Kerala does not have a notable presence of sexual minorities in the mainstream unlike that in Tamil Nadu. People here are barely aware of the issues faced by the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community. This is what has the makers of ‘Colour of Trans’ anxious about the response to the play in Kozhikode.
‘Colour of Trans’ is the first play to come out of the stable of the Chennai-based Panmai Theatre Group, the first transgender theatre group in the country. The play has already been staged in Chennai and Bangalore, where the response was quite different.
In Chennai, there was only a lukewarm response, while the Bangalore crowd was very supportive, courtesy the greater awareness of LGBT issues there, Living Smile Vidya, one of the founders of the group, told
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The staging of the play in Kozhikode, at the Sarovaram open stage at 6 p.m. on Saturday, is thus crucial.
Gender diversity
The theatre group was formed by transpeople Living Smile Vidya, Angel Glady, and Gee Imman Semmalar with the aim of focussing on gender diversity and spread of equality through theatre.
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‘Colour of Trans,’ a multilingual play, features stories about transpeople and the nuances in their lives through seven episodes that mostly consist of monologues.
There are three actors, Living Smile Vidya (who likes to be called Smiley), Angel Glady, and a non-transgender theatre person from Chennai Vinodhini Vaidyanathan.
The play uses different theatrical elements such as clown theatre, cabaret, rap, and audio-visuals.
The performance is completely crowd funded and hence, a fixed fee will be charged from all viewers.