WEDDING ALBUM

Written by Girish Karnad

Directed & Produced by Sindu Singh

May 6-13

Sunnyvale Theatre, 55O E. Remington Drive, Sunnyvale

Twenty-two-year old Vidula is about to embark on the mother of all journeys – an arranged marriage to a "suitable boy" from the US she has never met. Her brother Rohit, an up-and-coming professional with a Catholic girlfriend is busy fending off marriage brokers and "one of a kind" proposals while her sister Hema has arrived with baggage of more than one kind from Australia, where she lives with her high-flying bank executive husband and two children. Thrown into the mix are a teenage boy with raging hormones who nurses an unabashed obsession for Hema, the household cook who is harboring some disturbing secrets of her own and a colorful supporting cast of characters, each with exasperatingly funny and unique eccentricities.

In this hilarious and moving spectacle, renowned playwright Girish Karnad serves up some deeply penetrating insights about the Indian psyche and reveals how certain notions of wealth, class, sexual propriety, tradition and modernity form the essential fabric of middle class society in contemporary India.

English | 2 hrs | Age 16+

Photos

Nitin Deo is a techie during the day and an artist at night. Over the past three decades he has played many roles in Marathi, Hindi and English plays. Most recently he was in the movie Family Party, which just completed a run on Netflix, Love by Chance, a short film and a Pepsi commercial (Pepsi Pinball). His book Colors of Glory is available on Amazon.

Sayantanee Dutt is an accomplished singer, dancer and actor. She has essayed roles in several Bengali plays - Kenaram Becharam, Nohobot, Prabhat Phire Esho, Chotushkon, Robibar, Ron, Jodi Arekbar, Shonibar and Bahannoborti. Her English theatre credits include Everyone Loves a Good Tsunami and Amartya.

Sayantanee has been a radio show host and regularly emcees shows around the Bay Area. She is a trained Bharatnatyam dancer.

Vaishnavi Sridhar was painfully shy as a child. In the 11th grade she discovered the one place she could completely overcome it - the stage! She never refused the stage or the mic ever again. Recently, Vaishnavi acted in two comedies - Gapsaa and Gold Spot, as well as the Sci-fi play Chillu. She has also made cameo appearances in a Telugu feature film - Kshanam and a Tamil short film - Muran.

Devika Ashok is a scientist by day and theatre enthusiast at all other times. In Bombay, Devika performed at Prithvi Theatre as part of Third Bell Productions and the youth theatre festival, Thespo. Her theatre credits there include Guards! Guards!, Panchatantra and No Strings Attached. In California she has acted in Aanchal Hi Na Samaye and Airport Insecurity. 

Anush Moorthy is a techie who lets his left brain take over on weekday evenings and weekends when he acts, writes stories, plays and novels, and makes short films. His acting credits include - Baat Ek Raat Ki, Ek Sapna Dekha Tha, Aanchal Hi Na Samaye (which he also wrote) and Aadu Bali Aatam. He has also written the Hindi play Kuch Toh Log Kahenge. His short film credits are - Arranged Marriage and Dissonance.

Lakshmi Bharadwaj is a budding theater artist. She has previously essayed the role of Lata in Bay Area Drama Company's production of Mahesh Dattani's Dance Like a Man and Chitralekha in Girish Karnad's classical Kannada play Yayati. Outside of theater, she is passionate about songwriting, poetry and music. 

Varghese Muthalaly is returning to the stage after a long hiatus and is very excited to make his Bay Area debut in the cast of Wedding Album.

Shreya Bhattacharji enjoyed doing Nukkad Natak (street theatre) in Bombay. She recently acted in the play Airport Insecurity and looks forward to joining the cast of Wedding Album.

Basab Pradhan is a stage actor, director and playwright. His notable acting work includes the role of Salman in Wajahat Ali's The Domestic Crusaders, the role of Jairaj in Mahesh Dattani's Dance Like a Man, the molestor 'Uncle' in Mahesh Dattani's 30 Days in September, the Doctor in Mahesh Elkunchwar's Party, and the lead role of Rajiv in Sanjeev Desai's Go to Your Room, Mother!

Basab is Co-Artistic Director of Bay Area Drama Company. He is currently writing Not Equal To, a play about inequality which will be staged in December 2017.

A teacher by profession, Pooja Sabharwal will be making her stage debut in the Bay Area with Wedding Album.

Sathish Sattanathan is a passionate theater enthusiast keenly interested in all aspects of theater. He has acted in many Tamil and English plays. His notable roles include Young Mani in Thanimai, Panchayat President in China Tea, Kesto in Patol Babu Film Star, The Accountant in Ayn Rand's Night of January 16th and Sigamani's father with popular stage and film comedian S. Ve. Shekher in his evergreen comedy hit Aayiram Udhai Vaangiya Aboorva Sigamani. He also directed the Tamil drama Once Upon a Time which was received well by audiences in the Bay Area and Sacramento.

Always passionate about dance and theatre, Divya Joshi started performing again after a long hiatus. Recently she essayed roles in the musicals - Genie (an adaptation of Aladdin) and Roarr (an adaptation of Lion King). As a dancer, she choreographs, teaches and performs in various events. By day she is a Human Resources professional. 

Naveen Revanna’s acting credits in the Bay Area include two Kannada plays - Marana Mrudanga and Yayati. He is excited to be part of the cast of Wedding Album.

Ritesh Jaltare is thrilled to be back with BAD Company in this second outing. Last year, he essayed the lead role of Jairaj in Dance Like a Man.

A scientific explorer by day and artistic explorer by night, Vikram Ramanarayanan has been actively involved in scripted and improv theatre for the last 10 years. His other interests include quizzing, writing, musicology, short filmmaking and learning new things.

Vinay Bhardwaj is a theater enthusiast and has been an active part of the Kannada theater community in the Bay Area. His credits include Ayyo Namgyaak Bidi, musicals like Jaya Jaya Vijayee Raghurama and Gokula Nirgamana directed by Alamelu Iyengar and Muddannana Promotion Prasanga directed by Sharmila Vidhyadara. More recently, Vinay authored and directed a Kannada play called Nirarthaka Apekshegalu.

Director & Producer

Sindu Singh has essayed multiple roles with various Bay Area theatre companies. Most notable amongst these are Malini in Anupama Chandrasekhar’s Free Outgoing, Naina in Basab Pradhan's adaptation of Ibsen's A Doll's House, Damyanti in Mahesh Elkunchwar's Party, Bagheera in Harish Agastya's Mowgli and I, Sarita in Vijay Tendulkar's Kamla, Hamida Begum in Asghar Wajahat's Jis Lahore Nahin Vekhya O Jammyai Nahin, Bhagwati in Divided Together, an adaptation of Girish Karnad's Hayavadana for the Stanford University Graduate Winter Repertory, the dual roles of Kaikeyi and Trijata in Dr. Parameswaran's Sitayascaritam Mahat for the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco and the dual roles of Indal and Mahil in Indal Haran, performed by invitation for the South Asia Institute, UT Austin. She recently directed Mahesh Dattani's Dance Like a Man (in which she also played the role of Ratna). In 2013, she founded 'Rangmanch', a South Asian theatre group for the Stanford University community, and for its maiden outing, directed and produced Yoni ki Baat, the South Asian version of Eve Ensler's Vagina Monologues. 

Sindu is Founder & Co-Artistic Director of Bay Area Drama Company.