Theatre gigs in past) and the keyboard. His musical journey started at the age of 13 when he started playing for his school band. It was here, inspired by the rustic folk music that he heard around him, that his musical ambitions grew. Thanks to his talent, intuition and zest for music, Ritesh has played in numerous gigs 11

RITESH VAGHELA

TUPUA TIGAFUA

and shows. He composes music and background scores for Tamil, English and Punjabi short films. Apart from his musical interests, Ritesh is an active member of various theatre and dance groups, including Prayas Theatre. He loves being creative at every opportunity and surrounds himself with the performing arts.

Ritesh is also an ex-IT engineer and is currently training to be a pilot.

TUPUA TIGAFUA Movement Director Tupua Tigafua has always loved to dance. Throughout his career, he has worked for most of New Zealand’s top contemporary dance companies, including Black Grace, Mau, the New Zealand Dance Company and Atamira Dance Company. He has made works for Footnote New Zealand Dance, Le Moana and Unitec. In 2018, he premiered his first full-length dance theatre work titled Shel We? in Wellington as part of the Measina Festival. His work with A Fine Balance marks the first time he has collaborated on a theatre show and he has really enjoyed the process.

SANANDA CHATTERJEE Assistant Director Sananda Chatterjee has worn many hats for Prayas Theatre since 2005: most recently, co-directing Prayas’ 12

SANANDA CHATTERJEE

critically acclaimed show, magnum opus, Dara. She has a passion for ensemble and movement.

Sandy has had works in all the major Auckland performing arts festivals: Fringe Festival (2013), Pride Festival (2014) and Auckland Arts Festival (2015, 2017), and has five Short+Sweet Festivals under her belt, including her 2016 entry Alexander the Great, for which she won a Best Ensemble award.

She has been collaborating with director Ahi Karunaharan since 2013. She enjoys working with him and admires his passion for opening doors for the community.

Sandy is delighted to be collaborating with Auckland Theatre Company and is helping Prayas rise to the mammoth challenge of A Fine Balance! In her 9–5 life, she is an Insights Manager at Yellow NZ. PAUL LEWIS Puppet Maker Paul Lewis is a graduate of Unitec’s acting programme and a trained singer. His recent credits include Titus Andronicus in Titus at Q Loft and the Pop-up Globe, and national tours of The Pirates of Penzance, Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story and South Pacific. Inspired by The Muppet Show as a child, Paul taught himself puppetry, building his own puppets. Since 2016, he has

PAUL LEWIS

ELLA BECROFT

been based at Whoa! Studios as a principal puppeteer, performing the role of Custard and designing and fabricating new characters. Paul has been mentored by Peter Linz (Ernie on Sesame Street) and his work can be seen in season one of Custard’s World, which is currently streaming on HEIHEI and TVNZ OnDemand.

He has produced a variety of puppets for screen and stage, most recently Proudly Asian Theatre’s Orientation. Paul is thrilled to have been challenged with creating three very different puppets in A Fine Balance: his first collaboration with Prayas Theatre and Auckland Theatre Company.

ELLA BECROFT Puppetry Coach Ella Becroft works as an actor, director and producer. She is currently the Associate Director of Red Leap Theatre and has been a Red Leap company member since 2007, performing in Beyond the Blue, The Arrival, Sea and Dust Pilgrim. Ella has worked as a puppeteer and puppet designer for Red Leap, Nightsong Productions and Auckland Theatre Company.

She puppeteered Kune in the television series Kune’s Kitchen.

Ella has led workshops in devised theatre and puppetry throughout New Zealand and internationally.

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The Emergency by Balamohan Shingade

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”

“Brothers and sisters, the President has declared a state of Emergency.

There is no need to panic.”

– Indira Gandhi, Third Prime Minister of India, All India Radio, 26 June 1975.

Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India Image credit: GL Archive / Alamy Stock Photo

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With these words, Indira Gandhi ushered in to the history of independent India, the infinitely depressing episode of the Emergency.

