INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
For much of the 20th century, the grey, gargantuan Dunlop factory in Bandel, West Bengal was the main source of work for local families
But from the 1990s onwards, the factory was closed more often than it was open
the imposing tyre factory provided
A factory worker and trade unionist, he was also a storyteller
Soon to be taking over the main stage at the Young Vic theatre in London, Chasing Hares examines the growing insecurity of work, the
dangerous repercussions of protesting against poor labour conditions, and the power of stories to encourage community action
Bhatia, who joins Bhattacharyya from a midweek rehearsal
around, but a clothes factory
building in Bangladesh that contained five garment factories, which killed more than 1,100 people
When she started writing the play, in 2018, the culture of work was shifting around her
feels even more pertinent
Photograph: Helen MurrayWith the Jatra, Chasing Hares takes on a play-within-a-play form
A Jatra is a type of Bengali folk theatre, traditionally performed in the open air and in the round, often at large expos
But it would be hours and hours of entertainment
Because they were touring, they would employ one set-piece to represent an entire epic world, so one thing has great status in a space
its origins in the Indian epics of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata to the way they became more political during the independence movement,
resisting the British occupation
the form can be reignited
has worked? How have people stood up? That can be a model for building a better worldSonali BhattacharyyaPolitics are key to their work
tangible connection between my work as a writer and my activism
first thing I ever directed at 18 was because I wanted to raise money for a refuge I was working for, so the root of my work as a director
address; facilitating the process as a director is a lot like organising a protest or a movement
hit, the play won the Sonia Friedman Production award, and shortly after, the Theatre Uncut Political Playwriting award
Throughout the process of the play, Bhattachharyya has kept her uncle in Kolkata in the loop
When Irfan Shamji, who plays the character loosely based on her uncle, had specific questions about the character, Bhattachharyya suggested
She sent them to her cousin who put them to her uncle, who then wrote answers in Bengali and got someone to translate, before sending them
to the way culture shapes what we believe is possible
What have people done before? What has worked? How have people stood up? That can be an inspiration but also a model for how we go forward
In rehearsals, they have talked about activists in India being arrested for their tweets, and writers being put on CIA watchlists
This article first appeared/also appeared in theguardian.com
