July is Pride Month in the UK and a time to celebrate all things queer. Taking cues from that is the fourth edition of theatre production Erotica. Curated by B Charles, the founder of Chennai Art Theatre, Erotica brings together four stories, each highlighting a different aspect of LGBTQ+ relationships. The play will be performed at Jagriti Theatre this weekend.
“All the four stories come with different genres and unique styles. One is comical, while others are serious or melodramatic. When audiences come to our play, they get a variety of experiences relating to the stories of the LGBTQ community,” Charles tells us. The four short stories are Mayir by Theatre Akku, Why Do We Fall? by Chorus Theatre Group, Adam’s Orange by Bhargav Prasad and Under-18 by John Pradeep.
“Our short play Mayir delves into society’s rejection, mistreatment and othering of a transman,” says director Viraji. Why Do We Fall? is a green room drama about three actors (the protagonist, his boyfriend and his father) portraying the roles of Batman, Joker and Alfred. The director Sriram Jeevan explains, “Our play is all about the struggle of expressing your feelings and getting your parents to accept your wedding.” With Adam’s Orange, director, Bhargav, explores an alternative version of the Garden of Eden where the apple has gone extinct and instead, humans bite into a fallen orange. How different this version of humanity would have been? “To be able to express queerness in all its forms — gender, sexuality, and
politics — through such a transcendental medium like theatre is my intention with my play,” he adds. The last story, Under-18, deals with the sensitive subject of how gay men are often branded abusers and pedophiles, and it stems from the director’s personal experiences.
“Although some people are open-minded, we are still living in a close-minded society. That’s what pushes us further. We want to break these boundaries, in our own ways,” Charles sums up.
Rs 500. July 2, 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm. At Jagriti Theatre, Whitefield