Aristotle said the function of theatre is “to heal the
city”. Martin Moran’s hugely transformative one-man-shows are all set to tour India. Producer Poorna Jagannathan, who also produced ‘Nirbhaya’ earlier this
year, hopes the plays will spark a debate on a much needed conversation
- that of the epidemic of sexual violence against boys.
This November, Moran’s award winning one-man-shows,
THE TRICKY PART and ALL THE RAGE will be seen by audiences in Mumbai, Bangalore
and Delhi.
Both plays are testimonial in nature- drawn from Moran’s
real life experiences. THE TRICKY PART, one of the most heralded one-man plays in recent
memory, tells the true story of sexuality, spirituality and the mystery of
human experience. ALL THE RAGE
is Moran’s second award winning one-man-show. It’s a complimentary piece
and as powerful.
Deftly crafted by director Seth Barrish who will be
touring as well, Moran offers a firsthand perspective on sexual abuse. Full of
complexity, honesty and surprising humor, Martin’s shows leave audiences
transformed and deeply engaged with a subject matter previously inaccessible to
most.
Jagannathan says of her decision to bring these plays to
India, “Today, 1 in 2
BOYS are sexually abused in India. That means half of all boys in India
are exposed to an unwanted sexual interaction.
It’s mind-boggling. But the culture of extreme shame surrounding male
sexual abuse prevents survivors from seeking help or healing.
Most times, violence is internalized and cycles of abuse
just continue. At a time we are trying to combat sexual violence against women,
we remain relatively blind to sexual violence against boys and men. I’m hoping,
like NIRBHAYA did, these plays too can pry open this difficult yet vital
conversation. I strongly believe that ending sexual violence against boys is
one of the key to ending the cycles of violence.”
Statistics:
Ministry of Women and Child Development study called ‘Study
on Child Abuse India 2007’ revealed that more than 53% of children in India
have probably been sexually abused. Of these, 53 percent were boys and 47
percent girls.(http://wcd.nic.in/childabuse.pdf)
The ministry emphasized that around 70 percent of abused
children never reported the matter to anyone and children of all socio-economic
groups were found to be equally vulnerable. (Broken down, the statistics are as
follows: 1 in 2 children are sexually abused: 1 in 2 boys, 1 in 2 girls with
there being a higher incidence rate among boys in some studies.) Human Resource Watch also acknowledges that in majority of
cases abuse remains under-reported because children are reticent to raise a
voice and if they do, often caregivers themselves hush them up. www.hrw.org/reports/2013/02/07/breaking-silence
Schedule
Starting this month, the two plays, each 80 minute long,
will tour along with Martin Moran, director Seth Barrish and producer Poorna
Jagannathan across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. The plays run in Mumbai between October 30 and November 2,
2014 at the much-awaited Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest held at the
National Centre of Performing Arts (NCPA) and Prithvi Theatre. Subsequently, both plays will be staged at the Rangashankara
theatre in Bangalore between November 11 and 13, and reach Delhi to the India
Habitat Centre on November 15 and 16, 2014.
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