A wooden chair sits on one side of the performer and a table holding props sits on the other; all upon a stage that resembles a stand-up comedy setup. Yet, against the pitch-dark backdrop, a basket of colourfully knitted knockers and beanies lends the space a serious undertone, hinting that a meaningful conversation is about to unfold on stage.
This format plays a key role in shaping the one-person five-monologue ‘Knockers’, written and directed by V Balakrishnan, founder and artistic director of Theatre Nisha, and performed by KS Neeharika. Telling the stories of four women and one non-binary person, the performance explores life after mastectomy, its complex physical, emotional, and societal aftermath; with honesty, grit, and disarming humour.
Explaining this approach, Balakrishnan says, “Usually in theatre, the audience is there by default, and it’s the actors who are engaging with co-actors, their plays, etc. But in a stand-up, the performer engages directly with the audience.”
For him, the play began on a personal note. His mother is a breast cancer survivor, and he witnessed her involvement in a women’s group that knit knockers — soft, handmade breast prosthesis for women who have undergone a mastectomy — and ship them free of cost. These prosthetics introduced him to an aspect of post-mastectomy life he had not previously encountered. “That was the starting point of wanting to write this performance,” says Balakrishnan.
Since its December 2025 premiere in the city, the now one-hour-and-twenty-minutes long performance went through a couple of changes, including abridging the duration and withdrawing around 80% of the music “to have a more stark and in-your-face personal interaction”.
Writing about breast cancer survivors as a man came with its own responsibility. The writer says, “The main part (during the production) was holding discussions with women because a man writing a play on breast cancer survivors should not come out as mansplaining.” Although he admits to having faced challenges, he acknowledges that the biggest challenge is for the performer. “At the end of the day, the performer has 8,000 words that they’ll have to not just remember, but make it second nature, engage with the audience, with their space, and with their conflicts,” says the playwright.
KS Neeharika, for whom this is the first solo show, the production itself was a huge learning curve. She says, “What really helped was rehearsals and figuring out what each survivor wants to tell the audience, what their objective is, and pursuing the actions accordingly. It was a good experience throughout and each show feels very different. I think once you learn the lines and it’s out of the way, things become a little simpler. But since this is my first time, it has been quite challenging.”
Reflecting on what the audiences took away from the previous performances, Balakrishnan recollects how many survivors in the audience stayed back after the performance for discussions. He shares, “After 11 shows, people have felt that they need to think a little more about what it is that actually is at stake when a person undergoes mastectomy, what are the stereotypes involved with it, and how much trauma actually exists.” He also hopes ‘Knockers’ will leave audiences with questions that prompt meaningful conversations and action, whether on a personal or social level.
‘Knockers’, the one-person five-monologue, returns to Alliance Française of Madras, Nungambakkam on October 23, 4 pm onwards. Tickets are available on www.theatrenisha.in