Quirky it may sound, but the new theatrical piece — titled
No Rest in the Kingdom — strives to draw audiences’ attention to a subject that is relevant in today’s times. Written, directed and performed by
Deepika Arwind, the performance sifts through episodes of constant negotiations that a woman is compelled to make almost every day in urban set-ups that are predominantly patriarchal in nature.
The plot revolves around four cats — two males and two females — who crawl around ‘masculine spots’ in the city. It shows how urban men and women seem baffled with ‘this gender thing’, which, in turn, results in a general unsettlement everywhere. Crafted with a humorous undertone, the play focuses on the hilariousness and annoyances that women in this country find themselves engulfed in each day.
“Be it at home or outside, women are always worried, conscious and negotiating the consequences of what they say and how they go about with their day-to-day pursuits. Be it booking a car pool at night or deciding on what to wear when stepping out of the house after dusk — a lot of thinking needs to go into almost everything they do. The whole situation kind of clashes with the liberal and intellectual outlook that we otherwise champion. I have used the cat as a motif to put across the basic idea of the play. As the piece is inspired by daily experiences, most aspects of this dramatic piece are recognizable and relatable,” says Deepika. Produced by Sandbox Collective, the solo performance is set to be staged at Shoonya — Centre for Art and Somatic Practices.
Expressing her views on women-oriented works in the field of arts, she says, “Ideas are plenty, but the pre-existent formats are such that most characters are devised from a male’s point of view. It is not necessary that every message is bang-on. We can always weave powerful stories with underlying themes and well thought out props and sequences,” Deepika sums up.