Indian writer-director's play makes a mark in Dubai

Dubai: Dhruti Shah, a Dubai-based writer and director from Mumbai, is being hailed as an avante garde presenter and performer following a successful staging of her play "i". According to Shah, "i" is a lyrical composition of a journey of four distinct voices unraveling their identity through the growing stages and cycles of life. Shah's play was staged as part of a "Queens of Drama", a theatrical collective held here from April 6-8.

"Using introspective tools and complex techniques of self-discovery, these four voices begin to unfurl their universality, collapsing the boundaries between them, their exploration and the audience," Shah told PTI. According to her, amalgamating physical theatre, dance, sound and light and several eclectic means of expressions, this production was a celebration to all things that make us human, and our integration to life's beauty and mystical wonders. Shah channels her surreal interpretations of the mundane, while remaining grounded time in the rawness of folklore.

Her explorations in theatre, movement, literature and music are intended to expand perspectives. Utilizing a myriad of theatre frameworks and movement genera such as: Butoh, Bak Mei, Yoga, Kalaripayattu etc., she marries existential debates with unconventional tools, techniques, and narratives, to create stage experiences that are often profound in observation and layered in insight.

"Queens of Drama" was a series of five short plays based on the common goal of addressing women's issues with fun, sarcasm and empathy.

All five of the short plays were written and directed by talented, local female artists. "This second edition of 'Queens of Drama' had women writing and discussing stories about women, and discussing topics that are not generally spoken about, but need to be," Rashmi Kotriwala, Festival Director, Queens of Drama, 2017 and Co-Founder of The Junction, said.