Subrata Das’ Rape, Regret, and Retribution at Arlington Center for the Arts

Stage Ensemble Theatre (SETU) and NetSAP-Boston will present the premiere of Subrata Das’ play, Rape, Regret and Retribution, an artistic rendition of a twisted tale. Written and directed by Subrata Das and featuring a cast of 12, the production runs for three consecutive nights from May 29 until the 31^st at the Arlington Center for the Arts, 41 Foster Street, Arlington, MA.

 With the three R’s in its title, Bunty who plays the chief protagonist in the play agrees that it was difficult to draw a line of what must be said and left unsaid in the entire play. “It was a challenge to make sure the intensity of the subject matter is dealt with sensitivity”. Subrato Das, SETU longtime Director explains, “Although the actual events in the play are purely symbolic to explore issues existing in India's society, yet we had to tone down the intensity while hoping the power of the story still has an impact” he said. “Topics like death penalty, casteism, class issues all become part of the whole”

Usha Govindarajulu, Producr and a NETSAP member who earlier had writtten the  play  'Bend it like Auntie'  for NETSAP finds producing  a different challenge to writing. She encouraged people to book tickets online before the day to ensure that they dont miss the play. " The play is a joint effort by NETSAP and SETU so we are expecting a fairly large crowd" she said.

 The entire crew and cast of this production were at a rehearsal in Arlington  where the play is been staged this weekend. The props in the background have been painstakingly painted on canvas by the team. Some  first time actors like Meghna Singhal who last performed for a play 10 years ago love the challenge of acting again. They are all professionals with daytime jobs and yet find time during weekends to pursue this hobby –for the sheer love of being on stage.

 The portrayal and ramification of a life-changing event is at the heart of this play that unfolds in the main character’s dream. The main character, Jiten, living a life of conflicted self-interests and lack of tradition, leaves his wife, Karuna, and family in a small village in West Bengal to move to the big city, Calcutta, where he lives as he pleases.  Not long thereafter, he becomes the center of a horrible crime, the rape and death of a young girl, Meena, destroying two families, the Banerjee and Mehta families, who come from completely different social strata.  Jiten’s ordeal thereafter and death sentence culminate the play, until

Come find out the end to this shocking tale!

Subrata Das’s directing credits include co-directing Vijay Tendulkar's English play Kamala and directing Girish Karnad's Hayavadana.

Dates and Times

May 29, 30, and 31: 7:30 – 9:30 pm.

After party on 5/31 at 10 pm for attendees (venue TBA).
Price

$8 NetSAP members, $15 non-members
Ticketing:

Purchase tickets at www.netsapboston.org/events/2008/setur3.html

For more information:

Netsap-Boston (www.netsapboston.org), SETU (www.setu.us)

About Arlington Center for the Arts

The Arlington Center for the Arts was established as a community arts center in 1988 by a visionary group of artists, writers, musicians, and educators as a place where artists could share their work with the community through educational and outreach programs and also find studio space. For more information, visit www.acarts.org .

 Girish Karnad's
hayavadana  

Rama Joardar's
the back door

 Jointly organized by NetSAP and SETU

Banerjee Family:
        Jiten                                    Michael Dwan
        Karuna                               Malini Varadarajan
        Satya                                   Kishanlal Chakraborty
        Jogmaya                            Vasundhra Ganju
Mehta Family:
        Meena and the Girl       Meghna Singhal
        Dhiraj                                 Indranil Sarkar
        Hema                                  Jignasha Makwana
Ashok Singh                             Gagan Mahan
Prison Guard                           Harun Razith
Voice for                                    Tejbir Singh
Voice against                           Ajay Jain
President and Judge            Abhishek Nagrath

Producer                                    Usha Govindarajulu
Stage Manager                         Pallavi Gupta
Costumes & Stage Design    Radhika Barua Sarkar
Music                                           Ashish Gupta and Gagan Mahan
Lights                                          Alok Asoor and Sebastien Das
Volunteers                                Sivashankar, Radhika Rao, Arpitha Shetty
Marketing & Publicity          NetSAP

Playwright and Direction   Subrata Das

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