Australian director Glen Hayden explores the aftermath of a life-changing decision in his latest solo act A Solitary Choice
The strongest principle of growth lies in human choice.’ These famous words by George Eliot, one of the leading novelists and poets of the Victorian era, encapsulate the universal truth. It also serves as a fitting example to describe the essence of A Solitary Choice, a solo act, which is being performed at the G5A Foundation for Contemporary Culture in Mumbai. Written by Sheila Duncan for which she won the prestigious Horatio Award, A Solitary Choice has already been staged in Australia, the United Kingdom and the USA. Now, it has been brought to India by Australian director Glen Hayden under the aegis of his production company Chakravyu Arts. It is close to his heart for more reasons than one. It not only marks the debut production of his firm but is also being staged during his fifth year in Mumbai.
The story focusses on Ruth, who is married and has a six-year-old son. After she has an affair with a musician, she discovers she is pregnant and must make a choice. Will she have her beloved ‘black-eyed girl’, or will she be too afraid? The black comedy drama talks about the real social and economic pressures a woman must face while considering an unwanted pregnancy. Ramneeka Dhillon Lobo plays the protagonist in this one-woman show.
Talking about what appealed to him about the story, Glen says, “I had seen Ramneeka perform on stage in 2014. I thought she was the ideal actress for A Solitary Choice. The story has a universal appeal.” Quiz him if he has made any changes to the script keeping in mind the milieu and he replies, “I am not a huge fan of Indianising stuff for the sake of it. The audience here is quite clever. It’s a universal text accessible to the global audience. It actually describes everybody’s necessity to make their own choices and searching a path for themselves.”
Ramneeka, on her part says that she fell in love with the plot after Glen discussed it with her in 2014. She describes Ruth “as a married woman in her 30s who has seen life but has to make a choice due to certain circumstances. Even men can relate to the story because every human being comes to a crossroad in his or her life when they have to make some life-changing decisions.”
The actress is all praises for dance choreographer Ashley Lobo, who has come on board as movement designer. She says, “Ashley helped me design and develop the body language of the various characters.” The most difficult part for Ramneeka was to essay diverse roles on stage. “It was a challenge to embody different personas and their mannerisms. Glenn is technically sound, so I imbibed skills that I did not know before.”
A Solitary Choice is being staged at G5A Foundation for Contemporary Culture, Mahalaxmi till April 27.
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 "Ashley Lobo, Ramneeka Dhillon Lobo and Glen Hayden")
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