As we moved from a crowded hallway into a packed auditorium at the Goethe Institut on a Sunday evening, the anticipation for what was to unfurl for the next hour was palpable.
As Living Smile Vidya, Angel Glady and Gee Imaan Semmalar took the stage to present Color of Trans 2.0 the audience lined up along the aisles, on the gallery and even on the stairs.
Staged by the Panmai theatre group, Color of Trans 2.0 was an evocative performance by trans activists tracing their experiences over the years. From struggling with an identity crisis and getting their families to accept their decisions and them, to finding jobs and being able to rent homes, they wage an everyday battle.
But their struggle is often plagued with judgemental comments and prying eyes.
The play began with each of the characters recalling their painful pasts — if Living Smile Vidya had to run out on her father to be able to turn into the woman she is, Gee Imaan Semmalar had to watch his mother face societal pressure for standing by her daughter’s decision to turn into a man, while Angel Glady had to deal with years of abuse from people in her town and family boycott before finally being accepted for who she truly is.
But acceptance from their family was the least of their troubles. There was discrimination on a daily basis — Angel Glady, for instance, had to run from pillar to post to first meet a landlord’s criteria for his tenant before being turned away for being a transwoman.
Gee Imaan Semmalar, on the other hand, had to struggle with convincing her partner about her decision to undergo a gender reassignment surgery to become the man he wanted to be. Living Smile Vidya had to deal with curious gazes and nasty comments when she announced her decision to turn into a woman.
How they overcame the notions society had about them to finally carve out the lives they wanted to lead formed the rest of the plot. The play was interspersed with strategic videos that express feminity, sexuality, the police brutality they sometimes faced and life on their own terms, despite every hurdle that came their way.
The performance mixed monologues, humour, clown theatre, pathos, realism, film and cabaret to present a play that left the audience stunned for a moment before a resounding applause broke out.
Published - July 27, 2015 04:53 pm IST
