A staged reading of “Ravayana”

Fresh Lime Soda Productions presented a staged reading of “Ravayana” livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Saturday 18 July 2020 at 9 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 11 a.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 12 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4).

“Ravayana” is a queer, feminist, modern reinterpretation of the Hindu epic of Ram and Sita. Written by Dhinesha Karthigesu and directed by Sabina Sethi Unni, it is a series of comedic, sacred, and profane vignettes in English, Malay, and Tamil. After the staged reading of “Ravayana,” the playwright and director will facilitate a generative discussion about the play, focusing on how to harmonize our art with an anti-caste, intersectional politic. This production is a series in the staged reading and discussion workshop, “Theater as Resistance.”

THE “RAVAYANA” TEAM
Playwright: Dhinesha Karthigesu
Director: Sabina Sethi Unni
Sita: Fazeelat Aslam
Ravana: Anooj Bhandari
Ram: Hershel Tamboli
Kaushalya: Pratima Mani
Lakshmi: Uttkantha Sindhwani
Kai: Debayani Kar
Das: Shravan Amin
Sound Designer: Lucky Bommireddy
Dramaturg: Jassmine Roy

THEATER AS RESISTANCE SERIES
As South Asians, we believe that we cannot talk about anti-Blackness without also talking about caste, Islamophobia, nationalism, and colorism. As artists, we find value in approaching these topics through plays and performances that dialogue with and decolonize our positionality. We also seek to be cognizant about the digital space that we are taking up right now (and always), and commit to use our artistic space as a site to interact with systemic inequities within our community and communities. As we direct, produce, and facilitate staged readings and discussions, know that we are always asking the question, “how is this theater resistance” and invite you to ask the same question of us. These values have always been essential to our process and work product, but we share them in anticipation of the staged readings we are about to release into the world. Our goals in reaffirming these values is to make transparent and reflect the intentionality with which we curated these pieces, and the folks we aspire to uplift through our art.

FRESH LIME SODA PRODUCTIONS
This event is facilitated by the theater ensemble, Fresh Lime Soda Productions. Fresh Lime Soda is NYC based, and focuses on amplifying new works and fostering community among South Asian artists and performers. If you’re interested in collaborating or connecting, send us a signal: [email protected] and follow us on social media (instagram.com/freshlimesodaco & facebook.com/freshlimesodaproductions).

About HowlRound TV

HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based peer produced, open access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by the nonprofit HowlRound. HowlRound TV is a free and shared resource for live conversations and performances relevant to the world's performing arts and cultural fields. Its mission is to break geographic isolation, promote resource sharing, and to develop our knowledge commons collectively. Participate in a community of peer organizations revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field by becoming a producer and co-producing with us. Learn more by going to our participate page. For any other queries, email [email protected], or call Vijay Mathew at +1 917.686.3185 Signal/WhatsApp. View the video archive of past events.