Creators are always finding new ways to tell stories about women. Their achievements, struggles, resilience and aspirations have inspired countless narratives. Yet one group often remains overlooked — elderly women. The ones over 60, retired from their public lives. What do they have to say? What has life been like for them?
Actress Sajitha Madathil and playwright Emil Madhavi bring their stories to light through the one-hour performance act Podcast Opera, which was recently staged at Aal Studio in Ernakulam South. The musical journey, a performed narrative through the everyday lives of elderly women, unfolds as a powerful and engaging play.
The solo-performer show begins with a cheerful elderly woman stepping into the living room of her 12th-floor flat, where she lives alone with the memories of a life lived. Like many ‘Gen-Z’ grannies, she has a podcast channel where she talks endlessly about her life. Structured as a series of podcast episodes, each segment of the performance revolves around a different aspect of the woman’s life. Beginning with song and dance, the performance gradually turns into a meditation on life and death, memory and forgetfulness, family, romance, unfulfilled aspirations, and the act of breathing.
The play offers a strong and powerful visual storytelling where the audience feels one with the performer. As Sajitha slips into different characters and stories, the boundaries between performance and audience begin to blur —drawing the audience into the performance. The play explores the typical expectations and norms traditionally prescribed to older women — remaining confined to their homes, serving their families, with no purpose left but to await death. Through her intriguing solo act, Sajitha presents a different reality: the new-gen elderly have changed.
Talking about the concept behind the performance, Sajitha informs that it was derived from the urge to represent a group of women who are usually forgotten. “We wanted to do something autobiographical. Unlike earlier generations, many over sixty are not simply waiting for the end of their lives. They rediscover themselves, travel more, learn new things, dance and sing. This side of them is heavily underrepresented,” says Sajitha.
The duo improvised with this idea and eventually came up with the script for the play. “This was a devised script. We tried several aspects, revised it, added elements of dance and theatre and connected everything. It was a refreshing process because it came directly from instances in our own lives,” she says.
For Emil, the idea of the play also emerged from personal experiences. “There are many incidents in our lives that relate to old age. There is my mother-in-law; she used to watch television even when we called her repeatedly to have food. One day, I switched off the TV while she was watching and asked her to come and eat. She laughed out loud, and I was confused. A moment later, I realised she was actually crying,” he says, adding that many similar instances made him think about this perspective. “When I collaborated with Sajitha, we began weaving the story together with different materials and mediums that emerged during the process,” he adds.
The play uses sounds and tiny images to depict memories from everyday life and renders their emotions, such as romance through sound, rather than heavy dialogue.
Another important aspect of the performance was the ‘petti’, a box, based on which one of the podcasts was produced. The box holds the woman’s pet, which is actually wind. This signified two things — memories of her old life and her breath, which is going to end soon. In such a way, small elements and imagery are used throughout this minimalistic play to talk about several aspects.
Inspired by actual podcasts where sound is of huge importance, director Emil wanted to experiment with soundscapes to elevate the solo performance while keeping the get-up and stage minimal. He also noted that with the advent of social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, many older women had taken up podcasting as a way of making themselves visible. “Many women have started using these platforms to reach out and tell their stories. I wanted to create a minimal production that could be carried out with very few devices and expenses while still creating a beautiful impact,” says Emil.
For Sajitha, Podcast Opera was an opportunity to bring out her personal experiences as well. “My mother was not a conventional woman. She proved that she did not fit the confines of motherhood,” she says as she adds that in today’s world, being 60 is like the new 30. It is like a fresh new chance at life. “We wanted to show the joy of being an older woman,” she smiles.