Near the hour of midnight the day before, she had convinced the President that there were ‘internal disturbances’ threatening the security of the country. She hurriedly obtained his signature and, immediately, all civil liberties and democratic freedoms – all but ‘the right to life’ – were suspended.

In the darkness, political opponents, journalists and activists were imprisoned...

Two weeks before the announcement, Indira Gandhi had been found guilty of electoral malpractice in the Allahabad High Court. As a result, her 1971 election was made ‘null and void’. The Court disqualified her from the office of Prime

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Minister and from participating in the Parliament House for six years. Congress was given 20 days to replace her.

The people of India had been becoming restless with their Prime Minister since the beginning of the ‘70s. The monsoon season had failed to arrive, year upon year, leaving the Indian plains arid and the people malnourished.

Supporting the Bangladesh Liberation War had exhausted the country and, soon afterwards, there was a four-fold increase in the price of oil when the Arab world announced an embargo.

The troubles of citizens across the world, and their governments, were all intertwined.

The day before the radio broadcast, as Indira Gandhi was planning the Emergency in secrecy, protestors had marched on to parliament in New Delhi calling on her to “vacate the throne, for the people are coming!” But Indira interpreted the growing dissent, desertion and disorder as the result of a populace lacking in discipline: ignoramuses who supposedly stunted the socio-economic prosperity of the country.

With the Emergency, and the sudden and forcible exercising of her power, she altered the character of India as

Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India with her son Sanjay. 21 May 1979.

Image credit: Keystone Press / Alamy Stock Photo

the world’s largest democracy to a disorientating, tinpot dictatorship.

That night, within three hours of the President’s signature, the electricity was disconnected from all major newspapers. In the darkness, political opponents, journalists and activists were imprisoned, and new censorship

laws were introduced. When power was resupplied, The Indian Express ran a defiant editorial: a blank front page.

During this time, the Indian press was banned from publishing freely, Bollywood was banned from releasing Aandhi and even Kishore Kumar, the singer of romantic Hindi songs, was

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banned from performing on All India Radio. The poor suffered especially, even when the 25-point programme, meant for their upliftment, was jointly introduced by Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay. It is said that, when Sanjay visited Turkman Gate in Old Delhi, he was irritated by the cluster of tenements blocking a view of the grand Jama Masjid. During the Emergency, as part of the ‘national beautification’ programme, Indira’s government began a demolition drive to clear the country of its slums.

The tenements in Turkman Gate were bulldozed and, when the residents protested, the police resorted to open fire.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

– Martin Luther King Jr.

Among the five apparently benign programmes Sanjay introduced, including tree-planting and the abolition of dowry, he was known best for ‘family planning’. As part of this campaign, in hurried and unhygienic conditions, impoverished men were forcibly sterilised. More than 10 million vasectomies took place in this period.

Sometimes, infections required the amputation of limbs, or the procedure

was repeatedly performed on the same individual so that enthusiastic ‘motivators’ could reach government quotas. One day in Uttawar, a village 80 kilometres south of Delhi, men woke to police on their doorsteps at 3.00am.

They were gathered together at the local bus stop and a total of 800 forced sterilisations were carried out that day.

In the lived experience of common people under the Emergency, it became impossible to identify the source of evil responsible for their miseries – arising, as they did pervasively, often so banal and clerical. For many, no less stunning than the sudden announcement of the Emergency was its apathetic acceptance. Some who were sullen in private nevertheless went about their business in public as if nothing had changed.

After 21 months of the Emergency, India had won its second independence.

Indira’s opponents took office when free elections were declared in 1977. Looking back, the episode of the Emergency becomes a cautionary tale about the precarity of any life, dependent as it is on the stability of political and social networks. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”, wrote Martin Luther King Jr. In this way, the Emergency mustn’t be treated as an anomaly but, instead, as a lesson in vigilance. It encourages us to be attentive to the smaller emergencies of our own society, like the polarisation of wealth or the gentrification of neighbourhoods. As the saying goes, “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty”.

