A poet is accused of inciting violence. A singer goes on a hunger strike behind bars. A trial waiting to start. A self-exiled comrade travels across time to excavate the meanings of freedom. An entire country erupts against a repressive law. It could be 1919. It could be today.
Drawing from prison writings, letters, court statements, poetry, songs and moving images, the performance asks how freedom is imagined under constraint, and how captivity–whether we want it or not, continues to shape the psychic and political landscapes of those of us who consider ourselves free. While the performance focuses on the lives, and dreams of such prisoners from India, it places them in conversation with prisoners across space and time for whom freedom has been most violently withheld, to quietly turn the gaze back towards free selves.
Based on the writings of Prisoners of Conscience
Written by Anuj Deshpande, Jigisha Bhattacharya
Directed by Anuj Deshpande
Produced by Brooklyn Boukather
Cast : Sushant Shekhar, Riya Rajeev
Dramaturgy : Mallika Kavadi
Set Design : Lauren Lee
Sound Design : Saket Kanetkar, Jacob Fish
Lighting Design : Leon Leitner
Stage Management : Edward Langley
Video Design : Ajinkya Kulkarni
Graphic Design : Sharvari Deshpande, Arya Pathak
Artwork : Sohini Sengupta
Tobi King Bakare and this theatre deserve a shout-out for such a young, diverse audience. There is so much talk about audiences being full of over 60s and why, why can’t theatres get the crowds in to reflect society in general? Well, I’m happy to say that on a rainy Thursday evening, the theatre was completely full.
Caiti Grove on Before I Go in CPT's Spring 2023 season London Theatre Reviews
