Several years ago when actor-writer-director Trishla Patel visited Helsinki in Finland as an exchange student and stayed there for a year, it was a life-changing experience for her. The Mumbai resident, then 16, met kids from other 30 countries, all of them who were older than her. Patel stayed at a farm, didn’t see sunlight for months together, learnt to walk barefoot on ice and survive in sub zero temperatures. As the children didn’t know each other’s languages, all of them learnt Finnish eventually. This not only helped them communicate with each other but also brought them closer. It’s this experience that prompted Patel to pen her new play for kids titled The Exchange Student .
The story revolves around an Italian exchange student, Cris, who comes to Mumbai and lives at the home of a young boy, Krish. The everyday hurdles faced by this student in the strange and exciting city become an eye opener for both of them. However, things take an ugly turn when Cris gets lost in our city and encounters a motley mix of characters. What happens next forms the crux of the plot. Patel says, “The story is about how racism seeps into our beliefs without us even knowing about it. We also touch upon the harsh reality of child labour in the dark underbelly of Mumbai.”
Inspired by her own experience, Patel, who has written the script and is director of the play, has also focused on how things get lost in translation amongst kids when they don’t speak the same language. “We have used a lot of wordplay and music so that children can relate to it,” she shares.
Known for creating contemporary and relevant content for theatre under her banner, tPOT production, Patel has, in the past, helmed plays that have dealt with serious subjects like puberty in Growing Up and psychotherapy in Jannat Central . However, she always ensures that the way she treats the subject in such a way that it’s a fun and enjoyable journey for viewers. The theatre artiste shares, “Class, colour and age become invisible for children once the barrier of awkwardness is broken. That is the beauty of childhood. The Exchange Student allows them to understand that racism, even in its gentlest form, can be hurtful.”
She admits that her writing this new play was a matter of serendipity. “We were planning to stage my other production Wolf this summer. But one of my actors wasn’t there and I didn’t want to cancel my dates. So, I thought of writing this story,” she says.
Patel was also compelled to play the protagonist, Cris, as none of the actors whom she approached were available. “This is the first time I’m acting in my own production. I hate acting in my own plays as I prefer to focus on writing and directing. I had to step in because we just had a month to present the piece. But it’s been a fun experience. My co-actors have a good laugh whenever I forget my lines. And doing a children’s play is always a stress buster.”
The Exchange Student will be staged onMay 25 and 26at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. at Prithvi Theatre and on May 28, 4 p.m., at Godrej Dance Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point.
