When the Rainbow is Enoughwill shine a light on issues that are often swept under the carpet

From the silent struggles of post-partum depression to the resilience of a quadriplegic navigating life’s challenges, each story sheds light on marginalised perspectives that needs to occupy space in today’s conversations.

In the run-up to International Women’s Day, Theatre for Change will present a special edition of its most acclaimed production When the Rainbow is Enough, portraying five powerful counter-narratives through the raw and personal stories of its actors.

From the silent struggles of post-partum depression to the resilience of a quadriplegic navigating life’s challenges, each story sheds light on marginalised perspectives that needs to occupy space in today’s conversations.

The play is an Indian adaption of the choreopoem For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf written in 1976 by Afro-American feminist playwright and poet Ntozake Shange. The play gave voice to the struggles of women addressing issues such as racism, sexism, heartbreak and self-discovery.

“We wanted to bring forward the counter-narratives, because we have always been fed the dominant narrative, which becomes the story,” says theatre practitioner and founder of Theatre for Change, Sujatha Balakrishnan. “Counter-narratives are stories on culturally stigmatised topics that can range from mental health to surviving rape and the challenges faced by transgenders.”

The highlight of the play is that it is based on a set of personalised monologues written by the actors themselves. “It is not a scripted play, because nobody can author a story better than the person who has experienced it. The medium of theatre not only entertains, it also engages and inspires conversations,” says Sujatha.

The play will also be accompanied by an interactive session that will bring the actors and the audience together to share their experiences. “It is not like a film that you watch and walk out from after. We believe that when you see the play, there should be a conversation after that. Counter narratives must be heard and countered, otherwise they become another biased story.”

Actor, voiceover artiste and writer, Supriya Jambunathan speaking about her role in the play, says, “The piece that I will be performing is about how women are so busy juggling different roles — mother, daughter, wife and more — that we forget who we really are. Besides, society has conditioned us to see women who think of their likes and dislikes, as selfish.”