NOW YOU HAVE SEEN THE SHOW, READ THE BOOK.

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Find out more about the world of the play and how it is being brought to the stage with our podcast series, Script to Stage.

Episodes dive into the history of Indira Gandhi’s tumultuous emergency in the 1970s, the creative process of bringing the novel to the stage, the aftermath of the emergency for younger generations, and an insight into the Auckland Theatre Company and Prayas Theatre collaboration.

Listen to the podcasts now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Youtube.

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What’s on at Auckland Theatre Company Auckland Theatre Company presents the MiNDFOOD season of

Auckland Theatre Company presents the Kensington Swan season of

Six Degrees of Separation

By John Guare

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead By Tom Stoppard

14 – 29 Aug

11 – 26 Sep

Suave and sophisticated, wealthy Manhattan art dealers Flan and Ouisa Kittredge are all about keeping up appearances in highsociety New York. But, suddenly, their world of comfort and respectability is turned upside down.

What if two minor characters in Hamlet were given centre stage? In a dashing reversal of misfortune, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet’s student friends, now find themselves as the headline acts in Shakespeare’s greatest play.

at Prayas Theatre Prayas Theatre and Agaram Productions present

Prayas Theatre presents

First World Problems

Children’s Acting Workshops

Oct 2019

By Padma Akula

After a sold-out season in 2018, First World Problems offers 20 talented performers just two minutes each to share their world views as South Asian Kiwis. From nagging aunties, Tinder dating and curfews at 30, the lid on the real South Asian struggle in Aotearoa is lifted. Don’t miss out on the return season, details coming soon!

Immerse your kids in the world of the stories you’ve grown up with – from folk tales with clever animals to a conniving minister’s attempt at the throne. Padma Akula is passionate about keeping the stories from our land alive in the hearts of South Asian children in Aotearoa. This will be a series of introductory theatre workshops followed by weekly sessions throughout the year. For ages 7 to 9 and 10 to 13.

Express your interest at: contact@prayas.co.nz

mythmakers Auckland Theatre Company presents

Accessible and inventive theatre inspired by the legends of Aotearoa, the Pacific and the world. Touring Auckland schools in August and November.

TERM THREE: Mahuika!

TERM FOUR Icarus

by Amber Curreen

by Benjamin Henson

For more information and to book a performance at your school: atc.co.nz/creative-learning/mythmakers 22

PRINCIPAL FUNDERS:

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Support ATC If you’re inspired by Auckland Theatre Company’s commitment to bringing the shared cultural experience of live performance to the people of Tāmaki Makaurau, please consider making a gift to ATC to help us continue this invaluable work.

Supporting Acts.

ATC Patron.

ATC Legacy Gift.

Applause <$200 Take A Bow $200+ Curtain Call $500+ Standing Ovation $1,000+

ATC Patron $2,000+ (annual commitment)

ATC Legacy Gift $any

A one-off donation of any size can be made to ATC at any time, by completing the donation pledge, through our website, or by contacting ATC’s Development team.

Gifts of more than $200 are acknowledged annually in our subscription brochure.

All donations of more than $5 are tax deductible.

ATC Patrons receive access to an annual programme of exclusive Patrons' events, VIP offers and priority ticketing.

An ATC Legacy Gift of any size can be left to us in your will, to help our team continue to create big-hearted theatre into the future.

To speak to us directly about becoming an ATC Patron or leaving a Legacy Gift, please contact Development Coordinator Simon Tate on simon@atc.co.nz or 09 309 0390 ext. 287.

Together, we can create inspirational theatre experiences that touch lives!

Become a Prayas Patron At Prayas, we are passionate about bringing the community together. We strongly believe in the power of the arts and its ability to revitalise communities. Our aim is to keep giving the South Asian diaspora many platforms to introduce Aotearoa to stories from their land and their people. None of this would be possible without local business support and investments.

