Love theatre? Treat yourself to a play exploring Tennessee Williams' art, legacy

Scenes from the play delve into the personal and professional struggles of the artiste. Pics Courtesy/Charu Khosla

In an intriguing theatrical endeavour, The Zuv Collective takes centrestage with their 90-minute production, The End? Tennessee And His Streetcar, that offers a unique glimpse into the life of the legendary Tennessee Williams. Set against the backdrop of his acclaimed work, A Streetcar Named Desire, the play promises to unravel the complexities of the American playwright's life, exploring how his monumental success eventually transformed into a tumultuous period marked by criticism and public scrutiny. What makes this performance unique is that it is a devised play with no fixed script, only a set of beats that the actors perform with the knowledge of their research on the characters and the story of Williams's real life. By listening and responding to each other on stage, the cast builds the story they wish to narrate together; each show is unique in its format.

With an ensemble of 15, The End? Tennessee And His Streetcar is directed by Neha Vyaso and produced by Mriidu Khosla. "The show is about our ensemble imagining what Tennessee Williams sees and expresses as a creator when witnessing the characters he wrote and the real-life people they are based on, the demons he unleashed from his life into his famed works," shares Vyaso.

"We imagine his last days, the thoughts he battled and the conflicts that tore his heart as he relives his past self and the life he lived," she explains. This show is an exploration of society's expectations and impositions on artistes, and the magic and madness they constantly struggle to balance. "The intention behind the show," she adds, "was to talk about how the world needs to be kinder to artistes, and how an artiste's worth is not defined by their last commercial success alone."

Vyaso elaborates why she chose this theme, "As a writer, Tennessee Williams is said to have changed the course of American theatre. We were astounded when we discovered how most of his writing came from his life, and how he strongly channelled his past and present emotional turmoil into his plays."

While researching for the 90-minute show, the team came across material that spoke of how he was crucified by critics for some of his later works and was even called repetitive. "It made us realise that even an influential playwright like Tennessee struggled with his legacy as an artiste. We knew then, that his life was the perfect example of the story we wanted to tell," she asserts. The collective engaged in a six-month creative process, delving deep into Williams' world through devising and research, even putting together a special stage that represents his thoughts from the last days of his life. The stage has been divided into two parts. One side shows the playwright's room, while the other side portrays his thoughts or imagination. His room shows a board with bad reviews from critics about his recent works; also, on display are objects that symbolise characters from his famous play, A Streetcar Named Desire.

"The only ones who don't know what to expect from our performance are us," smiles Vyaso, adding, "I say that because it's a devised play with no fixed script for the play. So, each performance is unique in its content and the story." The director shares that she draws inspiration from the works of Ben Crystal, a UK-based theatre maker and academic. "I was lucky to have trained with him in performing Shakespeare, and a lot of my practices of creating are drawn by his work," she concludes.

On: January 5, 24 and 25; 8 pm
At: Veda Black Box, Veda Factory, Aram Nagar Part 2, Versova, Andheri West.
Log on to: in.bookmyshow.com
Cost: Rs 300