"Keep calm and #ashtag" explores how gender is constructed and reinforced in real and virtual public spaces in the Indian urban context.Cyber space becomes a new public space in which gender plays itself out: Why does Nikhil play an online game as a female avatar? Why does Tanya create an anonymous Facebook profile and what does she do with it? What happens when Sachin’s fighting video goes viral? The play looks at the collisions of real and virtual spaces and the drama that unfolds.
The absurd, funny and sometimes painful episodes connect through hyperlinks to a fast-paced ride into the violence of gender construction in teenage years. The play seeks to provoke a dialogue around the complexities that young people face in defining who they are as men and women, and the ways in which they navigate real and cyberspace in their everyday lives.
The play is designed to be performed at schools and can be followed by Q & A sessions and workshops.
Age suitability: 14 years and above (8th standard)
| Performed and devised by | Ajitesh Gupta, Tanvee Ravi, Neha Singh, Vikrant Dhote |
| Directed by | Rituparna Bhattacharya and Shabari Rao |
| Mentor & Dramaturg | Sophia Stepf |
| Music Design | Nikhil Nagaraj |
| Assistant Director | Gurleen Judge |
| Concieved by | Sophia Stepf and Jehan Manekshaw |
Produced by Theatre Professionals Mumbai in association with Flinntheater
Commissioned by Max Muller Bhavan / Goethe-Institut, Mumbai
Shows
Peformed at
CFL / Center for Learning Vardenhalli, Stonehill International School and Oakridge International School Bangalore, Goethe Institute Max Mueller Bhavan Bangalore,Shishuvan School Mumbai, JBCN Borivili, Malya Aditi, Jagriti Theatre Bangalore,The Humming Tree Bangalore, NCPA Mumbai, Sree Kumaran School Bangalore, Heritage School & Rohini New Delhi, Delhi Public School Indirapuram Bangalore, Pathways School Noida, Kalmadi School Pune, Valley School Bangalore, Canadian International School Bangalore
