Three years, 12 productions, nine different authors, various directors and endless new talents… that has been the journey of Shraddha so far. Now, the theatre group is back with three short plays this season. Based on Tamil author and scriptwriter Era.Murukan's stories, the plays - Aazhwar,Silicon Vaasal and Ezhuththukkaarar – will be staged on November 14, 16, 17, and 19, 7 p.m., at the Narada Gana Sabha, Alwarpet. The plays are being staged in association with Kartik Fine Arts, Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha, Brahma Gana Sabha and Narada Gana Sabha.
Murukan chose the plays based on the responses of his readers when these were published in leading Tamil journals.
The first story is about the influence of inter-personal relations and a genuine yearning for it on human behaviour, while the second is on the impact of technology on human relations and self-actualisation. The third story is about where the first two will lead to - a probable future not far away, of necessity-driven relations.
Thus Aazhwar narrates a chance encounter between an elderly gentleman immersed in the past and searching for those dear to his heart and a young man from deep South also in a search, though of a different kind. The story occurs in Mambalam of the 1980s. It’s directed by G. Krishnamurthy
Silicon Vaasal is about a computer software engineer. Era. Murukan himself an IT professional attempts to capture the thrills, threats, tension, pressure, strained human relations and the ennui that an IT professional has to deal with daily. This story happens during a night with the protagonist having no one to interact with but for the computer and other inanimate objects in a typical IT sweat shop. Does his hallucination consume him or is he able to overcome it and walk into the dawn anew? This is directed by T.D.Sundarajan.
The third play Ezhuththukkaarar (Letter Writer) is a gentle and at times pungent satire of a different kind. A young couple, occupying senior managerial positions in a computer infrastructure and software behemoths, approach an outsourced services provider. Their requirement? A personal letter writer. The interactions the young woman has with the service provider through a scheduled audio conference call with her husband too participating from his desk at office, heightens the drama. This is directed by G. Krishnamurthy.
The play is produced by Shivaji Chaturvedi and Prema Sadasivam. For details, call 28272655 or or 98402 08583 or email shraddhachennai@gmail.com
