Virtual theatre efficiency Sarees And Secrets, directed by Dhinesha Karthigesu, a multidisciplinary storyteller and theatremaker, examines the prices of conserving a secret.
This free admission hybrid present, which might be streamed through Zoom on Feb 26 at 8pm, is woven collectively by Sumitra Selvaraj, British theatre practitioner Abhi Arumbakkam and Dhinesha.
“We all have secrets. Every single one of us, and I want people to think about the cost of carrying those secrets,” says Sumitra, 44, a author and producer, who stars this one-woman present.
Sarees And Secrets, which is a lighthearted, incisive and introspective hour-long story, might be offered in English, with a contact of Tamil. There will even be a dwell post-show dialogue through Sumitra’s Instagram web page.
Saree, a storytelling system
“The saree is a multigenerational garment. It is easy enough for it to be passed down to family members or even shared with friends.
“But when a saree in its unaltered form gets shared, I feel that it takes the experiences of the previous wearer in the very fabric of its being, to the life of the next wearer,” says Sumitra.
“And while a saree may grow physically lighter over time due to the decay of the material, it is increasingly weighed down by the collective secrets it accumulates,” she provides.
‘Sarees And Secrets’ is a collaborative digital theatre present by (from left, high) Sumitra Selvaraj, Abhi Arumbakkam and Dhinesha Karthigesu. Photo: Handout
Sarees And Secrets, supported by the British Council’s Connections Through Culture grant, will even characteristic interactive moments all through the efficiency.
During the present, Sumitra might be sporting and showcasing classic sarees, some from the Nineteen Seventies and Eighties (her mom’s) and principally these she inherited from her atha (paternal grandmother), together with some uncommon weaves from the Nineteen Fifties.
Sumitra’s love affair with sarees isn’t new. As the proud proprietor of practically 250 sarees, she has persistently worn sarees for 25 years, from residence to her company job and even the cinemas. Sumitra additionally paperwork her saree assortment on her Sarees And Stories Instagram web page, which has greater than 73,000 followers.
Layers and folds
Sarees And Secrets wouldn’t have been doable with no fateful encounter final August when Abhi contacted Sumitra by way of her Instagram web page.
Abhi discovered a British Council grant alternative that required collaborating with an artist in South-East Asia. She approached Sumitra, who then welcomed Dhinesha into the fold.
After receiving the grant in October, the trio held common digital meet-ups and shortly realised that the saree was a bounce off level for deeper conversations on company and identification.
“Just like a saree has yards and depths in its material, our secrets and techniques too have layers and folds. We carry them and put on them. To take care of a saree is to air it out. To put on it and use it.
“What occurs if we do the identical with our secrets and techniques? Instead of conserving them trapped in cabinets, what if we select to take them out into the world? What is the worst that might occur? I imagine that is why sarees and secrets and techniques are so entwined,” says Dhinesha, who is a component of theatre collective Theatresauce’s Emerging Directors Lab programme.
