Two plays. Two different sections of society. One common theme — dominance. That will be the flavour of Women’s Christian College’s annual plays that are scheduled to be performed in the city over the weekend.
The first play, Where There Is A Will, written by renowned playwright Mahesh Dattani, focuses on the strong patriarchal values that contribute to the marginalisation of women in society.
The story’s antagonist, the patriarch of the family, leaves his fortune to his mistress and dies — but lives on in the form of a ghost to see the kind of suffering his family goes through at the hands of the mistress. The play is set in a Gujarati milieu.
The second play, though it has the same theme of marginalisation, talks about the suppression of a different section of society — the underprivileged and their suppression by a wealthy, exploitative zamindar. Titled Jokumaraswami, it is written by Kannada playwright Chandrasekhara Kambara.
It is the story of how a simple peasant wakes up to the cunning ways of the Zamindar. He loses his life in the process, but manages to help the villages know the Zamindar’s true nature,” says Sweetlyn Moses, play co-ordinator.
The two plays are the products of an intense three month theatre workshop by P Rajani, theatre director and the Cultural Officer of Central University, Tiruvarur. Rajani is also directing the plays.
“The reason we picked these two plays is because we want our productions to send out a social message. This is an annual fixture of our college and it will serve as a fundraiser for us,” added Sweetlyn.
The plays will be staged at the WCC auditorium on September 26, 27 and 28. Tickets will be available at the venue and are priced at Rs 200 and Rs 250. Donor passes are available at Rs 500.