CHENNAI: True, the world has always been tailored for men, around whose whims everything else revolves. But it also turns out that a system which subjugates women and other non-binary people ends up damaging men as well. Men’s Monologue II, a series of six performance pieces, highlights the deleterious effects patriarchy inflicts on men who don’t always fit the bill. Curated by B Charles of Chennai Art Theatre, the show will be held on Saturday at Medai, Alwarpet, and will be 80 minutes long, with each piece spanning 10-15 minutes.
“We wanted to create a conversation around how men are sometimes at the receiving end of a patriarchal society, despite the world being still male-dominated,” says Charles, adding, “there are gender stereotypes that men are expected to live up to, and those who don’t conform are subjected to a lot of abuse, neglect and humiliation.”
All six pieces are written and performed by seasoned theatre professionals, and they all come from deeply personal experiences. Appa by Dileep Rangan is the story of a budding rapper who yearns for acceptance from his disgruntled father, and the Oedipal undertones are hard to miss. Centred on a condition called “Likeability Disorder”, Shyam Rangathan’s Please Like Me deals with a man whose entire self-worth revolves around being liked by people.
Then there’s the ever-pertinent issue of alcoholism and suicide in Kudi Mahaan, a darkly comic sketch featuring two characters — one, a successful software engineer recovering from alcohol abuse and his childhood friend, a teetotaller who has been hospitalised after a suicide attempt as they face each other in a hospital ward. “This piece resonates with me personally, since I very recently lost a friend to suicide,” Charles adds.
Of all the pieces, Dhik Dhik stands out as the one written by a woman. Sunanda Raghunathan’s act is a monologue where the performer addresses the audience and takes them through the dark lanes of his mind.
The first edition of Men’s Monologue received much acclaim, which encouraged Charles to curate another edition.
“We got great reviews but also some criticism for trying to steal the narrative away from women and the LGBTQ community, though we’ve done shows on their issues as well,” he clarified. Due to the sensitive nature of some of the sketches, Men’s Monologue is strictly restricted to an audience aged 18 and above. Tickets can be booked at Bookmyshow and Insider.