Ways to support Prayas • • •

Tailor-made sponsorship packages One-off cash donations Donations in kind which can range from food, supplies, costumes to donation of time and services that will help us put our events together.

Talk to us about how you would like to help and we’re sure we will be able to find a way to put your support to good use.

contact@prayas.co.nz

Production Suppliers BLACK

PMS 382

SET BUILDERS

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BUILDING SERVICES

matt munford 021 554 078

2construct.co.nz

143A TARGET ROAD, WAIRAU VALLEY, NORTH SHORE CITY 0627, AUCKLAND POSTAL ADDRESS 71 SMALE STREET, PT CHEVALIER, AUCKLAND 1022 TEL 09 443 3099 EMAIL twoconstruct@ihug.co.nz www.2construct.co.nz

SET BUILDERS

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STAGING

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chook birch 021 776 105

Beauty and Product Sponsors

Preferred Supplier

OFFICIAL MAKE-UP SPONSOR M.A.C cosmetics offers a large selection of make-up, skin-care products and nail-care items.

Visit Smith & Caughey’s, St Lukes, Britomart or Botany Downs.

At Regal Drycleaners, our goal is to help you feel good by looking good. You can book a pick-up online with Regal Direct or find us in Newmarket, Ponsonby, Eastridge and Takapuna.

143A TARGET ROAD, WAIRAU VALLEY, NORTH SHORE CITY 0627, AUCKLAND POSTAL ADDRESS 71 SMALE STREET, PT CHEVALIER, AUCKLAND 1022 TEL 09 443 3099 EMAIL twoconstruct@ihug.co.nz www.2construct.co.nz

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xytech.co.nz

TAKE YOUR BUSINESS

CENTRE STAGE

CONTACT WILL ROOKE qmsmedia.com

will.rooke@qmsmedia.com | 021 02612005

AUCKLAND THEATRE COMPANY Artistic Director Colin McColl ONZM General Manager Anna Cameron Creative Development Associate Director: Lynne Cardy Literary Manager: Philippa Campbell Youth Arts Coordinator: Nicole Arrow Production and Premises Production Manager: Andrew Malmo Company Manager: Elaine Walsh Venue Technical Manager: Josh Bond Venue Technician: Johnny Chen Marketing and Communications Marketing and Communications Manager: Natasha Gordon Publicists: Siobhan Waterhouse and Vanessa Preston Graphic Designer: Wanda Tambrin Graphic Designer (May 2019): Nick Lurman Marketing Campaigns Manager: Nicola Brown Digital Marketing Coordinator: Brad Fisher Visitor Experience Ticketing and Front of House Manager: Gary Barker Food and Beverage Manager: Richard Pepper Front of House Manager: Ralph Corke Ticketing Administrator: Joni Nelson Ticketing Executive: Melissa Handley Development and Venue Sales Development Manager: Emma Burton Development Coordinator: Simon Tate Events and Sales Manager: Tracey Rowe Event Coordinator: Eshian Teo-Wade Business Development Manager: Geeling Ching Administration and Finance Finance Manager: Kerry Tomlin Senior Accountant: Nick Tregerthan Senior Accounts Administrator: Michelle Speir Company Administrator: Jan Pitout Administration Coordinator: Jade McCann Executive Administrator: Natasha Pearce Mana Whenua Cultural Advisor Herewini Easton

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair: Gordon Moller ONZM Vivien Bridgwater Karen Fistonich Isaac Hikaka Katie Jacobs Derek McCormack Graeme Pinfold Alison Quigan We acknowledge The Theatre Foundation Trustees for the philanthropic support provided to Auckland Theatre Company activities.

