Life, loss and the universe

Jyoti Dogra performs Black Hole

One woman, a single sheet and the entire cosmos - these are the characters that you'll encounter this evening in a solo devised performance called Black Hole. It's not an easy piece to write about and explain. Firstly, there is no linear narrative. The second scene is actually meant to be the last one and a segment three-fourths into the play is what it could have started with. But more than that, it's the subject matter that Mumbai-based writer-performer Jyoti Dogra explores that adds an abstract layer to the story, one which dissects the concept of singularity - that of each individual being a self-contained universe different from every other one.

Dogra approaches this idea through a scientific prism in the 90-minute long piece. She connects different theorems to the role that the experience of loss plays as part of the human condition. "The play looks at astrophysics from the point of view of a non-scientific person. And it gradually starts moving towards personal spaces where, while looking at these narratives through a scientific lens, it changes the protagonist's point of view about the various losses she has faced in her life," the thespian explains.

This protagonist has a dream where she is standing before a black hole in outer space, with a deep-seated desire to become one with everything. But she is unable to enter that black hole because to do so, she must first give up her own singularity. That's one of the main conflicts addressed in this piece, although people are welcome to their own interpretations. For, as Dogra says, "I'll be more than happy if two different people in the audience go back home having watched two different plays."

On: Tonight, 6 pm and 9 pm
At: Prithvi Theatre, Juhu Church Road, Juhu.
Call; 26149546
Cost: Rs 175

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