October being the awareness month for breast cancer, the theatre group has been performing their play, Half a Cup Full, at multiple locations in the city. The play touches upon the experiences of breast cancer fighters and survivors, taking insights from their lives and bringing those narratives to the stage.
Hyderabad’s tapestry is replete with theatrical artistry. Theatre groups have not only tried to portray the best of the fictional world but also stood as a mirror to reflect society’s good and evil. The Torn Curtains is another such group whose presence has reflected upon social issues, besides comedies, murder mysteries and other works. Established in 1971, the group has graced the Hyderabad stage, performing more than 100 plays in the last five decades — Meri Kahani, The Karaoke Killer, Murder Me Always, The Class Re-union and The Storm Within — to name a few.
The 50-minute play is divided into two parts: the first part, Don’t Edit Me is a gripping portrayal of four women in a breast cancer support group, who, through shared anguish and insecurity, find the strength to confront their challenges, leaving the audience with an indelible message of hope. This 22-minute performance will include actors Madhuri Dempsey, Madhu Swaminath, Pallavi Verma, Priyanka Puntambekar and Deepika Mahidhara.
The second part, titled, Goodbye, is a 16-minute, raw and visceral monologue by a woman facing breast cancer who is also plagued by alcoholism. Her journey is deeply moving and inspires introspection. The monologue is performed by Shikha Gupta. The original script was written by Nirati Aggarwal. The current one was honed and edited by Mala Pasha, who is also the director of the play.
“We have been doing this show for the past 10-12 years except during the Covid-19 years. The first show was in 2010. This year, we decided to do a month-long series of performances across the city to raise awareness about breast cancer,” said Mala Pasha.
She added that the GEF Indian Freedom Oil sponsoring the campaign helped them perform the show not only in the city but in other cities and states as well. The show is open to all, without any tickets.
“We work on two streams, on one hand, we have our romance, supper theatre and complete fun and entertainment, and on the other, we pick up issues that no one likes to talk about. For example, we did The Storm Within to showcase stories of domestic abuse. There were other plays highlighting the lives of LGBTQAI+ communities,” said Pasha.
“I remember, in 2018, when I did Meri Kahani, a lot of my friends were of the opinion that domestic violence does not happen in the upper classes of society.
Through the play we highlighted how systemic that violence is — we do not even recognise when it happens to us. My friends were moved after watching the play and said that all their lives, they had thought that violence was acceptable, but that day, they changed their perspectives,” she added.
Apart from domestic abuse, the narratives brought from the lives of gay and transgender communities aim to share perspectives and envision a more inclusive society. “We share these narratives in a safe space on the stage, with the aim of opening up doors for you to look on the other side. It is up to you how much of it you carry home,” Pasha further added.
The scripts are written after thorough research and consultation with the respective communities, Pasha confirmed. Apart from open shows across the city, the group has also been called to hospitals and private venues to perform the play.
The next open shows will be performed at Our Sacred Space, Lamakaan and Guruswamy Centre on October 12, 17 and 18 respectively.