“What makes a perfect relationship? Is it chemistry, physical attraction, practicality or something more intangible?” questions Sameer Thakur, director of the play A perfect relationship to be staged later this week.
The play, a hilarious situational comedy by Doric Wilson is a true incident which was given a touch of humour to break the stereotypes associated with sexuality, masculinity, friendship, choice and the oft-misunderstood lives of the people who make those choices.
Currently based in Goa, director Sameer’s ‘play group’ named Cathaayatra an interactive theatre group will stage their production for the first time in Hyderabad. Sameer who began his career as a backstage artiste, well-versed with light, sound, multi media and designing says, “Cathaayatra is nothing but a word play of community awareness with theatre and arts and yatra is nothing but the journey through theatre. I began my theatre group in Chandigarh but my actors are in the cities where we performed. So, for us it is a journey in reality,” adds Sameer.
Sameer also a Communication and Advocacy Consultant with the United Nations Population Fund and designs, pilots and implements large theatre-based campaigns for issues related to young people, sexual and reproductive health, HIV and AIDS as well as conflict-resolution. He has led creative communication for the world’s largest HIV and AIDS prevention programme for truckers with The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and PATH and trained over a 2000 truckers in Magnet Theater for risk reduction.
Magnet theatre? Talking about interactive theatre, Sameer usually prefers to call it magnet plays as “the idea behind it is about community participation. However, this is very different from street plays.”
Taking about the play Sameer, says that as a group they stage a lot of original scripts which have relevance to today’s society. “A perfect relationship was originally written by Doric Wilson in 1979 and first performed in New York in 1980, it is an adaptation for India with a current context and references to the Indian LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual & Transsexual) rights movement,” Sameer adds.
The play A perfect relationship will be staged by the The U.S Consulate General Hyderabad on August 4.
