This weekend is PRIDE in Mumbai, and flyers are being distributed to promote the debut production of India's first professional LGBTQ theatre company.
Amphibian Productions bows in April with the Indian Stage Premiere of Martin Sherman's WWII Holocaust drama, BENT.
There is no overstating either the social significance of Amphibian productions' existence in India, or the bold artistic direction which has selected BENT for the company's first offering.
LGBTQ rights in India are progressing steadily, but still stop short of marriage equality.
Same-Sex couples now have co-habitation rights equal to those of their hetero counterparts, however, and transgender citizens have the right to register as a third gender. (Washington D.C., are you listening?)
This is all very well, but in many areas of India, LGBTQ stigma remains strong for not only social, but religious, reasons.
The historical backdrop of restrictive colonial laws has created a lingering culture of unthinking repression, harassment, blackmail, and yes, executions.
Many LGBTQs have been forced into loveless, sexless, and abusive marriages. It has been necessary for many Same-Sex and otherwise Queer couples to flee their homes, and there are those who have died by double suicide.
Even today, "corrective rape" is prevalent in some districts.
The life lesson taught by BENT is clear and supremely eloquent: the triumph of love in the face of genocide.
Award-winning twenty-nine year old Producer is a passionate Human Rights activist, and stiletto-sharp about the implicit meaning of Amphibian Productions' name as it relates to the LGBTQ situation: "Amphibians populate a wide variety of habitats, and thrive no matter what the environment.'
Dubey works closely with his Associate Creative Director Glenn Hayden, a seasoned Australian theatre practitioner, who will be helming BENT as its Stage Director.
Together, the men have created a significant cultural exchange initiative by assembling an elite cadre of Canadian, American, and Australian artists, forming an international frame for the carefully chosen actors from India.
Each has virtuosic talents and skills to share with their Indian colleagues, and each member of this small, dynamic, group is uniquely qualified to fulfill the responsibilities of their positions.
This assembly of artists is distinguished by the participation of Canadian cellist/composer Julia Kent, from whom Amphibian has commissioned BENT's ravishing and evocative incidental music, scored for solo cello.
The end result of the Dubey/Hayden collaboration is a well-articulated multi-tiered vision:
- To give a ringing voice to the silent scream of repression in India
- To change prejudiced minds and hardened hearts through the incomparable education and exposure offered by Theatre Arts
- To earn Amphibian a place on The World Stage
- To provide a vivid power of example to Human Rights activists in India
- To establish Amphibian, as India's representative, in the vanguard of the global LGBTQ Rights movement
At this time, the future looks bright for BENT and Amphibian Productions.
Plans to tour BENT to international festivals are being formulated.
Dialogues with the Cultural Attaches of the Consulates in Mumbai and New York are ongoing.
A crowd-funding campaign is on the brink of being announced.
Establishing an "American Friends of..." support group is being considered.
Support of any kind, and contributions in any amount, are welcome.
Should you be inspired to participate, please contact Swapnesh Dubey directly at bent202three@gmail.com
It would be time well spent, and money well invested.
More news on all of this as it happens!
