Theatre of Solitude

In the city of Mumbai, where calendars are perennially buzzing with exceptionally unique theatre events, it is no surprise that the city becomes a host of innovations and possibilities for stage productions. one such production adding to the list is writer Sheila Duncan’s ongoing play A Solitary Choice by Australian theatre director Glenn Hayden.

After running multiple shows in Australia, Scotland, and the USA, Glenn is all set to transport the audience to the life a woman in Australia. According to Glenn, A Solitary Choice is an amazing tour de force play for a woman and about her choice that not only affects her own life dramatically but the lives of many other people around her. However, the play doesn’t attempt to establish any moral judgments.

“It’s a human story and humans are such complex creatures. The fact that there is an unplanned pregnancy involved, makes A Solitary Choice a play that has extremely high stakes,” says the award-winning director, who loves making theatre in India and has dedicated five years to work with artists here. For him, India is his adopted home and it continues to be an exciting and adventurous playground to him. “Indian artists have certain bravery that I adore working with. The experience keeps on getting better and better, and I have huge plans further,” reveals the director.

For Ruth — the protagonist played by Ramneeka Dhillon Lobo — who is caught between the pragmatism of modern life and her desire to be free to pursue her dreams, is forced to take a decision and faces the reparation alone. “I fell in love with the story and the character of Ruth. We wanted to stage this for long but unfortunately were not able to match up our schedules. So it’s very gratifying to finally be able to put up this play,” shares the actress. A comradeship that started five years ago, Glenn and Ramneeka have also presented a Polish play Out At Sea written by Slawomir Mrozek in 2014.

Talking about his choice of the script, Glenn explains that the play speaks to all audiences around the world and its universal theme of individual choice puts up a question that everyone experiences at some point of time in life. “The play is a perfect representation of the global nature and with the universal theme of individual choice it becomes a good text to work on,” he elucidates. Produced under Glenn’s production house Chakravyu Arts - dedicated to the development and advocacy of Indian artists on a global platform, it took four weeks of rehearsal to prepare the play, as Glenn wanted to give the actor sufficient time to get into the character. “It’s such a complex journey for an actor to do a one-person play and I wanted to give Ramneeka as much time to play in rehearsals as possible,” confirms the director.

And for Ramneeka, the character of Ruth is rewarding. “Playing a character like this helps me understand people and humanity with a clearer, more objective lens and makes me realise how different, yet similar we all are,” she muses.

While there are plays highlighting issues like women empowerment, A Solitary Choice makes a difference by telling a story of a woman from a human’s perspective. “The play is more about a human story than just a woman story. It’s about how life throws choices at you, and where you eventually end up is a result of all the choices you’ve made along the way,” insists the actress.

Glenn echoes her view and explains that the play and their approach to the texts don’t push any moral doctrine and it’s not a theatre in education piece. “Yes it’s a play about a woman and yes, the subject matter is topical and possibly controversial. But ultimately, the play is a superbly written window into a human beings particular journey with all her emotions,” he says.

In love with the country, Glenn believes that India has a unique environment to live and work in. “I find it suits to my creative soul, it opens the door to new creative adventures and it satisfies my need to tell stories and inspire questions,” concludes the director.