CONTACT ATC 487 Dominion Road, Mt Eden PO Box 96002 Balmoral, Auckland 1342 P: 09 309 0390 F: 09 309 0391 atc@atc.co.nz atc.co.nz ATC PATRONS Margot and Alastair Acland Margaret Anderson John Barnett Michelle Boag Adrian Burr and the late Peter Tatham Paul and Barbie Cook Roger and Maryanne Dickie Guy and Nicole Domett Kim and Annette Ellis Trevor and Jan Farmer Stephen and Virginia Fisher Stuart Grieve and Antonia Fisher Cameron Fleming Rob Nicholson and Ruth Foreman Michael Friedlander Dame Jenny Gibbs Michael and Stephanie Gowan Ross and Josephine Green Sue Haigh Catherine and Michael Hapgood Allyson and Paul Harvey Jessica Miles and Isaac Hikaka Anne and Peter Hinton Ros and Greg Hinton Michael and Dame Rosie Horton Rod and Julie Inglis Sally and Peter Jackson Len and Heather Jury Simon Vannini and Anita Killeen Ross and Paulette Laidlaw Philippa Smith-Lambert and Chris Lambert Margot and Paul Leigh Sir Chris and Lady Dayle Mace Stella McDonald and the late Robert Johnston Jackie and Phillip Mills Andrew Gelonese and Michael Moore Christine and Derek Nolan

Denver and Prue Olde Peter Macky and Yuri Opeshko Heather Pascual Barby Pensabene Maria Renhart Robyn and Malcolm Reynolds Fran and Geoff Ricketts Mark and Catherine Sandelin Dale Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Rose and Mike Smith Janmarie Thompson and Joanna Smout Lady Tait Julie and Russell Tills Pip Muir and Kit Toogood Susan and Gavin Walker Sir James Wallace Greg Blanchard and Carol Weaver Ian Webster Dona and Gavin White Fran Wyborn Annemarie Yannaghas ATC 2018/19 SUPPORTING ACTS Standing Ovation Brian and Pam Stevenson Matthew Olde and Jacqui Cormack Sandy and Alan Bulmer Scott and Louise Wallace Rob Nicoll Curtain Call Anonymous Take A Bow Paul and Bev Le Grice Sandra Greenfield Marianne Willison Nicola Jeffares Ian Forrest Mindy Levene Rosemary Langham Terry Hibbit Louise Mountfort Shane Compton Applause Selwyn Bennet Geoff Dalbeth Bernard Kendall Claire Abel John and Barbara Lindsay Lyndell Simmonds Don and Lyn Jaine ATC welcomes Supporting Acts donations throughout the year.

CONTACT BOX OFFICE ASB Waterfront Theatre 138 Halsey Street, Wynyard Quarter Subscriber Hotline: 09 309 3395 General Box Office: 0800 ATC TIX (282 849) boxoffice@atc.co.nz

Prayas is a non-profit theatre group originally established to produce Indian theatre in English, for the wider audience of New Zealand – with an aim to share, integrate with and enhance the cultural mosaic of this land. In the past 14 years, Prayas has evolved as the largest South Asian community theatre and cultural group in the country.

WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE PRAYAS THEATRE PARIVAR FOR ALL THEIR HELP AND SUPPORT ALONG THE WAY: Amit Ohdedar Sudeepta Vyas Sananda Chatterjee Nona Shedde Ahi Karunaharan

Rishabh Kapoor Ankita Singh Porvi Fomra Sneha Shetty

Zetin Moza Prateek Vadgaonkar Padma Akula Moushumi Das

WE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK OUR KEY PATRONS, WHO HAVE SUPPORTED US ON OUR JOURNEY THROUGH THE YEARS:

Keep in touch with Prayas Theatre We’re constantly working towards finding ways to bring communities together. Subscribe to our updates for information on upcoming performances, free or discounted workshops, and more.

Just point your phone camera here to subscribe – easy!

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MiNDFOOD season of

Six Degrees of Separation By

John Guare

14 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 29 AUG 1

atc.co.nz

PRESENTING PARTNER:

P RI N CI PAL F UN D E RS :

By arrangement with Hal Leonard Australia Pty Ltd, on behalf of Dramatists Play Service, Inc