A DOLL’S HOUSE

Adapted & Directed by: Basab Pradhan

Produced by: Sindu Singh

May 31st to June 6th, Sunnyvale Theatre

Henrik Ibsen’s "A Doll’s House" is one of the most performed plays of modern times. It created waves across the artistic world when it premiered in 1879 with its unusually bold take on gender issues. Even today, it seems fresh and relevant - the mark of a classic.

This adaptation of “A Doll’s House", written and directed by Basab Pradhan, retells Ibsen's classic by exploring gender stereotypes within a seemingly perfect Indian marriage in the Bay Area.  What is the status of a capable and educated woman in a household where she has chosen to be the homemaker?  Is she truly an equal?  Does a woman's role as a mother and a wife preclude her own identity as an individual?

The play is a critical examination of these issues in a 21st century Indian-American setting.

English | Age 13+

VENUE

Sunnyvale Theatre, 550 E. Remington Dr, Sunnyvale

Correct directions to Sunnyvale Theatre

SHOWS

*This show will be followed by a 30 minute Q&A with the director and cast.

Please see our Exchanges and Cancellations Policy for tickets.

KOI NAZM NAHIN

Koi Nazm Nahin is an original composition for A Doll's House. Lyrics by Shekhar Hemnani. Composed by Aalap Desai. Singer - Sindu Singh.

Naina

Sindu Singh has acted in multiple productions with various Bay Area theatre companies.  Her notable roles include Sonya Lebonté in Bhopal, Damyanti Rane in Party, Bagheera in Mowgli and I, Sarita in Kamla, Hamida Begum in Jis Lahore Nahin Vekhya O Jammyai Nahin, Bhagwati in Stanford Winter Repertory's Divided Together, the dual roles of Mahil & Indal in the nautanki Indal Haran and Rita Mansingh in Go to Your Room, Mother!  She most recently lent her voice as narrator to Birbal and the Palace Thief, an innovative children's app for the iPad and iPhone.  Sindu founded 'Rangmanch', a South Asian theatre group for the Stanford University community in 2013 and made her highly successful directorial debut with Yoni ki Baat, the South Asian version of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues.  She regularly emcees cultural events and has featured in poetry recitations and dance narrations.  She holds a Master's degree in International Affairs from Columbia University.

Sindu is a Director and Co-founder of Bay Area Drama Company.

Tarun

Dinesh Chandrasekhar has acted in many Bay Area stage productions under the banners of Swaram, Visweta and Sanhithi. Apart from acting, he has also co-written and co-directed many of these plays. His most notable piece on stage has been enacting a South Indian folk art based performance called Villupaatu. Most recently, he played a key role (MayilPandian) along with Tamil cinema's comedy king, S. Ve. Shekher in his hilarious play, Aayiram Udhai Vaangiya Aboorva Sigamani. He has also acted in a lead role in the short film Andhadhi directed by Bay Area theatre and film veteran, Mani Ram. Dinesh loves writing short stories and comic scripts for stage. Outside his passion for the stage, he spends his spare time doing professional photography. And yes, he has a day job too! His wife is a superstar who supports all his craziness with a beautiful smile.

Charu

Having been involved primarily in musical theater, Dhira Ramakrishnan is looking forward to the experience of saying (not singing!) her lines. She has performed in several traditional nautankis (Sultana Daku, Mission Suhani, and Indal Haran) as well as musicals (Mowgli & I and Camelot.) Last year, she also had her first on-screen experience in the movie Family Party. She enjoys a fulfilling career as a neurologist as well as the unwavering support of her husband, Kartik.

Kevin

Ram Asur has been involved in writing and theater since he was young. He acted in several school plays and even had a bit part in a television serial when he was in his teens in Bangalore. Recently he has been involved in writing, directing and acting in independent films. He started his own independent film production company Pandora Unboxed and has made several short films in the bay area. His last film Time & Again won the Producer's Challenge Award at the MMTB Film Festival in Berkeley. His passion for stage work extends to improv theater and with his troupe (Manhole Cover) he has performed in three live improv shows in San Jose. 

Rajbir

Basab Pradhan's interest in theatre started at a young age and continued all through his school and college years during which he acted in and directed dozens of plays. Basab's notable work has included 30 Days in September, a play about child molestation and rape by Mahesh Dattani in which he played the role of the evil Uncle, Party, a play by Mahesh Elkunchwar in which he essayed the role of the Doctor, a longtime friend of the protagonist Damyanti Rane and the lead role of Rajiv in Go to Your Room, Mother! a comedy about an empty nester couple.  He most recently played Devraj Sarthi in BAD Company's premiere production Bhopal by Rahul Varma.

Guitarist

Music and the arts have always been an important part of Phil Wiseman's life. He started his rock cover band Phil 'n The Blanks about ten years ago.  In 2012, Phil got the itch to explore theatre arts, and auditioned for the role of a frustrated lawyer in Death in San Francisco. He got the part and loved the experience of acting on stage.  Since then he has worked in several short films, one feature film (currently in post production), and is involved in several ongoing film and theater projects. All the while, he continues to sing and play guitar in PNTB all around the San Francisco Bay area. His last theatrical performance in Bhopal where he played the role of Pascale Sauve.

Production Team