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A new play in Chennai
 Alliance Francaise of Madras and The Madras Players present ‘A Temporary Matter’ on September 15th and 16th. The play features Tejas Sreedhar and Nikhila Kesavan, and is Directed by Nikhila
Kesavan.
The play is an adaptation of a short story by Jhumpa Lahiri from her Pulitzer Prize winning book, Interpreter of Maladies. The play just has two characters in it. Its a tale of a young couple struggling to cope up with their failing marriage. A power failure for 5 nights continuously comes to their rescue. The Script writer and the director of the play Nikhila Kesavan talks to
Chennaionline.
Nikhila is presently doing her Masters in Communication. She has previously worked with many directors and theatre groups. She made her debut in direction in mainstream theatre with ‘A temporary Matter’
Q: How did the concept hit you?
Nikhila Kesavan : Subjects such as Human relationships, alienation, conflict, etc has always interested me. And I always wanted to try a play with just two characters in it. That is when I came across this short story by Jhumpa Lahiri, which interested me a lot. I decided to take it up.
Q :How did it feel to direct and act in the play
NK : My first love is acting. And how would I not act in the play, which I am directing. It is a disadvantage because as I could not judge the play standing away from it, or as a third person. Anyway its been a great learning experience.
Q: It is your debut in direction, how was the experience?
NK: Yes, it is my debut in the mainstream. But I have directed plays for my college. I was chosen as the best director at the inter-collegiate theatre festival, Natak, for my production, Eve Ensler’s ‘Necessary Targets’. So direction is not actually new to me. Where this play is concerned working on the script was very challenging. The short story was narrative in nature and was not set in an Indian scenario. I adapted a monologue dialogue pattern, and adopted an Indian style. The script is just 40% of the play, everything is flushed out in action. We have a video screening and a dance in the play which I am sure would capture the attention of the audience.
Tejas Sreedhar is an established actor based in the UK. He is an undergraduate in Theatre. He has worked with different theatre companies in the US and UK in plays and musicals such as Oliver, Harvey and more recently ‘The Laramie Project’
Q: How did this project happen ?
Tejas Sreedhar: I was in Chennai on a holiday. Nikhila came to know about me through a friend of hers, and mailed me the script of the play. I liked it and I accepted it.
Q: What appealed to you to choose this play?
TJ: First of all I loved the script and my character in the play. For the past few months I was doing more of comedy, and I wanted to do something more intense. I also liked the fact that my co-actor was the playwright and the director of the play. This way it was more serious work.
Q: What have you to say about your acting career?
TJ: I am an undergraduate in theatre from Concord Theatre Society, West Virginia. Initially I went to a law school and theatre was just a hobby. Then I started taking up classes in theatre, and I changed my major in the middle of the second year from law to theatre. I have done over 12 major plays. This is my first major production in Chennai.
The tickets for the play are available at Odyssey and Landmark
Venue: Alliance Francaise
24,(old no 40) College Road Chennai 6
Date :September 15 and 16, 2003
Time: 7.30 pm
Padma S
Published on 13th
Sep. 2003
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